Colombo to Belfast: breaking into Clinical Radiology as an IMG

PLAB to GMC in 8 months. Two years of Trust Grade Medicine while doing FRCR Part 1 in my own time. Applied to ST1 Radiology four times — got in on the fourth attempt to Belfast. Currently ST3.

Radiology is one of the most IMG-unfriendly specialties because of how competitive it is. Three rejections in a row crushed me. A mentor told me to add MSK research and a teaching role — it worked on attempt four.

Audit, publication, teaching, leadership — these four boxes are non-negotiable for competitive specialties. Start ticking them from your first NHS post.