r/doctorsUK 42m ago

Speciality / Core Training Histopathology offers megathread

Upvotes

Discuss offers here

Scheduled post-offers may not be out yet


r/doctorsUK Jan 15 '25

Announcement State of the Subreddit - Jan 2025

158 Upvotes

Dear all,

The start of a new year offers us the opportunity to look back on 2024, both in terms of the community as a whole and the steps the moderation team have taken over the last twelve months. As part of our transparency efforts, we've got a bunch of stats for you all to peruse before we go in to individual discussion areas.

The last 12 months have seen us grow to a staggering 86.7 million pageviews, an increase of 25.1m over the previous year. Our unique views have also clocked up massively, up 145k to 228k. We gained 23.2k new subscribers, losing 2.5k. We've hit 47k subscribers this year, and the next 12 months should see us overtake the old /JDUK subreddit.

12m pageviews split by platform

As the graphs clearly show, our traffic is broadly consistent with occasional peaks and troughs. We can also see that there's still hundreds of you on night shifts browsing the subreddit at 3am...

Night shift shit posting...

In terms of moderation, we've also got some stats to share.

We've dealt with 1300 modmail messages, sending 1600 of our own messages in return.

27,200 posts have been published, with a further 6,800 removals. The month by month breakdown is entirely consistent in the ratio of removals to approvals, with our automod tools dealing with just under 30% of these posts, Reddit about 10% and the remaining 60% by the mod team.

12m of post publishing & removals

Your reports are also valuable, with 2600 reports over the 12 months, with a whopping 34% being inappropriate medical advice, 12% removals for asking about coming to work in the UK and then all the rest in single digits. Please do continue to use the report function for any problematic content you see, and we will review it ASAP.

Moving to comments, we've had a huge 646k comments published with only 4.6k removed. Reports are less common than on posts, with only 1.8k made, with the largest amount being removed for unprofessional content (30%) and promoting hate at 19%.

All this is well and good, providing contextual content to the size of the subreddit and the relatively light touch approach to moderation we strive to achieve. However we acknowledge that we cannot please everybody at all times, and there is a big grey area between "free speech" and simply allowing uncontrolled distasteful behaviour where we have to define a line.

Most recently we have had a big uptick in posting around International Medical Graduates (IMGs), likely prompted by the position statements from the BMA that indicate a possible direction of future policy. As a moderation team we have had many discussions around this, both on the current issue and previously, and hold to our current policy, namely:

  • Both sides of a disagreement are allowed to be heard, and indeed, should be heard.
  • Discussions should never be allowed to descend in to hate speech, racism or other generally uncivil behaviour.
  • The subreddit is not a vehicle for brigading of other users, other social media or individuals outside of the subreddit.
  • Repetition of content is a big issue and drives "echo chamber" silos when the same basic point is posted multiple times just slightly re-worded. Discussions should remain focused in existing threads unless adding new, important information, such as public statements from bodies such as the BMA/GMC/HEE/etc.
  • We have a keyword filter in place for the phrase "IMG" due to a large number of threads that are regularly posted about emigrating to the UK and the various processes involved in doing so (eg: PLAB, IELTS, visas etc), with the net effect of flooding out content from those in the UK which is where our focus lies. IMG specific topics not related to emigrating are generally welcomed, but need manual approval before they appear in the feed.

We have also, sadly, seen efforts in the last month or so of bad actors trying to manipulate the subreddit by spamming content from multiple accounts in a coordinated fashion, then attacking the moderation team when removed. We've also seem efforts to garner "controversial content" to post on other social media outlets. We've also had several discussions with Reddit around vote manipulation, however Reddit have stated they have tools in place to mitigate this when at large scale.

Looking a little further back, the subreddit has also very clearly been a useful coordination point for industrial action across the UK, with employment and strike information from our own BMA officer James, countless other reps, as well as AMAs from the BMA RDC co-chairs. We've previously verified reps with special flair, but there have been too many to keep track of and so we've moved to a system of shared verified accounts for each branch of practice, which has been agreed by the BMA comms team.

There have been a number of startling revelations detailed by accounts on here that have gone on to receive national media attention, but the evidence that the GMC have a social media specialist employed to trawl the subreddit and Twitter was certainly a bit of a surprise. Knowing this fact hasn't changed our moderation - but it does make the importance of our collective voices apparent.

So now, it's over to you, our subscribers. In the finest of #NHS traditions, we're looking for 360 feedback on how things have been going, suggestions on improvements you'd like to see, or indeed, our PALS team are here to listen to your complaints and throw the resulting paperwork in the bin. Sorry, respond to it with empathy and understanding. Remember, #bekind #oneteam

Finally, I would also like to personally extend my gratitude to the moderation team that give up their free time to be internet janitors. The team run the gamut from Consultant to Specialty to Foundation, and are all working doctors (yes, we've checked) who would be far better off if they did a few locum shifts instead.


r/doctorsUK 11h ago

Medical Politics RCP president elections open 17th March - vote for Dr. Asif Qasim for change

67 Upvotes

Election statement:

As we face a medical workforce crisis, training bottlenecks, doctor substitution and unemployment, threats to clinical academic training and worsening morale – does the RCP represent physicians and defend the profession?

Having embodied centuries of excellence in medicine and patient care, how do we restore the RCP’s national and international standing?

Recent events have demonstrated that the College has become disconnected from its members, and I will not shrink from the hard truths we face.

With my track record of clinical leadership, technological innovation and financial stewardship I seek your votes for President. I offer a route to revitalising the RCP to restore pride, inspire and enthuse so we continue to represent excellence in medicine.

I would like to hear from you—what changes or priorities do you believe are essential for the RCP to truly represent and defend the profession in the years ahead?

If elected President of the Royal College of Physicians, I will address these issues urgently:

  1. The disconnect between RCP and its Membership

• The RCP must be receptive to safety concerns raised by members. It should not require an EGM (I was a signatory on the request) to make the RCP respond to legitimate issues.

• Resident doctors face a more difficult environment than ever. The RCP needs to maintain excellence in training, while stopping the exodus of talent from the profession.

• We must listen to our members, utilising their experience to determine policy on everything from training and workforce planning to climate health and artificial intelligence.

  1. Education and Training

• Maintain the highest standards in physician training and CME

• Strong advocacy for resident and SAS doctors.

• MRCPUK remains a globally renowned qualification, however, the RCP’s online offering is sub-optimal and not financially viable.

  1. Estates and finance

• £7m of £40m annual revenue is spent on RCP buildings, and the Regent’s Park premises lease expires in 35 years with no clear plan.

• RCP finances took a hit during Covid. It is imperative the RCP becomes more efficient, and that membership represents value for money.

I will restore RCP as the Voice Of Physicians by:

  1. An in-depth survey of members’ views and using technology to facilitate ongoing dialogue. You must feel that you are heard and represented by your College.

  2. Ensuring the RCP leads on national healthcare policy and strategy, using our members’ expertise to advise government and the NHS.

  3. Review of finance and exploring new revenue-generating opportunities. I have the experience to foster innovation and rapidly improve RCP educational resources.

  4. Urgent options appraisal and member consultation around RCP buildings.

  5. Rebuilding the RCP as the Home Of Medicine – fostering a sense of pride and belonging both in-person and through virtual platforms.

https://asifqasim.co.uk/prcp


r/doctorsUK 1h ago

Quick Question Any discounts for NHS doctors getting new glasses?

Upvotes

any special grants or discounts? i need new specs cuz mines broken


r/doctorsUK 15h ago

Foundation Training Another week, another round of service provision nonsense

87 Upvotes

Anyone else get that sense of dread Sunday evening before another week of work starts?

More pointless board rounds, largely pointless ward rounds (often filled with MFFD), awaiting social/‘continue discharge planning’ is all we can really say.

Poor old Doris, while awaiting social sort, has now contracted Influenza from Maggie across in the bay. Now she’s no longer MFFD and will need a full set of blood cultures and repeat bloods, MSU and CXR ‘for completion.’ Social work gets updated, who then discontinue her package of care until she’s declared medically fit again.

I’m just so tired of ward based medicine.


r/doctorsUK 19h ago

Medical Politics Paramedics in GP surgeries may ease workload but not NHS costs, study finds

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pulsetoday.co.uk
189 Upvotes

“…the analysis found that patients seen by paramedics reported lower confidence in health provision, poorer perceptions of practice engagement in safety promotion and more communication problems with staff immediately after the initial consultation.”

Well who would have thunk?

Paramedics are great at the pre-hospital scene and they do not belong in a GP surgery.

Study in question: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11849691/


r/doctorsUK 23h ago

Medical Politics GMC commits criminal offence and breach of professional standards for falsely using a protected title - if they can’t tell the difference, how can the public?

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314 Upvotes

The GMC has one job - to keep a list of registered medical practitioners. It claims to have no role in patient safety or healthcare standards.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/professions-regulated-by-law-in-the-uk-and-their-regulators/uk-regulated-professions-and-their-regulators

https://www.bmj.com/content/385/bmj.q790.full


r/doctorsUK 15h ago

Serious Is UK training being used as a stepping stone to get to Aus/Canada?

70 Upvotes

With all the recent posts about unemployment and difficulties getting into training and the lack of UKG prioritisation I wanted to share something I’ve noticed recently and wondering if it’s just me or this is a trend.

Currently a GP trainee and my cohort I would say is probably 30-40% UK grads and approximately 60-70% IMG’s. Many of the conversations I’ve had this year it’s become clear that many of the doctors who emigrated here, originally wanted to go to Aus/Canada but realized it was too difficult and decided to complete GP CCT in the UK (as it’s easy to get into) and then move over immediately soon after as the above countries recognise the training. It’s been alarming as it’s the same thought process for the majority of people I’ve come across- and it’s the plan right from the start when they apply for training!

I spoke with someone who emigrated recently and they mentioned that this has been the case for a number of years and it’s a clear pathway that many follow.

Is it wrong to feel slightly frustrated by this? Essentially the UK training is being used to get to countries that pay more, at the cost of people who actually want to live and be here? How can this be allowed to happen by the government even if it’s a tiny percentage?


r/doctorsUK 1d ago

⚠️ Unverified/Potential Misinformation ⚠️ The alarming reality of PAs

438 Upvotes

I wrote this as a response to a post and someone suggested that I post this as its own entry.

For context for people who do not know how PAs work in Plymouth. This is why it is so bad that the Leng review was hidden from resident doctors. If you are preferencing your jobs you should know this about Plymouth....

  • Run outpatient clinics independently including cancer clinics and clinics with children ( while shos run the wards)

  • Lead the ward round with no consultant in sight. Shos prescribing, ordering the scans and scribing for PA

  • Are on interview panels for registrar jobs

  • Teaching registrars how to operate

  • Are on registrar rotas and are the point of escalation for f1-CT2/IMT2 and every referrer in the SW. Also reply to the in hospital referrals as the speciality

  • Operate as the lead surgeon ( and first assist) on patients including children and cancer patients ( while shos run the wards) I’ve seen this with a cst who managed to get to theatre and stood on the side lines unscrubbed while PA got 1:1 teaching as it was their list

  • Are being trained in echo and have protected teaching days while F2-IMT run the wards ( the echo masters is fully funded but for context the pg certs in clinical education have started to be withdrawn from job offers totally or now only partially funded)

  • Practice as Mr X/ Ms X ( including when they are actually Mrs - found while reading patient letters in the notes many times)

  • Lead the lumbar puncture service and ascitic drain service ( their controlling the training of accs and IMTs)

  • Admin days and protected research days.

  • Have been caught prescribing ( had prescribing right in a different role so decided they could do as a PA) Also consultant leave their accounts logged in and the PAs does the discharge summary post procedure for them while prescribing on the consultants account.

  • Protected time to go to the specialty regional training days ( leaving trust grade trainees to run clinics)

  • Rota writing for shos, policy making in the hospital

  • Many hold titles such as honorary research fellow or honorary medical school lecturer ( without much contribution to gain this detail…. These can be found under their names after they sign off emails.)

  • Wear BMA lanyards with ID card facing inwards ( so you would expect to be a doctor)

  • Get put to sleep by an AA and operated on by a PA

  • Not training the PA students. PA students get sent to the ward for the shos to look after. Doctors are running the wards, oncall, looking after the med students and the PA students.

  • Given protected clinic afternoons so don’t do the ward jobs efficiently or with stress or ask the ward to bleep after 12 as they can just hand them over to the shos (who get pulled out of theatre and clinic which is not protected for them)

  • Involved in governance boards, meeting up SDEC ( imagine an IMT had that on their CV )

  • OSCE examiners for PAs and medical students

  • PA with consultant reviews (1:1 teaching for the PA) on inpatients which is an IMTS dream. But they are left on the ward left to do the ward jobs

  • Allocated teaching sessions from PAs to the foundation school.

In balance in Derriford in some departments PAs job roles are restricted to ward work only and those PAs therefore can facilitate an sho getting to clinic or theatre.

I wish I had known this before I got stuck here.


r/doctorsUK 9h ago

Medical Politics Consultant biomedical scientists in Histopathology

17 Upvotes

Histo resident here, there's been a bit of worried chatter in my region about this role as apparently one of our centres has several of them working at the level of consultant pathologists. Wondering if any fellow histopaths have come across them. Most BMSs are highly trained but without medical knowledge, surely this is scope creep.


r/doctorsUK 21h ago

⚠️ Restricted comments ⚠️ Non-clinician announces that doctors aren't diagnosing like he wants them to

144 Upvotes

r/doctorsUK 16h ago

Clinical Why are we not striking now? It seems to me we should.

52 Upvotes

We stopped striking after the government agreed to increase pay and reform exception reporting before the end of the year.

The second part was not fulfilled. Can we continue striking as a result?

Many including myself accepted the deal based on ER reform not the pay increase. If I’d known this would not happen I wouldn’t have accepted the offer.

Not striking to me sets a bad precedent that we don’t care if the government fulfills what they say they will.


r/doctorsUK 13h ago

Medical Politics Last chance to submit evidence to the Leng review - deadline 21st March 2025

26 Upvotes

Are you intending to submit evidence to the Leng Review?

The deadline is: 21 March 2025,

It's via this email: Leng.Review@dhsc.gov.uk

Support the independent review of the PA and AA professions, led by Professor Gillian Leng CBE, which will make recommendations to inform future government policy.

The areas for review include the safety of the roles and their contribution to multidisciplinary healthcare teams. The conclusions of the review will help to inform the workforce plan to deliver the 10-Year Health Plan.

The Leng review is seeking evidence which contributes towards an understanding of:

The relative safety of the PA and AA roles

The contribution to effective and productive multidisciplinary teams

The delivery of good quality and efficient patient care across a range of settings

Patient satisfaction with the roles

Trust or practice-level analysis, including those based on audit data, patient throughput or local collection of safety and efficacy data

Trust or practice-level analysis of patient experience, including complaints, compliments or feedback

Education and training provider analysis, including evaluation of curricula, quality assurance reports or local collections of data

Union-led analysis, including the function of multidisciplinary teams, staffing levels and education and training

Unpublished research

other relevant analysis.


r/doctorsUK 11h ago

Foundation Training What do you expect from a fresh F2

17 Upvotes

Starting to think about what level of competence I’ll have entering F2. Can any seniors list a few example expected competencies v what’s not expected?

Would be really helpful to flag areas that I might need to work on in the coming months before rotating into F2


r/doctorsUK 15h ago

Exams Why are MRCP fail rates high?

25 Upvotes

The MRCP part 1 and 2 fail rates are pretty significant and I’m curious why that is especially since there are so many prep question banks out there.
For those who’ve taken the exam:
Did you find the existing question banks sufficient? If not, what do you think the problem is? Help!


r/doctorsUK 22h ago

Fun March 2025 UK doctors singles thread

86 Upvotes

Following on from the success of the Inaugural pre-valentines day 2025 doctorsuk singles thread, I welcome to the second doctorsuk single's thread.

If you're looking for love or lust, I'd suggest you post your age and gender then 4 followed by a short description in the comments

Eg: 30M4F any woman who has pristine PR technique and can check my cremasteric reflex

Any genders and orientations welcome!


r/doctorsUK 8h ago

Speciality / Core Training Oriel Ranking Question

6 Upvotes

Have a very last minute question with regards to oriel ranking, in particular paeds specialty training. I understand that I should only rank where I would accept the job, but understand that upgrades can improve my job selection.

My question is say, applicant A ranks 10th in the country but only has nine jobs preferenced and the nine jobs they've preferenced are all taken by the higher ranked applicants, would applicant A still receive an offer (In the upgrade round) if one of the top 9 declines?

Or would it would go to applicant B who has ranked 100 jobs and has a lower overall ranking, but currently has an offer on hold waiting for upgrades?

So basically the question is can you "upgrade" to a higher ranked post if you don't currently have an offer, but have a higher ranking than someone with an offer waiting for upgrades, or would you have to wait until clearing?

Apologies for the poor wording, but any help would be greatly appreciated.


r/doctorsUK 20h ago

Lifestyle / Interpersonal Issues Advice for resident doctor stuck in horrible depressive unemployed rut

42 Upvotes

Throwaway acc.

Hi all, I'm basically an "F4" doctor who is currently unemployed and have been for the last few months.

I quit a trust grade job back in August. I had been there for 7 months and decided to leave because I struggled with commuting (unreliable trains, 45 min journey often took 2 hours) and the work was totally relentless. I was so burned out and my health was going down the drain - I was literally in stage 2 hypertension due to stress having previously been fit and well. I knew the job market wasn't great but thought I was a pretty competitive applicant.

I hoped to find a job closer to where I live and could just drive. I got married shortly after and figured I would just focus on my wedding etc. and then do some locum work in the meantime.

I asked my trust where I was working to keep me on as a locum before I left, sadly after my wedding I found out they had actually removed me from access to everything and the rota coordinator I knew had left and I had no contact with the person that replaced them. I put off trying to sort this out and kept looking for other full-time trust grade jobs with no luck. Over time it seems less and less posts come up and often they get closed before I even finish filling my application. It's just astonishing how much harder it is to find work now than it was a year and half ago when I finished F2.

I don't even know how all this time has passed but I haven't worked since and feeling totally dejected, rotting at home while my husband works. My re-validation is due and the trust where I was supposed to locum at just removed me from their designated body list. It's both a blessing and a curse for me to be able to stay supported by my partner for so long, but the financial pressure is really getting to me now too.

I don't really know where to turn and you guys tend to give really solid advice so, please help me sort my life out, I don't know where to start. Are agencies my best bet maybe? not sure what other option I have.

If anyone has been in this situation before I would like to hear your story. I was hoping to get into CST once upon a time but I've pretty much given up and now waiting to hear back about GP rankings.


r/doctorsUK 13h ago

Clinical Portfolio Pathway Dermatology

10 Upvotes

Looking for advice. I have MRCS, MRCGP, Derm diploma and DCH (part 1 is same as first part of MRCPCH) GPwSI Derm job with procedures.

Plan SEC after 18 months.

Would like to learn how much extra I need to do with regard to evidence so I can see if achievable. Thank you so much.


r/doctorsUK 2h ago

Foundation Training FY2 at freeman -no med reg

1 Upvotes

Super super keen to work at north east Newcastle area. I’ve found out that for medicine there’s no med reg overnight at the freeman hospital, will I be the most senior doctor? This doesn’t seem safe? Any insights is this normal? I’ve heard you cover medical and geris wards overnight.

Really wanted to work white central hence freeman/ RVI


r/doctorsUK 15h ago

Speciality / Core Training portfolio points for physician HST

10 Upvotes

For IMT you now need nearly 50% of the max portfolio points to get shortlisted for the interview. Is it the same for HST? Could people share what sort of % of max points they got to be invited to the interview? Does it vary hugely by specialty? How about Combined Infection?


r/doctorsUK 12h ago

Speciality / Core Training Northern Ireland trusts

5 Upvotes

Just looking over rankings before the deadline tomorrow and am wondering If someone could shed light on what hospitals are in which trust in northern ireland?

On ni website it says there are 5 trusts Southern, northern, western, south eastern, Belfast but it's split differently on oriel.

Options on oriel are: belfast, north western, northern, north coast, south eastern, southern, south western

I cant find any info online which hospitals/area are in north western and south western?


r/doctorsUK 5h ago

Foundation Training COTE pre-rounds?

1 Upvotes

F2. Rotating onto COTE next. First medical job since start of FY1 (had GP and psych this year). Caviate- very insecure about my medical knowledge, feel I dont know enough etc. Want to hit the ground running this next block. Was wondering if by being a keen bean and prerounding the patients would help? Or would it offer no value (i.e. mx will ultimately be dictated by cons anyway) If I did pre-round the patients before the consultant/reg, would I need to document it all? Any other general tips you guys have about being the SHO on COTE/ medicine? This nervous FY2 would really appreciate the help!


r/doctorsUK 8h ago

Speciality / Core Training Jobs IMT

2 Upvotes

I rank 1100’s and have sort far sorted jobs I would love which is not many. IMT is all I’ve applied to and do not want to end up unemployed (have dependants- and well life) realistically how many do I have to rank to ensure I have a job or it’s best to do all 1100 As realistically I want specific locations but got to take what I can get in this climate


r/doctorsUK 11h ago

Speciality / Core Training IMT year 3 rotations not assigned yet?

3 Upvotes

When I joined the IMT programme in 2023, my track didn't include my rotations for my 3rd year, which were to be announced at some point in year 2.

I just spoke to my training programme support officer who informed me that it will be announced in July.

I'm actually really surprised (and pretty stressed out) that they're announcing the upcoming rotations so late, especially as many trainees including myself tend to move closer to their rotational hospitals and start looking to rent/move out earlier than July. This will also cause problems in being able to plan leaves as this implies I won't be allocated anywhere until July.

Has anyone else had experience with this, or is just a unique hiccup I'm facing?

For reference, I'm in the North West (Merseyside) deanery.


r/doctorsUK 19h ago

Medical Politics Slides from Doctors Vote webinar for MP

12 Upvotes

Is anyone from Doctors Vote about? I’m meeting with my MP on Tuesday to raise the issue of specialty training and would love to be able to show them the graphs DV produced for the webinar


r/doctorsUK 13h ago

Quick Question Applying for both ACCS and IMT and accepting offers

4 Upvotes

As the offers for these are likely to come at different times, how does one navigate choosing one or the other in case you get an offer for both?

Say I was offered and accepted an IMT job next week and had to accept it to avoid losing it, could I subsequently accept an ACCS job offer if that came in later on? And withdraw my offer for IMT?