INTERVIEW & APPLICATION FAQS – ST applications
Preparing for an ST interview - guidance and advice
Why geriatric medicine?
Geriatric medicine is a varied and immensely rewarding specialty, allowing you to care and advocate for older and frailer patients in our ever-ageing society. You can focus on community or hospital medicine, as we work collaboratively with other specialities and allied health professionals on a daily basis. It is an ever growing and developing specialty, with opportunities to subspecialise in areas such as continence, orthogeriatrics, perioperative care, oncogeriatrics, community care, virtual wards and hospital at home, movement disorders, dementia and delirium and stroke.
There are lots of well written resources available as you explore the specialty further:
NHS Health Careers: Geriatric Medicine
A career in geriatric Medicine
RCP London: specialty spotlight: geriatric medicine
Age and Ageing: Why geriatric medicine? A survey of UK specialist trainees in geriatric medicine
How far in advance do I need to plan my application?
Geriatric medicine is a group one speciality; therefore, you will need to complete three years of internal medicine training or alternative certificate of competence in order to take up your post in higher speciality training in geriatric medicine.
Applications open in November/December for trainees starting in August of the following year. If you are considering geriatric medicine it’s advisable to begin to build your CV from the start of internal medicine training; however, if you decide later in your training you want to apply, don’t panic! There are lots of opportunities and transferable skills from other rotations you will have done.
All internal medicine trainees will spend time in geriatric medicine as part of their training programme; therefore, you can use this opportunity to gain experience of the speciality and consider trying to do a relevant QI project or audit during this time.
What is the application timeline and how do I find this information?
There are two rounds of recruitment. All details can be found on the Physician Higher Speciality Training website: https://phstrecruitment.org.uk
For example, Round 1 usually opens for applications in November/December for programmes starting the following August to December.
Round 2 applications open in July/August for programmes starting in October/April.
Dates can vary, so we would advise checking the PHST recruitment website and signing up for their updates.
Applications are made through the Oriel system.
How can I make myself more competitive?
We would advise talking to those currently in geriatric medicine, both trainees and consultants to see what opportunities there are to be involved in QI projects, teaching and research. It is helpful to look at the person specification for geriatric medicine, as well as the application scoring system.
Indicative post numbers for each region are shown on the PHST recruitment website, but these are subject to change. They can be a helpful guide as you plan your application, especially if you wish to train in a specific region.
The PHST recruitment website has detail of what is scored in your application – usually these scores are used to guide who will be invited to interview.
Areas include:
Postgraduate degrees and qualifications i.e., PhD, Master’s degree, postgraduate diplomas (MRCP is exempt).
Additional achievements i.e., distinctions, honours, merits, prizes.
Status of MRCP examination passes.
Presentations – more points are scored for oral presentations, and those given at national or international level.
Publications.
Teaching – more points are scored for organising a teaching programme, and for teaching regularly.
Quality improvement.
Leadership.
It is natural to have areas where you will score more highly; however, looking at the application scoring process in advance allows you to focus on areas where you could gain points, for example national/international presentations and leading QI work.
You can view data on scores for previous years via the PHST recruitment website.
The BGS has some excellent resources to use as you consider your application and how to boost your score in these key areas:
Prizes: Grants and prizes | British Geriatrics Society (bgs.org.uk)
Publications/research: GeM Research UK | Geriatric Medicine Research Collaborative (GeMRC)
Presentations: Abstract submission | British Geriatrics Society (bgs.org.uk)You could consider submitting an abstract to a BGS event, such as those listed in the table – given the possibility for hybrid attendance at conferences, this should widen the opportunity to trainees.
QI: Quality Improvement (QI) Hub | British Geriatrics Society (bgs.org.uk)
Leadership – why not consider becoming a representative at regional or national level? BGS Vacancies | British Geriatrics Society
How do I show commitment to speciality?
Commitment to specialty is not scored in your application; however, it forms a long-text question as part of your application form. Think about why you want to do geriatric medicine: what inspires you? Why do you think you have the skills to make to a good geriatrician?
Attendance at relevant courses and conferences, for example BGS meetings, can also show commitment to specialty. Upcoming events | British Geriatrics Society (bgs.org.uk)
Specific events of interest are the BGS Trainees Event and G4J events.
What should I prepare for my interview?
You will be given an indicative date for interview. The PHST recruitment website has further details on the structure of this. During COVID, interviews have taken place virtually, but may change to being face-to-face again. Ensure you regularly log into your Oriel account for updates on your application. The interview usually consists of 4 questions, lasting 5-10 minutes each. You will also receive an overall mark for communication. These will include a clinical scenario, medical registrar suitability, ethical scenario, and suitability and commitment.
There are lots of useful resources as you prepare for interview:
BGS Blogs cover recent developments and topical issues in geriatric medicine
The Silver Book 2 is an excellent overview
MDTea Podcasts cover various aspects of geriatric medicine
The BGS Age and Ageing Journal
Speak to trainees in your Deanery and consultants in geriatric medicine, as most will be happy to help you with interview practice and preparation. Your Deanery may also run mock interviews.
Do regions of the UK have different application processes?
You will apply via Oriel for all regions of the UK. England, Scotland and Wales have one application, and there is a separate one for Northern Ireland. However, you can apply to both NI and the other regions if you wish. The application form is the same; however, the interview may vary slightly. Again, we would advise you speak to trainees working in the regions you might be interested in applying to.
For jobs in England, Scotland and Wales, you will rank regions following interview if you are found appointable.
For trainees interested in applying to Scotland, there are a range of resources on its own medical training website. This will provide more details on indicative post numbers as well as the different deaneries.
There are also details on the LTFT application process on the Scotland Deanery website (you can also apply/indicate you want to be LTFT during the application process):
https://www.scotmt.scot.nhs.uk/
https://www.scotlanddeanery.nhs.scot/trainee-information/less-than-full-time-training-ltft/
Northern Ireland also has its own website with a range of useful information:
https://www.nimdta.gov.uk/recruitment/specialty-recruitment/
If I’m not successful on my first application, what advice do you have?
Don’t be disheartened! You will get feedback on your application scoring, and interview as well. Sit down with a trusted consultant, for example your clinical or educational supervisor and talk through this; this will allow you to see where you scored well, and plan where you could gain more points, or where you could improve in interview. We would also recommend trying to get some interview practice – this may be offered by your deanery or organisations such as the BMA. You can consider applying in round 2 as more posts may become available. There may also be LAT posts or clinical fellow posts you could consider to gain more experience and develop your CV further.
What if I want to work less than full time?
From August 2022, it is now possible to apply for LTFT for “any well-founded reason” e.g., personal and wellbeing reasons. Any trainee can apply for LTFT. You can indicate during the ST4 application process that you wish to apply for LTFT; this is not visible to interviewers and will not affect your application. You still need to formally apply for LTFT after accepting an offer. There is generally a minimum period of notice required before you can change from full time to less than full time (varies by region but is usually ~12-16 weeks).
The process for applying to LTFT is different depending on the region you work in.
In some regions your LTFT status will be reviewed annually. It is possible to change your LTFT status (to increase or decrease hours).
Below are links for LTFT information for each reason.
Delivering greater flexibility | Health Education England (hee.nhs.uk)
Less Than Full Time Training | Scotland Deanery (nhs.scot)
The training programme director for each region should also be able to advise you further.
What if I wish to apply via alternative competencies?
It is possible to apply to higher speciality training via alternative competencies. This could be because you have completed training outside of the UK that is deemed equivalent to UK standards, also referred to as ‘JRCPTB level 3 accreditation.’ Information regarding which international training programmes have been granted level 3 accreditation is available here: Programme accreditation | JRCPTB
Information on how to complete your Higher Speciality application if you are applying via a level 3 accredited programme is available here: Core capabilities | ST3 Recruitment - Full, comprehensive guidance on applying to ST3 posts (phstrecruitment.org.uk)
If you are applying to higher speciality training having previously completed Core Medical Training in the UK, there are two methods by which to apply. If you have completed a ‘Stand Alone’ IMT3 year, then you upload your IMT3 ARCP as evidence that you have completed the Internal Medicine Stage 1 Competency.
If you have not undertaken an IMT3 year, then you can demonstrate that you have achieved IMS1 competency via the ‘Alternative Certificate to Enter Higher Speciality Training’. More information on the requirements for this are available here: Core capabilities | ST3 Recruitment - Full, comprehensive guidance on applying to ST3 posts (phstrecruitment.org.uk) under ‘Alternative’.
It is possible to complete the alternative certificate by undertaking a non-training post e.g., clinical fellow post, with support from a suitable consultant. However, there are certain requirements regarding who can complete the form, the details of which are available via the link above.
The Alternative certificate document is available to download here: Document Library | ST3 Recruitment - Full, comprehensive guidance on applying to ST3 posts (ardigitalsolutions.co.uk)
It can also be useful to look at the ‘person specification’ for Geriatric Medicine to ensure that you meet the eligibility criteria. This is available here: Specialty Training > Recruitment > Person specifications (hee.nhs.uk)