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How do I get a postgraduate microbiology degree in the United Kingdom?

Much depends on your background. If you have experience in clinical medicine and now want to go into microbiology, an MSc in microbiology is a good choice. These are available at several universities and some run as a day release course over two years. In that case, your employer would usually pay some or all of the costs. The MSc gives a structured grounding in both laboratory and clinical aspects of microbiology. If you already have experience in microbiology, then a PhD or MD is a possibility. The PhD is rigorous and requires much determination both to find a suitable centre and supervisor and to complete the work. It is an excellent means of getting a post in a major centre with a research programme, however. The MD in the United Kingdom is different from overseas and is more clinical and less supervised than a PhD. Financial support is the considerable obstacle with both. In microbiology, a trial sponsored by a drug company can provide the support needed for additional work over two years. Again, it is a question of asking or visiting the likely hospitals to find out where projects are being designed.

Andrew Wilson, consultant microbiologist, University College, London

What characteristics would you look for in a preregistration house officer that would suggest the candidate would make a successful consultant anaesthetist?

I was appointed as a consultant anaesthetist two years ago and last year two preregistration house officers asked me your exact question. They have now both started training as senior house officers in anaesthetics and are doing well so far. It is difficult to pick out preregistration house officers who will succeed as consultant anaesthetists as there are many hurdles to be overcome before reaching that point, including success in the exams for fellowship of the Royal College of Anaesthetists and sheer stamina and determination to succeed.

You need to be a doctor with good communication skills who does thorough history taking and examination of their patients. (Although patients in an operating theatre are asleep, anaesthetists do need to communicate well with their patients in the preoperative and postoperative phases and are sometimes called perioperative physicians.) If you are well organised, an achiever of tasks set, and follow tasks through then you will stand out. Good general knowledge of human physiology (and pathology) and pharmacology is an asset. If you think, you will always stand out.

If you have an understanding of the process of pain and its management with early intervention to treat any discomfort, you will stand out. A willingness to learn and to seek advice early is also good. Know your own limitations and seek advice from colleagues.

To be successful you also need an interest in audit and critical incident reporting, as anaesthetists are good at these. We also work as part of a multidisciplinary team and interact with almost every department in the hospital. A good team player is likely to succeed.

Anaesthetists have a varied job. A beginner in anaesthesia finds the work daunting and different from what they have experienced in their first year working on the wards. It takes a while to settle in and to see the variety and diversity of work, but I am happy that I chose this career and would recommend it to anybody who is interested.

Peter Maguire, consultant anaesthetist, Daisy Hill Hospital, Co Down, Northern Ireland

I want to specialise in ultrasound (general, vascular, and gynaecological). Do I have to do an MSc in ultrasound or is there any other way?

In the United Kingdom, you would have to undergo radiology training in a recognised scheme (as a specialist registrar) if you wanted to practise as a consultant with a special interest in the areas you describe. An MSc in ultrasound is not a recognised alternative route, but it might be useful once you have passed the exam for fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists.

Radiology training in the United Kingdom lasts five years, and entrance to the training grade (specialist registrar) is competitive. Entrance requirements are currently high, for example, membership of the Royal College of Physicians or the Royal College of Surgeons. With the foundation grade this is likely to change over the next few years, but you would certainly require experience working in the United Kingdom (including general clinical work), as well as evidence of a commitment to radiology, for example, imaging audit project.

Contact your local radiology post-graduate regional adviser for advice; www.rcr.ac.uk gives more information on training in radiology.

Alan Denison, specialist registrar in radiology, North East Scotland Deanery

How and where can I get training in various non-surgical cosmetic procedures (that is, botox and other procedures)?

To gain experience of non-surgical cosmetic techniques, scan the medical press for courses that may be suitable. Further information may be obtained by contacting either the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (www.baaps.org.uk) or the British Association of Plastic Surgeons (www.baps.co.uk).

If you are in contact with surgeons using these techniques, ask them if they would be prepared to teach you, or contact local cosmetic surgery centres, which may run courses on the use of certain products. Alternatively, you could contact the manufacturers of the treatments you are keen to use and they may be able to direct you to relevant centres that run teaching courses.

Jain Abhilash, specialist registrar in plastic surgery, St Thomas' Hospital, London

I am a third year medical student. One of my tutors has offered me a DPhil studentship in his lab. I am interested in the work that the lab does and I would like to do research but I am not sure what area of clinical medicine I want to go into. Should I do the DPhil now or wait until I have done my clinical years at med school?

I would suggest that the main consideration should be whether you have a great desire to do the PhD on offer. If it is an area that really interests you and that you are excited about, then you should pursue it now. If you are thinking about doing a PhD just to get the qualification, then you should wait until you have done a bit more medicine to be able to decide which area you want to study in depth.

Other things you should consider are that you will leave your classmates and that you will remain as a student (with all of the financial implications of that) for a few more years. Often if you are a postgraduate you can more easily get funding for a PhD. One other advantage of doing it now is that if you are older (and wiser) when you return to clinical medicine you often get more out of it.

Brian John Angus, clinical tutor, University of Oxford

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