Applying

Before you apply for Specialty Training you should check that you're eligible.

You must read all of these pages and the guidance on the Medical Specialty Recruitment pages before beginning your application.

Summary of changes for 2024 recruitment

There are 3 changes this year to the recruitment round.

Certificate of Readiness to Enter Specialty Training (CREST)

If you are required to submit a CREST, you must do so before at the time of submitting your application. Failure to submit this will result in your application being withdrawn. Only the 2024 version of the form will be accepted.

For further information regarding the CREST form and providing proof of Foundation competencies, please see the Medical Specialty Recruitment pages. 

Please note that the 2024 recruitment process will only be checking CRESTs and those candidates who have advised they have greater than or equal to 18 months radiology experience after foundation prior to the MRSA. Longlisting will be completed after the MSRA. Your application can be withdrawn at any stage should it not meet the essential criteria as outlined in the 2024 person specification. 

Longlisting process

Due to the volume of applications, we are adopting a revised approach to longlisting applications. Most eligibility checks will not be taking place until after the Multi-Specialty Recruitment Assessment (MSRA) results have been confirmed. 

Consequently, it is very important that you ensure you meet the eligibility requirements and any competency document you need to attach is present and correct when you submit your application. 

One criterion where we will be doing some eligibility checks will be around the essential criteria concerning 18 months maximum experience in radiology. As part of the application form, we are asking candidates to confirm the number of years’ experience they have in radiology posts after completing foundation. We understand calculating this can sometimes be complex, so anyone who responds that they are near to or over the 18 months experience threshold, will have their experience reviewed prior to being invited to attend the MRSA.

 Interview stations

In 2024 there will be 2 interview stations of up to 10 minutes each. 

We will be using a virtual interview system called Qpercom Recruit.

Should at this stage or any stage your application be found to not meet essential criteria, as outlined in the person specification, you will be found ineligible, and your application will not be progressed further.

Recruitment process

Reasonable adjustments and Disability Confident Scheme (DCS)

We will ensure, where possible, that reasonable adjustments are made at interview to meet the needs of applicants with disabilities.

You must ensure that you include this on the application form and enter an early dialogue with the recruiting organisation.

Failure to provide the requested information and documentation by the stated deadline will result in adjustments and/or Guaranteed Interview Scheme status not being met. Any applicants applying under DCS will be required to score above the minimum cut-off score in the MSRA exam – this is 201 on each of the 2 components. For more information regarding reasonable adjustments and the guaranteed interview scheme, visit the support page via the portal.

Longlisting

Longlisting is the process of checking that applicants meet the minimum requirements to be eligible for a Clinical Radiology post. You can find the eligibility criteria on the person specification here. More information about longlisting can be found on the Medical Specialty Recruitment pages.

Multi-Specialty Recruitment Assessment (MSRA)

As part of the selection process for 2024 recruitment all applicants will be required to sit the MSRA (unless they have not met the initial eligibility checks). The result from this will form your shortlisting score. 

The MSRA is a computer-based assessment, delivered in partnership with Work Psychology Group and Pearson VUE, which has been designed to assess some of the essential competences outlined in the Person Specification and is based around clinical scenarios. 

The MSRA will be delivered at Pearson VUE test centres and remote testing provisions will be in place, as a reasonable adjustment, for those who are isolating/shielding in line with government or public health guidance due to COVID-19 or, depending on their geographical location, where local or national COVID-19 lockdown measures prevent access to a testing centre due to site closures or travel restrictions. 

  

Shortlisting

In the event that the volume of eligible applicants exceeds the interview capacity, applications will be shortlisted for the purpose of reducing the number of applicants invited to interview to a number which we can accommodate.

Please note that you will be required to score above the minimum cut-off score in the MSRA exam – this is 201 on each of the 2 components.

All applicants that score higher than the cut-off score but are not initially invited to interview will be put on a reserve list, this will be indicated by your Oriel status. If you have not been invited to book an interview via Oriel by 6 March 2024, unfortunately you will not receive an invite during this round

If you wish to apply to the Interventional Radiology pathway

The process for Clinical Radiology and Interventional Radiology are the same.

However, when applying for Interventional Radiology, you will need to state your preference for the Inventional Radiology sub-specialty from ST1 on your application.

As you will be consider as a Clinical Radiology applicant, you will have the opportunity to preference both Interventional Radiology and Clinical Radiology only posts.

Changing your pathway

You may be able to change your pathway later on in your training.

If you are on the Interventional Radiology pathway

In 2024 Clinical Radiology recruitment will continue to involve a process, started in 2022, which will allow applicants to state their preference for Interventional Radiology sub-specialty training from ST1.

You will continue to make a single application to Clinical Radiology and will all be considered as potential Clinical Radiology trainees.

As in previous years you will have the opportunity to preference Interventional Radiology posts alongside Clinical Radiology only posts.

If you have chosen Clinical or Interventional Radiology

Trainees on the Interventional Radiology pathway (based on their preference choice) will be able to revert to Clinical Radiology only before ST4 if they choose to do so. Trainees that select Clinical Radiology only (based on their preference choice) will still have the ability to apply for Interventional Radiology sub-specialty training from ST4 if they choose to and are successfully selected. The remainder of the process will be the same as for Clinical Radiology posts.

Where there is additional Interventional Radiology capacity and funding, deaneries will continue to undertake local (or national) recruitment from Clinical Radiology trainees at ST4. This will allow Clinical Radiology trainees to move into Interventional Radiology training if they didn’t get a place at ST1 or developed an interest in Interventional Radiology. It will also be possible for Clinical Radiology trainees with a preference in Interventional Radiology to revert to Clinical Radiology training, should they decide that Interventional Radiology is not the correct path, or their trainers decide they do not have the aptitude for it.