Dhaka to Birmingham: from village hospital to anaesthetics fellow in 4 years

Year 1: PLAB and a job as Trust Grade in Surgery\nYear 2-3: Moved to Anaesthetics SHO post, started Primary FRCA\nYear 4: Passed Final FRCA, now a Senior Clinical Fellow on the CESR pathway

Anaesthetics is fiercely competitive. I applied to 71 posts before my first interview offer. I kept a spreadsheet of every rejection — it now sits next to my FRCA certificate.

Get your Life Support certificates (ALS, ATLS, APLS) early. They are non-negotiable for competitive specialties and they signal seriousness to interviewers.