#fpas

[quilavastudy]

Hey! I'm a long time follower and I've loved watching you work your way through med school and now as a doctor! I've just finished 4th year of med school and will be starting my FPAS application soon. I know that you applied for AFP which is slightly different, but I was wondering if you had any tips on ranking foundation schools/ deaneries and the jobs within them?

Hi, thank you for following me and glad you like it!

I think it really comes down to you and how you prioritise. I chose my deanery solely on the fact I wanted to live there, it was fully location for me. However some other people actually look at what jobs are available in which deanery first. E.g. if you wanted a specialised job in foundation like ophthal or something, there might only be certain deaneries that offer them. Some people might look into the reputations of each foundation school and which has highest satisfaction etc. 

Again with ranking actual jobs, it depends on what you want. First I looked at the hospitals they’re in. I’d say go for one which has one year in DGH and one year in teaching hospital if possible, because it’s good to experience both. Commuting time/location is obviously also a factor. 

For the rotations, I remember some people made a scoring system - so e.g +1 point for a rotation you’d like, 0 points for a rotation you’re neutral about, and -1 for one you wouldn’t like. Score each job and put them in order of points. Try not to worry too much about getting the perfect job though - you’re probably always going to get at least one ‘dud’ rotation that you don’t really want to do. And it may not even be too bad - I dreaded general surgery but I actually enjoyed parts of it and think it made me a better doctor. x

[moonteacup]

Hey lovely farm people ♥

I was wondering is there anything that you guys want to see on this blog? Sugestions and ideas you guys may have :D or maybe just wanted to say hello! I’m here to listen

[dxmedstudent]

How important do you think it is to have a publication whilst in medical school? A few of my peers seem to have already done this and it makes me feel a bit anxious. I know it's only max 2 fpas points, and I'd rather concentrate on the actual mbbs course but seeing other people getting published makes me worry that I should be doing that too. I'd love to know your thoughts on the matter x

Hello! That’s a difficult question to answer, in some respects. Having publications is never a bad thing, however it can be difficult to find the opportunities. And also, getting things in print takes time. So even if you submit something, until it’s accepted for publication, you can’t put it down on a form or get points for it. Which means you’d have to work on it for quite a while before applications, if you wanted to be sure. When I was applying, most people didn’t have publications, so in reality it’s a small minority of people who will be getting those two points. The thing is, it’s all relative. If you want to get an academic training job in London involving Very Select specialties and want to have the best application so you can pick particular hospitals, then yeah every little helps. Some people at my med school got Very Very Tetchy about how badly they wanted this 1 job in this 1 hospital for specialty X, and their life revolved around it, and they became raging gunners, and that’s their choice. Meanwhile I had a previous degree, did well in SJT, but was… not far off average in the rankings and acacemic points department, and I still got training where I wanted. I’m not saying that people shouldn’t aspire to do the best they can, but that a lot depends on how set you are on something, and how realistic that goal is. I just wanted to be in or around London, and the specialties I wanted to try weren’t particulary competitive, so for me, doing reasonably well (but not exceptionally) was good enough. If someone wanted to gun for a competitive job in a competitive place, then those extra couple of points might mean much more. But really, you get many, many more points through things like your ranking, or most especially your SJT, so artguably the biggest factors in success is A) doing OK throughout your degree so you’re not bottom of your year, and B) getting to know the SJT quite well, so you don’t fall down on the things that get you the most marks. It’s up to you; there’s nothing to stop you from aiming at some publications; but do remember that your ranking and SJT are worth far more. 

[quilavastudy]

Ummm guys

I got my first choice AFP job

Um

WHAT

ME??

HOW

OMG I ACTUALLY HAVE A JOB AS A DOCTOR

[quilavastudy]

I was wait-listed for AFP. I’m technically only 3rd on the waitlist, but I’m not holding my breath seeing as there were only about 5 jobs I wanted! 

I knew it was a bit of a long-shot - I definitely have a lower decile than the average AFP applicant, and they take that into account for your final score. Therefore I knew I’d have to do a very good interview to get a place. But I can’t help being disappointed.

But the thing is, I tried my best. I’ve improved so much the last few years and I’m still really proud of myself for having a go at all these things, like speaking at conferences and getting a Masters, applying for academic jobs - things I would never have thought I’d be doing a few years ago. And thank you so much to all of you for being so supportive! 

So here’s to continuing on 💪🏻

[quilavastudy]

Good luck to all the final year medical students in the UK today - I hope you get the deanery you want!

[quilavastudy]

This year is starting to get so REAL. My interview for my actual dream job (it includes academic research, gastro and haematology) is on Friday and it’s dawned on me that... I might actually get it, and this time in a year I could be working as a doctor in my dream job in a new city?? HECK

[quilavastudy]

Nevertheless Hallie, you did you best and chin up! You achieved a lot still and that's amazing and better than the average student! You strived to make yourself better and you have always been doing so! much support still

Thank you so much! Yes, I wanted to be honest with you guys. It would be so easy to just share my achievements and make out like I’m perfect on here, but I don’t want to do that!  Everyone has their share of failure. What matters is how you move on from it. x