The Most Competitive Medical Specialties in 2024! 🔥 | UK Specialty/Residency Training

Let's take a look at the competition data for UK specialty training in the 2023/2024 cycle.

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UKCAT / INTERVIEWS:

[Ash-gxho]

Great video! The BMA should be campaigning harder to remove these bottlenecks in training. Pay is rightly at the top of their agenda, but not very practical if we can't advance to those higher pay positions.

[finlaywsw]

You should have to specify a 'first choice' option when applying and recruiters prioritise those applicants first for interview slots. I think this would help reduce the double counting problem

[Medmey]

I do think there should be a way to prioritise UK students over IMGs especially if the numbers are there. Other countries do this and feel like we have now ended up in a situation where people have no choice but to do all these alternative posts because they don't get into speciality. I don't suppose you have any idea as to why this is? I'd be interested in the breakdown of IMGs vs UK applicants for each speciality.

All this talk of increasing medical school places makes it more perplexing. What's the point if the bottleneck for speciality places is increasing year on year? As someone who is about to graduate in 2025, a career in medicine in this country just looks so bleak.

Great video as always Ollie

[SingZeon]

Thanks for what is possibly the most comprehensive and objective take on this issue I’ve seen so far.

Yes, competition ratios are increasing every year. But, as you’ve said, they don’t paint the full picture because there are so many confounding variables that it is no longer representative of the reality. I’m tired of seeing people quote competition ratios (alone) on a certain subreddit and go on a rant about specialty training. Yes things aren’t great but we should still be objective about it.

As you described, MSRA was initially intended for GP training selection, but has since been used by many other specialties, never mind if it has been validated or not. I believe last year was the first for core surgical training applicants to sit MSRA. I too disagree with the move, but I appreciated the statement explaining the change. They were honest enough to admit that they simply can’t get through so many portfolios and interviews, so have to find a way of first cutting off a large number of people. Whether this is the best method is of course up for debate. Who would have thought that an indirect impact of the state of the NHS would be on selection for specialty trainees? (Aka surgical consultants pressured to operate and cut waiting lists, rather than sieving through portfolios)

Similarly, you also highlighted how a significant minority of people are applying to more than one specialty. This is all the more aided by the fact that they only have one single exam (MSRA) to sit for, so there really is no disincentive to do so. Amongst these people, some genuinely are torn between several specialties, but I also know of others who are primarily into one, but apply for others as backups. Unless this is explicitly forbidden in future rounds, who is to say this is ‘wrong’? (Also, how can one differentiate between these two groups?)

This might be a rather controversial suggestion, but what about mandating applicants to have at least attempted the relevant part 1 exam in said specialty? So if someone applies to both IMT and CST, they would have attempted MRCP and MCRS part 1 respectively, otherwise the corresponding application won’t proceed. Then any part 1 passes will bump them up shortlisting for interview for the respective application. This might cut down ‘frivolous’ applications to multiple specialties.

[queenofhearts]

Thank you Ollie really appreciate all the valuable information you’re providing, you’re helping so much! I wish you all the best.

[alixday]

Starting GEM this year and I'm quite worried about these bottlenecks. Really hope there is some progress within the next few years.

[ProcrastinatingPoet]

Thanks for the video! I've got a reasonable Gamsat, am thinking of applying to gem courses, but am also starting to looking at odp courses. I'm very keen on going into anaesthetics but it's a heck of a long road. Thanks for breaking down the system a bit. I went to a GEM open day talk, probably the oldest applicant (early thirties) the other ' older ' people sitting in turned out to be parents, many of whom were doctors themselves. The lecturer said in the medical interviews and application we should refer to the bma framework domains.... That we should have of course heard of.... I'm realising how elitist and cliquey the system could be. So I'm wondering to park a very long held dream.

[christiancox]

Really interesting video Ollie, thanks for your excellent insights. You do raise some very important points about selection. Its like you say the MSRA can be a help or a hindrance depending if you're good at it or not. Personally I would favour maybe specialty specific exams or assessments.

[DrZiii]

Nicely explained! I believe it would be better if there are specialty specific exams!

[francofon]

Highly informative Doc.

WILL you do a video on impact of AI in medicine, especially surgery and Radiology?

[Prudence]

Thanks for the informative video, can you do a video on the new CST application changes and your thoughts on it please?

[Mycophenolate]

Having a look at the IMG vs UK grad ratios it seems that the ratios are much better if you’re a UK grad than it would seem. Still absolutely bonkers imo but maybe some hope

[lesemma]

I just graduated with a 2:1 and my plan was to always go to med school after, but now I'm unsure if I should go to dental school instead. It'd be nice if you could make a video explaining why you chose medicine over dentistry - if you ever considered dentistry.

[juli]

Hi Ollie.
How does the introduction of PA/AA posts fit into the development of this bottleneck?

This is a lot different that America where the government isn't as involved.

[Dhanuhammer]

Seems like not much people are interested in core surgical training!

[RearViEwmirror-]

Docs! The whole life is competition pawsing exams and disappointments.
Meanwhile KAs JAs whatnot, crash in just doing some random course a mediocre exam.

😂

[MrCheeseify]

Increasing medical school places and opening training to give equal footing to IMGs were just government ploys. There are no other countries that do not prioritise their own graduates. IMGs are an important part of the workforce but this stance has further worsened conditions for doctors who can't even find locum work these days when they inevitably miss out on a post despite terrific CVs.

[nic_a_bic]

As an Irish medical student, these competition ratios are just completely bonkers. Good luck to ye.

[yellownoiseclub]

They should get rid of the interview. In Romania, they have a license exam after medschool and whoever got the top score in the whole country gets 1st choice of training specialty and location.

Maybe the UK and do something similar and get rid of the interview maybe introduce exams for the specific specialty or something 🤷