A Guide to Pursuing Clinical Radiology
- Iqra Siddiqui
- Jun 12
- 4 min read
Dr Iqra Siddiqui - Radiology ST1
In this post, Dr Iqra Siddiqui shares her experience of choosing clinical radiology as a specialty, including what drew her to the field and the practical steps she took to build a competitive application during foundation training. She covers the ST1 application process, MSRA preparation, portfolio requirements, and what to expect at interview- with advice aimed at medical students and foundation doctors considering the specialty.
Going through medical school I wasn’t quite sure of what I wanted my career to look like in the future (like many others). During my foundation training, I was given a talk by one of the clinical radiology consultants regarding a career in radiology which piqued my interest. Clinical Radiology wasn’t a specialty I had planned on from day one, but through exposure, it gradually became the choice that made the absolute most sense.
Why I Chose Clinical Radiology
1. It is Diverse
As a radiologist, you really are the "doctor's doctor." No two scans are ever the same, in a single morning you might report an emergency trauma CT and then head off to review complex staging scans at a multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting. You get to interact with almost every single department in the hospital, from neonatal intensive care all the way to neurosurgery. Alongside being a general radiologist there are a variety of sub-specialities e.g. paediatrics, MSK, neuro-radiology, breast and urogenital radiology etc that you can sub-specialise in.
2. It is Technologically Driven
Radiology is at the forefront of medicine’s advancement. There is an integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) which isn't replacing radiologists instead, it allows for development of tools to triage critical findings like intracranial haemorrhages or pulmonary embolisms faster than ever before (Of course these reports are checked by a radiologist as well).
3. Interventional Radiology (IR)
Sub-specialising in IR allows you to perform cutting edge, minimally invasive procedures e.g. vascular, gastrointestinal and oncological procedures (like stroke thrombectomies, embolisation’s which are rapidly replacing traditional open surgeries.
4. Direct Clinical Impact
While you aren't managing a ward, you are making the pivotal decisions for dozens of patients a day. Your interpretation of a scan directly dictates whether a patient goes straight to the operating theatre, gets safely discharged home or changes their medical therapy entirely.
Advice for Medical Students & Foundation Doctors
Don't panic if your portfolio isn't built around clinical radiology from year one (mine wasn’t), ensure on building transferable skills and follow these steps to maximise your application:
Max Out Your Taster Days: Do not waste your F1/F2 taster days and study budget. Secure a taster week in two different radiology settings for maximum portfolio points e.g. general radiology and tertiary centre for neuroradiology. Sit with the reporters, shadow an interventional radiologist and get your attendance formally signed off. You can also use your study budget to attend relevant conferences which will show commitment to speciality.
Target the Right Audits/Quality Improvement Project (QIP): There are lots of transferrable skills from leading an audit/QIP, for maximum points ensure audits are related to radiology and do a second cycle, to close the loop. Look at the RCR website for radiology specific audit ideas.
Show Teaching and Leadership: Ensure to start early to show leadership and teaching as you need a minimum of 6 months to score points. Examples of this could be leadership roles within societies during medical school or radiology specific associations e.g. BIR, RRF etc.
The ST1 Training Application Process
Application for clinical radiology is through Oriel.
The MSRA
The Multi-Specialty Recruitment Assessment (MSRA) is your main priority. Clinical Radiology is competitive and you must pass the threshold score to be invited to interview.
Preparation: Give yourself 2–3 months of consistent preparation using question banks (Pastest was my favourite) and reviewing official UKFPO papers for SJT preparation. If revising sporadically I’d start in September time and slowly build up on knowledge. Focus on both clinical guidelines and the Professional Dilemmas (SJT) paper for a competitive score.
The Interview and Portfolio
Once you cross the MSRA threshold, the competition for a training spot is essentially 2:1. MSRA cutoff for interview in 2025 was 550. Ensure you have worked on your portfolio through F1/2 and match to relevant capabilities required.
Portfolio
Domain 1: Commitment to speciality (taster weeks, conferences)
Domain 2: Leadership and Management (national level/managerial role involving radiology – minimum 6 months)
Domain 3: Teaching and training (e.g. PGDip, PG Cert, Train the trainer)
Domain 4: Audit and Quality Improvement (e.g. audit/QIP relating to radiology – look at RCR website for ideas for radiology related audits)
Domain 5: Academic Achievements (e.g. Masters, oral presentations, poster presentations, publication etc)
Interview
The interview consists of a two-station panel interview, station one focuses on portfolio and skills which makes you suited to a career in clinical radiology and the second station is based on clinical prioritisation.
Station A – Clinical prioritisation station (working through an A-E scenario or ranking prioritisation during vetting of scans).
Station B – Specialty skills e.g. coping with pressure and managing uncertainty, team involvement and skills (non-technical skills e.g. communication, empathy, teamwork and leadership).
All the best!!
Comments