Specialty Training Advice Requests

[radimed]

Hi, I'm a medical student in Australia and I'm interested in radiology. What can I do as a student to put myself ahead of the other candidates to help me later on in my career when I graduate and aim to get into a radiologist specialist program?

I'm moreso referring to building up my CV, who can I talk to do research? Is research a big important thing to even have in the CV when aiming to get into radiology?

Thanks, I appreciate any insight from people who have already been on or are currently on this path

 

[Mana]

There is an abundance of radiology courses out there that can help your CV but it's probably quite difficult to do radiology research; this will depend on your contacts that you make during your training. I would say (from my observation at my hospital network) that there is a fair proportion of first year trainees in radiology who had no research at all prior to commencing their radiology training.

 

[radimed]

There is an abundance of radiology courses out there that can help your CV but it's probably quite difficult to do radiology research; this will depend on your contacts that you make during your training. I would say (from my observation at my hospital network) that there is a fair proportion of first year trainees in radiology who had no research at all prior to commencing their radiology training.

Thanks so much for the quick reply! Hmmm I see, yes that's what I've heard to (that trainees haven't done much research before getting into training programs). What sort of radiology courses are you talking about? A quick google search of "radiology courses" brings up a range from conference courses to degrees like diagnostic radiography.

Many thanks

 

[Mana]

Diagnostic radiography is a different career path (but anecdotally those who did diagnostic radiography before graduate entry medicine seem to have slightly higher representation?).

Things like Lightbox radiology courses and the relevant HETI courses like the applied anatomy and physics courses would be useful; usually people would do them AFTER graduation though.

 

[radimed]

Ah i see. I'll give those a read, thanks so much. Then in terms of now while I'm going into 4th year in my MBBS course, what do you think is useful for me to do other than obviously making sure i know as much radiology as I can?

 

[1234med]

Sorry to interrupt... My friend's interested in derm (as competitive as radiology apparently) and a ton of her friends also interested have done derm research in uni (specifically UNSW with their ILP). They can actually be introduced into the film and build contacts with some derm consultants/ professors. Some of her friends vying for derm said that they wished they did research in med school (not sure why, harder later on?), so this might be something to consider for radiology too.

 

[heart]

Not sure what course you are in, but, personally I'm doing 2 rotations in radiology in my final year and planning to network from there. Also from what I know derm is way more competitive then radiology.

 

[1234med]

Not sure what course you are in, but, personally I'm doing 2 rotations in radiology in my final year and planning to network from there. Also from what I know derm is way more competitive then radiology.

Anyone have any tips for derm haha! Research, network, anything else? Seems like most also have to go to metro areas...

 

[hpfanfiction]

Anyone have any tips for derm haha! Research, network, anything else? Seems like most also have to go to metro areas...

I’m not sure which state you’re from but here’s some general advice (I’m not in Derm, but my partner is , though he’s from WA and the application process has changed since he got in)
- It’s one of the few specialities where medical school marks /prizes /academic honours do help a lot , so work as hard as you can in medschool so that you do as well as you can in the “academic performance” category . A research year /research honours would help too, and many applicants eventually do a masters as JMOs.
-In the meantime , keep an open mind . It’s ok to change your mind , and in fact , expected . The flipside is that if you are still sure you want to do it , you can start working towards your cv in Med school (from about 2nd/3rd year) which will help you going forward
- If you haven’t already , have a very close look at Selection Process - ACD
- Get a mentor by approaching the department at a tertiary hospital (easier once you’re in your clinical years) and then if your uni has a derm term (ours did, but it was very short!), show them that you’re enthusiastic and interested in derm , and would like to be involved in research . Also do your elective in Derm.
- Enrol in courses and workshops (many are aimed at GPs but are still looked open favourably by selection panels ) in prevocational years .
-Derm panels appreciate evidence of being well-rounded so maintain your interests , do some community /volunteer work, and have good references from your rotation supervisors (not just derm)
- Be prepared to do several years a RMO/SMO/Service Registrar whilst continuing to gain experience , work on your cv , complete courses etc and have unsuccessful applications before hopefully eventually getting in when it’s *your turn*. It’s important to have a backup plan too (eg GP, Paeds Derm in NZ which is part of the RACP....) .
All the best

 

[Tomato]

I’m not sure which state you’re from but here’s some general advice (I’m not in Derm, but my partner is , though he’s from WA and the application process has changed since he got in)
- It’s one of the few specialities where medical school marks /prizes /academic honours do help a lot , so work as hard as you can in medschool so that you do as well as you can in the “academic performance” category . A research year /research honours would help too, and many applicants eventually do a masters as JMOs.
-In the meantime , keep an open mind . It’s ok to change your mind , and in fact , expected . The flipside is that if you are still sure you want to do it , you can start working towards your cv in Med school (from about 2nd/3rd year) which will help you going forward
- If you haven’t already , have a very close look at Selection Process - ACD
- Get a mentor by approaching the department at a tertiary hospital (easier once you’re in your clinical years) and then if your uni has a derm term (ours did, but it was very short!), show them that you’re enthusiastic and interested in derm , and would like to be involved in research . Also do your elective in Derm.
- Enrol in courses and workshops (many are aimed at GPs but are still looked open favourably by selection panels ) in prevocational years .
-Derm panels appreciate evidence of being well-rounded so maintain your interests , do some community /volunteer work, and have good references from your rotation supervisors (not just derm)
- Be prepared to do several years a RMO/SMO/Service Registrar whilst continuing to gain experience , work on your cv , complete courses etc and have unsuccessful applications before hopefully eventually getting in when it’s *your turn*. It’s important to have a backup plan too (eg GP, Paeds Derm in NZ which is part of the RACP....) .
All the best

Can the dermatologists trained from RACP (NZ) practice in Australia? Why the Australian dermatologists are all trained from ACD? Are these two qualifications recognized in both countries?

 

[hpfanfiction]

Can the dermatologists trained from RACP (NZ) practice in Australia? Why the Australian dermatologists are all trained from ACD? Are these two qualifications recognized in both countries?

Sorry not completely sure, even after having searched with and spoken to my partner, and then messaging one of his more senior trainee friends. It's confusing as ours is named the Australasian (not Australian) college but NZ still have their own separate one ie they are actually different colleges. The RACP Dermatology pathway is only open to NZ RACP trainees. So going to err on the side of caution and say no, at least not without further training.

From what we have gathered:
- Specialist Recognition - ACD
Even if NZ is considered "an IMG" (the name of the Aussie college is making us doubt) , we suspect it would be considered "Substantially" or at the very least "Partially" comparable
This could be out of date, but the promising thing is that NZ trainees at least used to have the option of doing 2 years of their training in Australia
New Zealand training programme for specialist dermatologists | DermNet NZ

If any further information comes to light when he's back at work next week, I'll post it here

 

[Tomato]

Sorry not completely sure, even after having searched with and spoken to my partner, and then messaging one of his more senior trainee friends. It's confusing as ours is named the Australasian (not Australian) college but NZ still have their own separate one ie they are actually different colleges. The RACP Dermatology pathway is only open to NZ RACP trainees. So going to err on the side of caution and say no, at least not without further training.

From what we have gathered:
- Specialist Recognition - ACD
Even if NZ is considered "an IMG" (the name of the Aussie college is making us doubt) , we suspect it would be considered "Substantially" or at the very least "Partially" comparable
This could be out of date, but the promising thing is that NZ trainees at least used to have the option of doing 2 years of their training in Australia
New Zealand training programme for specialist dermatologists | DermNet NZ

If any further information comes to light when he's back at work next week, I'll post it here

Thank you for the response

 

[chinaski]

C/ What are the realistic odds of becoming a surgeon in my graduating class? I am highly interested and willing to go against the odds, even sacrifice a couple of years working as an SRMO/unaccredited registrar. However, an idea of the likelihood would help in putting things into perspective.

If by "realistic odds of becoming a surgeon in my graduating class" you mean "getting onto the program without any delay and completing training in the minimum amount of time", the answer is "almost certainly zero percent".

Be aware that the realistic expectation for anyone pursuing surgical training is that you are in for a lot of sacrifice along the way. If you feel that the benchmark of "sacrificing a couple of years working as an SRMO/unaccredited registrar" is somehow extraordinary or going above and beyond, then you might want to readjust that perspective.

 

[HansKrebs]

If by "realistic odds of becoming a surgeon in my graduating class" you mean "getting onto the program without any delay and completing training in the minimum amount of time", the answer is "almost certainly zero percent".

Be aware that the realistic expectation for anyone pursuing surgical training is that you are in for a lot of sacrifice along the way. If you feel that the benchmark of "sacrificing a couple of years working as an SRMO/unaccredited registrar" is somehow extraordinary or going above and beyond, then you might want to readjust that perspective.

Hey,

Thanks for your reply!

And I completely understand your response. Sorry if my language gave that impression. I most certainly understand that I will have to dedicate a few years of my life at the very least in order to accumulate enough credit to be admitted to a training programme.

I just don't want to pursue something for several years and put so much effort into if there are just purely very very few positions available for applicants.

However on reflection, I realise this whole argument applies to getting into medical school in the first place; no risk, no reward.

 

[chinaski]

I just don't want to pursue something for several years and put so much effort into if there are just purely very very few positions available for applicants.

This is pretty much the status quo for competitive training programs. There are far more very capable, very eligible and very keen applicants than there are places available. Furthermore, once you're on the program, it's not as though life is a snack. This is not said to discourage you - if that's the path you are interested in, so be it - moreover just an acknowledgement of the way things are.

 

[Nifreto]

Im also looking into radiology training, would you say GPA is also part of the CV points (particularly in Queensland). Universities like Griffith only have pass/fail so how does that work?

 

[Crow]

Universities like Griffith only have pass/fail so how does that work?

Griffith grades students in the final two years of the MD.

 

[strongman]

Im also looking into radiology training, would you say GPA is also part of the CV points (particularly in Queensland). Universities like Griffith only have pass/fail

so how does that

I m also thinking about radiology, do u how popular radiology is and how difficult it is to get in ?

 

[BMathieson]

When do most medical students undergo research/professional development and training. I’m currently in the first half of my medicine degree and this topic hasn’t been broached yet, but I’d love to hear thoughts of people more advanced than me.

 

[chinaski]

What exactly do you mean by "research/professional development and training"? It's a rather nebulous descriptor there - hard to know what you have in mind.