How to choose preferences for your training post

 This post is about choosing your preferences for training programmes. 


My background:
1. Non trainee SHO, Slough for 18 months from January 2016 to August 2017 
2. Core medical training ( now replaced by IMT ) from August 2017 to August 2019 in Harrogate ( CMT1) and York ( CMT2) - Yorkshire and Humber Deanery 
3. Specialty trainee registrar from August 2019 - ST3 in Scarborough, ST4 in Hull  - Yorkshire and Humber Deanery 

I was born in the UK and used to visit UK frequently before coming here on a work visa. I had a general idea of all the areas as my parents used to talk about it but visiting, hearing about everything vs living here are very different things. 

I am going to limit my advice to medical training but you could see if this helps if you are applying for another specialty. 

My wife and I had visited the UK on a visit visa after we got married and I gave interviews for non training posts in 2015. We stayed in Sheffield and bought a car ( I had driven in the UK before) and we used to drive to wherever my interview was. I gave around 4 or 5 interviews in different parts of the country. When we came to the UK on a work visa ( and dependent visa), we used to drive around a lot hence when it came to choosing preferences, we had a general idea of what our requirements were. 

When I felt I was ready to apply for core medical training ( Here is a relevant blog post: https://omarsguidelines.blogspot.com/2019/03/when-should-i-apply-for-training-post.html ), I gave my interview and once I was successful, I was asked to choose my preferences. 

Choosing preferences can be very difficult for IMGs who have only lived in and visited one region of the UK. Things have become even more complicated with the pandemic as travelling around to explore different regions is quite difficult due to the lockdown. 

Please note that the reasons I am going to mention will sound ( and most probably are) bonkers and may not make sense at all. No disrespect to anyone living in the areas we did not like but we had our own ( bonkers) reasons. 

I got a list of preferences in the form of an excel worksheet which I was able to download from my Oriel account once I was shortlisted. 

We first excluded the areas we did not wish to live in:
1. I had worked near London and visited it almost every other weekend for the past 18 months. It was lovely to visit but it was very busy, rushed all the time and we wanted some peace in our lives. Hence, we excluded London and all surrounding areas.

2. We then looked at Ireland, Scotland, northern England and Wales. These were lovely places to visit and they are extremely beautiful however we excluded them because it was cold, wet and windy in these areas ( although this is not completely true - especially for Wales) 

3. We did not want Birmingham for personal reasons so we excluded the whole of Midlands - again, bonkers reason at that time. It is a lovely place and the areas around it are nice. 

4. I then made a list of rotations I wanted to work in. I had already done cardiology as a non trainee SHO in a PPCI center so I was not fussed about working in it again. Hence I chose placements which had Respiratory, Elderly Medicine, Stroke/Neuro , Renal and Gastro.

5. I also wanted a relatively easy placement as my last rotation as I knew I would have to relocate during that time ( Mid July- 1st August) and hence needed a relaxed rotation to have enough energy to do all of that. 
(PS - that last rotation was neurology and I had enough time to prepare for my PACES exam and have enough energy to relocate to Scarborough for my ST3 placement)

6. We loved Sheffield and the surrounding areas. Hence, I decided to keep Yorkshire as my top preference. 

So now I had a general idea of what I wanted:
1. Yorkshire 
2. Rotations with Respiratory, Elderly Medicine, Stroke/Neuro , Renal and Gastro

I then started listing my preferences and managed to get a post as a CMT 1 in Harrogate and CMT 2 in York. I absolutely loved it and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to apply for specialty training in acute internal medicine in the same deanery and I did my ST3 year in Scarborough and I am now a ST4 trainee registrar at Hull. 
I am planning to become a consultant in Acute internal medicine in the same region as well. 

Here are some tips which can help:
1. Exclude regions you do not want to work in. They can be completely crazy reasons as I had which I have mentioned above. 
2. Do whatever you feel like. This is your personal preference - maybe you like big cities like London, Manchester, Leeds, etc. .. or maybe you want some peace and quiet like me. 
3. Make a list of placements you really want to work in and keep them in your top preferences 
4. If possible, see if you can have a relatively relaxed placement in your last 3-4 months in your second year ( prior to stepping up as a registrar and relocating). You will have more energy to shadow other registrars as well as I have explained here:
https://omarsguidelines.blogspot.com/2021/03/progressing-from-sho-to-registrar-in.html
5. Everyone here has a different experience - from department to department in the same trust and things change annually as explained here:
https://omarsguidelines.blogspot.com/2018/11/guidance-on-getting-reviews-of-hospitals.html
6. Try to visit the regions you are planning to work in, once the lockdown rules are relaxed however as mentioned above visiting vs living are very different. 
7. Every deanery has good and bad trusts. In East Yorkshire - York, Scarborough, Harrogate and Hull are amazing 





I honestly did not check any websites or check statistics as I felt this was a very personal preference - no statistics, reviews, other peoples opinions mattered. However if you are not familiar, these websites could help in making a decision - but do rememeber that things change on an annual basis. 

I do not regret this decision and I have found my home. I am very lucky to feel so settled here. 

What I love about Yorkshire:
1. Friendly people - from nighbourhoods to colleagues at work. 
2. Beautiful countryside ranging from lovely coasts to the mountains of Yorkshire Dales 
3. Cheap living - the rent, house prices are very reasonable. With loads of new builds in this area, it is a fantastic place to settle. 
4. York, Harrogate, Sacraborough and Hull are all lovely places to work at. 


PS: I have been in touch in trainees in almost every deanery. They are mostly satisfied and do not have any regrets. If they have had any issues, they have been able to escalate them appropriately as mentioned here:
https://omarsguidelines.blogspot.com/2020/01/bullying-and-stress-in-nhs.html



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