Competition for UK medical training posts has never been fiercer. Yet the Multi-Specialty Recruitment Assessment (MSRA) now decides the futures of doctors applying to vastly different career paths; surgery, anaesthetics and medicine to name a few. This exam, originally created for GP applications, cannot truly capture the distinct skills, judgement, and dedication required across other specialties.

General practice and hospital specialties demand different strengths. When one test is used for all, talented doctors risk being unfairly filtered out—not because they lack ability, but because their skills aren’t fully reflected in an exam designed for general practice. Efficiency should never come at the cost of fairness.

The MSRA should be reserved for GP recruitment, with specialty-specific assessments developed for other fields. Our future doctors deserve to be judged on what truly matters for the careers they have committed to and ultimately the patients they will look after.

Support this petition to stand up for fairness, integrity, and the future of UK medical training.