Training Day Information

Open Day Tuesday 24 January 2012 : Charing Cross

Please go to X ray reception, 1st Floor North wing at 10:00 a.m. Let reception know that you are there to see Dr Dominic Blunt for the Open Day

Open Day 25 January 2012: St Mary’s Paddington

Please go to X ray reception at the Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother building at 10:00 a.m. Let them know you are there to see Dr Jo Danin for the Open Day.

Please note that candidates need not try and visit both sites.

Radiology training is broadly similar across all the training schemes in London and offers a combination of teaching hospital and district general hospital experience.

Curriculum

The curriculum includes basic training delivered through ST1-3 with options for subspecialty training in ST4-5. A lecture course is run by the Royal College of Radiologists covering the core elements of the year 1-3 curriculum, including physics and radiation safety. This is supplemented by lectures and tutorials delivered within each programme. Competencies and personal development plans are recorded in a portfolio.

Full details are available from the RCR website

Examinations

In order to obtain a CCT, the Faculty of Clinical Radiology (FRCR) examination must be passed.

The FRCR of the RCR has recently agreed a number of revisions to the examination format, which have been approved by GMC. For those registrars starting their training in 2008, Part 1 FRCR, a  physics and radiation safety examination, will now be taken in the spring and will cover the entire physics component of the syllabus. The examination will be held three times a year and there will be no limit to the number of times it can be taken. It will consist of a single paper of 40 MCQs to be completed in 2 hours. There will be no negative marking.

The Final FRCR will continue to be divided into two parts. Currently the Part A MCQ examination comprises six modules which may be taken in any combination once the FRCR part 1 has been completed. In autumn 2009, this will change from negatively marked MCQs to a single best answer (SBA) format with no negative marking. Candidates are permitted to enter the final FRCR Part B examination once they have passed all six modules of Part A, and three years of clinical radiology training have been completed. In spring 2009, an electronic format for the rapid reporting session will be introduced.

It is also proposed that in spring 2010, an anatomy module will be introduced. There are also plans to adopt an electronic format for the part B reporting session. However this will not happen before spring 2010.

Further details are available on the RCR website

Subspecialty Training

This is usually delivered in house during years four and five. Currently there are year six training programmes in interventional radiology, neuroradiology and nuclear medicine.

Opportunities do arise to compete for specific subspecialty opportunities which are advertised within the London network or nationally. These include training at speciality specific hospitals such as Great Ormond Street, the Royal Marsden hospital, the Royal Brompton hospital and the Royal National Orthopaedic hospital. Nuclear medicine subspecialty training (dual CCT with RCP) is subject to national competitive interview although radionuclide radiology is not and may form one year of the subspecialty years.