Radiology ST1 application and interview guide

Yes. In 2027, a panel member scores uploaded evidence before Station A (up to 10 minutes), and the station begins with two portfolio questions. Your declared categories, evidence titles and dates on Oriel must match what you later upload.

The confirmed 2027 format has two Qpercom Recruit stations of up to 15 minutes each. Station A starts with two portfolio questions plus two further scored sections; Station B has three scored sections. NHS England has not named every topic.

For the published 2027 portfolio, a significant clinical Radiology department exposure is at least three whole-day equivalents. A full week may be educationally useful, but the published scoring threshold is three whole-day equivalents.

Not simply for the sake of having two. In 2027, more than one meaningfully different significant exposure reaches the highest commitment-to-specialty category. Two nearly identical tasters do not automatically count as two different exposures.

Start with RCR AuditLive. Choose a small project with a clear standard. For the published 2027 rubric, document either the improvement achieved or evidence that practice already met the required standard.

No, but Radiology-specific QI reaches higher categories in the published 2027 rubric. Imaging must form the primary part of a Radiology-related project rather than being incidental.

No. Academic achievements were one portfolio domain rather than an absolute eligibility requirement in the published process. A strong application can come from other domains, MSRA and interview performance. Do not start unrealistic research purely because you think every successful applicant must publish.

Under the 2027 academic descriptors, a first-author Radiology case report can contribute to category B if it meets the published authorship, completion and evidence requirements. Submitted-but-not-accepted work should not be assumed to count.

The important points are your name, the Radiology/Nuclear Medicine department, exact dates or whole-day-equivalent duration, and confirmation from the clinical supervisor or education lead. A factual letter on headed paper is more useful than a generic certificate with no duration.

It is an acute imaging service: vetting and prioritising urgent requests, reporting time-critical CT and selected MRI/plain films, communicating critical findings and escalating when a case exceeds your competence. Local rotas vary substantially, and trainees gain independence progressively rather than being expected to report everything unsupervised from ST1.

There is no single UK-wide start point. RCR guidance places on-call/acute sessions within ST2–ST3 training, while exact rota entry, supervision and night arrangements are determined locally. Ask individual programmes how their acute rota works.

Often. Ultrasound, fluoroscopy, breast clinics, biopsies, drains, vascular access, nuclear medicine and Interventional Radiology can all be patient-facing. The proportion varies enormously by subspecialty and job plan.

You do not need postgraduate imaging physics before ST1. First FRCR Physics is an early training examination and local teaching is expected to support it. Being comfortable learning scientific principles matters more than arriving already trained.

First FRCR comprises Anatomy and Physics and is intended early in training. Final FRCR Part 2A is the broad written SBA examination and Part 2B assesses applied clinical Radiology. The exact exam regulations should always be checked on the RCR site.

Yes. The RCR curriculum allows LTFT training, with programme duration generally adjusted pro rata and an appropriate pro-rata share of out-of-hours work at the equivalent training stage.

IR adds advanced image-guided procedures, peri-procedural patient care and emergency intervention to the diagnostic Radiology foundation. The indicative pathway is six years rather than five for Clinical Radiology.

Compare geography, academy/teaching model, acute and on-call exposure, consultant supervision, tertiary subspecialty rotations, IR access, exam teaching, research opportunities and LTFT practicality. There is no useful universal ranking because different programmes suit different trainees.

The radiologist reviews relevant imaging before the meeting, presents findings that affect diagnosis/staging/management, explains uncertainty and advises when further imaging or image-guided intervention could answer the clinical question. The value is clinical decision-making, not simply displaying scans.

Current UK practice is better understood as AI-assisted Radiology rather than a simple replacement model. AI is already widely used, while responsibility for validation, monitoring, integration and clinical decisions remains a major professional issue. Workforce shortages also remain substantial.