Exploring specialty and other options
This second stage focuses ion the information you need to make a decision.
Listed below are some of the questions you may like to find answes to.
What are the competition rates for the different specialities?
- Look up the competition ratios.
- Search the speciality fill rates.
Where can I find out further information about each speciality?
- Researching the person specifications for each specility.
- Use the BMA speciality explorer tool to support your research into the medical specialites.
- Use Health Careers 'Explore roles' pages to get information on working life, training pathways and speciality specific case studies
- As a foundation doctor you are entitled to up to career based 5 taster days to experience different specialites. Certain specialites even organise structured taster week programmes.
- LinkedIn is an excellent way to find out about specilities and the different paths people have taken within these.
Where can I find out information about the application process?
- Medical Speciality Recruitment Handbook 2021
- Speciality Training Guidance HEE
- Oriel
- Academic Clinical Fellowships (ACF) - National Institute of Health Research (NIHR). Here you will find detailed information about ACFs and other academic clinical training programmes
- IMT Recruitment - Specific information realting to IMT and ACCS training prgrammes including scoring guidelines and fill rates
- GP Recruitment - Specific Information realting to GP recruitment
- ST3 Recruitment - Specific information realting to ST3+ Medical speciality recruitment including scoring guidelines and fill rates
How are the specialty applications assessed?
Application Scoring Framework and Guidance for the specialities can give clear information about how the application will be assessed. They are not available for every specialty but very helpful when available. Please see below for examples:
Who can help provide me with the answers?
- speaking to those in the profession can be an excellent way to find out a realistic view of the speciality - here is a useful video that outlines virtual networking
- the Royal Colleges have excellent information and guidance
- supervisors
- trainees
- F3 Resources
Document(s):
