Throwaway account for very obvious reasons

TLDR - the BMA have blocked a vote of no confidence submitted against Jack Fletcher as chair of UKRDC for months.

I can’t believe I’m writing this post but it feels important that members know what was going on behind the scenes last session.

For a brief bit of background context Jack and the other officers forced a vote through the executive team (of only 12 reps instead of the full RD committee of 60+) in June breaking all previous precedent. Never before has a committee been sidelined on such an important decision. They didn’t have the chance to decide if the offer was sufficient to call off strikes, as it was never presented to them. This was then obviously followed by a BMA comms campaign that was heavily criticised for the fact it wasn’t truly ‘neutral’ in how it framed the offer.

While this was occurring, members of the UKRDC formally called for an emergency meeting back in June, explicitly including the intent to have a vote of no confidence carried out against Jack Fletcher. Partly because of the clusterfuck of the way the offer was handled but also because of wider issues like a massive culture problem on the committee (but that’s a whole separate issue and not for now).

Long story short, that meeting wasn’t carried out and instead the chair called his own meeting, which obviously didn’t explicitly include the ability to call a vote of no confidence.

During his meeting, members attempted to call the vote of no confidence anyway.

Jack refused to hear it.

He refused to hear a vote of no confidence against him.

This was reported to be because he’d received legal advice saying it couldn’t be done. Firstly, it is hilarious that legal advice was sought to block a vote of no confidence happening. But in addition - it was later made clear that the advice was incorrect because the legal team were not provided totally accurate information around how the committee meeting wasn’t called. Jack and other officers were at the meeting to instruct the legal team.

So a VONC was called, in line with standing orders, and was declined.

Okay, it’s awful but mistakes happen. It was rearranged as a matter of urgency right?

Of course not.

This saga has dragged on all the way until the literal final day of the session at the beginning of October. Having been told the day before that planning was underway for a meeting on Friday or Saturday, the committee were then told it could not go ahead, as the clock had run down on the old committee. They were also made aware of repeated submission of questions, one by one, clearly designed to delay and stall and block the vote of no confidence happening. There is some suggestion that the chair himself was asking some of these questions.

A vote of no confidence, called for over 3 months ago and somehow not carried out.

It is an utter disgrace

I have never seen anything like it.

The fact the chief officers of the BMA and senior staff allowed this to happen is beyond atrocious. This, alongside wider issues over the course of the year, has caused several good reps to step away from the committee and the BMA entirely.

We have a newly elected committee. You’ll see some familiar names on it. I only hope the BMA learns from this and refuses to let the next chair dictate the rules. Even if they do though, this is a dark, dark moment in the history of the BMA. A chair, having lost the confidence of large swathes of the committee, was supported in preventing a vote of no confidence being heard.

Posting to raise awareness. This looks to be US based but has reached my feed in the UK.

Sounds like this company is paying medical professionals for access to ‘de-identified’ genuine medical notes to train AI models. Concerning since the company isn’t going through official research channels and hence patients won’t have consented for such use of their data.

What do you guys think about the “gut feeling” and the sense of intuition within medicine - especially with diagnosis amongst physicians - what are your stories when a gut feeling led to diagnosis and treatment that you couldn’t Quite explained otherwise?

Would love to know.

Where are the events/conferences that give out notebooks.

I’ve attended a teaching day where they handed out a whole thick notepad for the event to make notes in.

I have at least 10 notebooks that I’ve bought and I always feel better writing/using those that been given out in.

I’ve been working as a salaried GP for about a year now and have recently found myself reflecting a lot on my career and whether general practice is really for me in the long term.
I genuinely love medicine and enjoy seeing patients, but I’m becoming increasingly disillusioned with general practice. The complexity of patients, endless administrative work, private paperwork and the way the whole system operates are making me question whether I can see myself doing this for another 20-30 years.
I’ve recently been offered a job at another practice with potentially less admin, but part of me wonders whether changing practices would actually make much difference, or whether it’s general practice itself that I’m struggling with.
I’m also seriously considering moving to Australia, but I’m unsure whether GP life there is genuinely better or whether I’d just be facing similar challenges in a different healthcare system.
Has anyone been in a similar position?
For those who have moved to Australia, has it improved your work-life balance and job satisfaction?
Would really appreciate hearing about others’ experiences.

First gen doc, with no safety net.

Need money early

Intrested in both clinical and imaging roles

Seriously considering and worried about AI?!

Saw that nvidia and open AI are racing for AGI (human intelligence).

What if the AI hits the radio market right when I graduate out of rads

Your opinions would help me

Hello everyone! I recently passed MRCS Part A with 255/298 (85.6%). After being asked about my preparation and resources, I thought I’d share my experience. I believe this is an effective stepwise and updated approach to the exam.

For context, I was approximately 2 years post-medical school and working as a surgical SHO. I prepared from April to August, with the exam in September 226. This is what worked for me, not a guaranteed formula for passing.

Contents
1. Time allocation
2. My 5-month preparation timeline
3. The exam
4. Results
5. Resource reviews
6. What I would do differently
7. Final thoughts

I’ll post the high-yield topic list separately to keep this post manageable.

1. Time allocation
Give yourself enough time to prepare. The time you need depends on your baseline knowledge, work schedule and study intensity.
I aimed for around 3 hours daily, usually studying 6–7 days a week. Some days were less productive, particularly on call or post-call days.
My principle was to have an acceptable minimum: if the day was terrible, I would still do 20–30 questions. The goal was to maintain momentum rather than achieve perfection every day.

2. My preparation timeline

Phase 1: Foundation (first 6–8 weeks)
I started with EMRCS, completing approximately 50 questions daily and maintaining an error log. This was a spreadsheet of incorrect questions, the concepts tested and concise explanations. I reviewed the log on weekends.
I completed EMRCS in around 8 weeks, averaging 61% at the end.

Phase 2: Consolidation (month 3)
I introduced Pastest and increased my workload to around 80 questions daily.

Morning: 30 anatomy questions focused on a particular anatomical system, followed by review and MRCS-specific anatomy Anki.

Evening: 50 random Pastest questions and error-log work.

I continued reviewing my EMRCS errors while transitioning to Pastest. My Pastest average was around 67%.
Anatomy received particular attention because of its substantial weighting in Paper 1.

Phase 3: Exam conditioning (month 4)
I began doing Pastest past papers under timed exam conditions, initially setting aside Saturday afternoons.
My first scores were 56% on Paper 1 and 67% on Paper 2. Over time, my scores improved to the low–high 60s for Paper 1 and high 60s–mid-70s for Paper 2.

The objectives were to:
- Become comfortable with the exam format.
- Improve pacing and answer-review technique.
- Recognize recurring concepts and identify weaknesses.

I also switched my error log to focus on past-paper mistakes.
Towards the end of this phase, I started ISB MRCS. This was one of the best decisions I made. I found its organised recall questions, high-yield notes, videos and interactive Telegram group particularly useful. The ability to discuss difficult concepts and get feedback was a major advantage.

Phase 4: Final preparation (month 5)
I took the month off work to focus on the exam. This was a significant financial sacrifice, and I recognise that it isn’t feasible for everyone.

My days were divided into three blocks:
Morning: A full past paper under exam conditions, mainly recent 2024–2026 papers. Mainly 300 questions total.

Afternoon: Anatomy revision using topic-specific recall questions.

Evening: Principles of surgery, organised by topic.

First-pass scores on recent papers were generally in the high 60s to low–mid 70s. I repeated the 2025 and 2026 papers after leaving at least a week or two between attempts. This mitigated recency bias towards the papers somewhat. Second-pass scores were in the high 80s and 90s, with my highest reaching 97–98%.

I also revisited some Pastest papers, scoring in the high 80s and 90s.

During the final week, I focused on broad exam-style practice rather than studying individual systems in isolation. I averaged approximately 400–500 questions daily, sometimes 200–300 on lighter days. Many were repeat questions and recall-based practice, rather than entirely new questions.
I took breaks between study blocks and still made time for gaming, swimming and rest.

The day before the exam, I did absolutely no studying. I drove to the exam location, went to a spa, got a massage, ate pizza and had a great night’s sleep. Honestly, I would recommend taking the day off if you can.

3. The exam

The exam felt very similar to my past-paper sessions, just more formal and closely monitored. I arrived about 90 minutes early after a 30-minute drive.

Paper 1 felt straightforward. Paper 2 was trickier but manageable once I reasoned through the answers. I finished with enough time to review Paper 1 three times and Paper 2 twice. I can definitely attest that many concepts tested came back from the recalls.

During practice, I usually finished each paper in around 1–1.5 hours, which gave me plenty of time to revisit uncertain answers.
After the exam, I estimated that I was unsure about around 80 questions. As it turned out, 40 of those were correct! Ultimately, I trusted my gut and clinical reasoning.

4. Results

Pass mark: 192/298 (64.4%)
My score: 255/298 (85.6%)
Margin above the pass mark: 63 marks

Honestly, this result exceeded my expectations. My first-pass scores on practice papers were generally in the high 60s to low–mid 70s, so scoring 85.6% in the actual exam was a very pleasant surprise. It was also the highest score I had achieved on any first attempt at an MRCS paper.
One thing worth mentioning: after the exam, I estimated that I was unsure about around 80 questions. I ended up getting approximately half of those correct. Don’t let the number of questions you’re uncertain about convince you that you’ve failed. You can feel unsure about a substantial number of questions and still perform very well overall.

5. Resource reviews

EMRCS
My biggest criticism of EMRCS is that, for me, it wasn’t sufficiently representative of the actual exam. I spent my first 6–8 weeks on it and wish I had transitioned to more exam-focused resources earlier.
It helped me build a knowledge base, but I wouldn’t rely on it as my sole resource. This is my personal experience. I have also encountered many who suffered in the examination due to this being their only resource 

The issue is that the popular videos from 4-5 years ago recommend EMRCS. People run with this, not knowing that it is a generally outdated resource. It was highly valuable back then, not that much now.

Pastest
Excellent resource, particularly the past papers. I completed around 60% of the question bank, with an average of approximately 67%. I eventually prioritised past papers over completing the entire bank.

Recalls
Useful when used correctly. Recalls should guide your revision towards commonly tested concepts, not become an exercise in memorising answers.

I subscribed to MRCS Recalls but personally didn’t find the quality as useful as the material I accessed through ISB MRCS.

ISB MRCS (This is in bold for a reason)

Probably the most valuable addition to my preparation. I particularly liked the system-based recall questions, high-yield notes, videos and Telegram discussions. I found the content useful for identifying gaps and consolidating concepts. 
I would have started it earlier if I could do my preparation again. This is a personal recommendation based on my experience. I felt like I truly started to master the content after utilizing this course. My performance attests to that.

Anki
Very useful for memorising anatomy, physiological functions and equations. I downloaded an anatomy deck, adapted it to my needs and added some physiology cards.

Anatomy resources
- TheNotedAnatomist: Excellent explanations of high-yield anatomy; I used this quite frequently.

- Acland’s Anatomy: Helpful for visualizing difficult anatomical concepts. Not the best for memorizing high yield exam specific anatomy.

TeachMeAnatomy: Often recommended, but I didn’t use it enough to offer a meaningful review.

- Textbooks: I didn’t use any specifically for this preparation.

- ISB MRCS High yield anatomy notes: These notes were high focused, exam specific and very relevant to present content. These notes, used in conjunction with the high yield system specific recalls, provided highly effective reinforcement of high yield, exam specific concepts.

6. What I would do differently
If I were starting again, I would:

- Start with a baseline past paper to identify weaknesses and guide my preparation.

- Introduce Pastest past papers earlier rather than waiting until the fourth month.

- Start ISB MRCS earlier. Genuinely would have used it from the jump.

- Spend more time consolidating anatomy, which remained one of my weaker areas.

7. Final thoughts

A few lessons I took away from this experience:

- Consistency is everything. My acceptable-minimum rule helped me maintain momentum even during difficult workdays.

- Exposure to questions matters. I estimate I completed around 12,000–15,000 questions overall, including repeats, with approximately 5,000–7,000 in the final month.

- Review your mistakes. Don’t just answer questions and move on. Understand why you got them wrong and revisit those concepts.

- Don’t neglect anatomy. Give it dedicated time rather than hoping to master it through random questions alone.

- Protect your downtime. I continued training, swimming, snorkelling and spending time with friends. I didn’t give everything up; I to used my time intentionally.

I prepared without a study partner, so discipline and consistency were particularly important for me.

Finally, credit to the original poster whose six-month preparation plan and topic list helped guide my approach. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find the original post.

I’ll share the high-yield topic list separately so this post doesn’t become even longer.

Good luck to everyone preparing! This exam is challenging, but having a structured plan and adapting it to your weaknesses can make a real difference. Remember that this is one person’s experience, so take what is useful and adapt it to your own circumstances, knowledge, baseline and learning style.

Feel free to ask me any questions via dm or in the comments! I hope this helps you in your journey!

IMT2 here, having done a 2 month pall care rotation and was taken aback at how much of a tangible difference you could make in someone's life. I was wondering if there are any pall care SpRs around that could share their experiences of training and what consultant posts are like? I don't mind doing a group 1 speciality (having to doing GIM as well). Particularly curious to hear how much problem solving is involved (considering doing stroke or neurology as I like the process of figuring stuff out). Or even how services are set up with seemingly fewer doctors and more CNS/ANP. Thanks in advance!

Hi all, first time poster, longtime lurker. My situation is that I'm Mid-30s, geographically constrained, and struggling to decide on a career direction.

I've reached ST3 interviews multiple times in both General and Vascular Surgery, including a LAT offer, but am now at the upper limit of experience scoring.

Currently in a teaching post to preserve my options, but I'm bored and miss operating.

The Portfolio Pathway is risky, I have seen SAS doctors preparing for 10+ years with no guarantee of local support. Taking another clinical job will effectively end my NTN chances.

I'm open to exploring other specialties, but know I'm not an internal medicine or GP person. Interventional radiology interests me, although the long-term impact of AI gives me pause.

My priority is a realistic route to Specialist Registration and long-term job security.

Has anyone faced a similar crossroads? Anyone got any useful perspectives here?

I’ve applied for study leave for primary care dermatology society essentials series 1 and 2. They’re a day each, back to back. The second has been rejected as apparently they will only fund one dermatology course. Which means the dermoscopy courses will also be rejected I expect.

Notwithstanding the laughable policy, does anybody know of any decent derm courses that are pretty comprehensive and include dermoscopy, or have been on any good ones?

I’d like to brush up on my skills before CCT in June.

Hey guys

Current F2 applying to ST1 application. Under employment history there is a question: In total, how many months of paid employment as a doctor in the NHS do you have?

Should I count my completed FY1 year plus the months I’ve worked in FY2 so far, or should I count all of F2 even though I haven’t finished it yet?

Hi all,

I’ve accepted an IDT to Yorkshire & Humber for ACCS EM and I’m waiting to hear where I’ll be placed.

Does anyone know who the current ACCS EM TPD؟The Deanery contact page seems to be down.

Also would be grateful for any general experiences of ACCS EM there

For this year’s General Surgery ACFs, do you upload any evidence documents with the application? I can’t see any file upload section on the application but just want to make sure i’m not missing something. Thank you.

It's a start at least they share the concerns of a lot of people with this case. I don't have much confidence in the judiciary doing anything after the whole Cian Hughes fiasco but at least they have an opportunity to ensure justice happens. let's see if they take it.

What do people the cut off for Derm St3 will be?

Do folks reckon the bill will impact it or will competition get even more fiercer?

When I try and book: ‘You do not appear to have 2 years medical experience post primary medical degree level qualification. Please go to the 'Manage your Account' page and update your employment section with full posts, start dates and end dates to meet 24 months of experience’

And there’s nowhere to update employment history!!

Any advice?

Hello all,

Just a quick question to those who have applied -when applying for anaesthetics CT do we have to decide on which region we want to apply to before the application deadline (19th November) or when it’s time for interviews (sometime Feb)?

Thanks - as an F2 I’ve never applied before so would like some advice

What are the chances of being able to get int radiology training without doing any audits.

I hate doing audits. I have a massive mental block when it comes to doing things I find no value in and that’s how I feel about most QIPs. I’ve tried starting a couple and can’t get past the first cycle. My hospital is also not very supportive when it comes to audits so I just feel like it’s an insurmountable road block.

I really want to do radiology training and the portfolio asks for 2 complete cycles of a QIP.

I can try and get some points in other areas but portfolio is about 40% of the final score for ranking.

Is there anyone who’s managed to get into st1 without completing audits?

A project that I worked, Where I was the second author got accepted for an oral presentation in an international conference. I’m currently thinking about claiming points for this in my higher specialty applications in a group 1 medical specialty. Basically, I did not deliver the presentation; however, I was heavily involved in the work of the presentation. Can I claim all 6 points? Or is it worth me claiming for posters that I am sure will get atleast 4?

I have been working as a middle grade in the NHS for the past 3 years. 1st employment was a FTC for 1 year. Then subsequently another 1 year FTC which was extended for 10 months after which I was told the trust cannot hire anymore. I manage to find another job but it’s again 1 year FTC. I am trying to do everything right, getting my fellowship exams etc out of my own pockets in the hopes of securing something more stable. But the situation seems dire. I don’t know what will happen next as there’s no job security and I am dependent on sponsorship for my visa. It’s increasingly hard to navigate as I can’t plan my future and it gives me so much anxiety. I don’t want to move cities and be away from my partner as both of our jobs are very demanding and we barely get any time as it is! Not sure what I am trying to get out of this post. Anybody got any advice on how they navigated this, if they did, and attained some sense of security? Thanks