About the Course

This course is designed for newly qualified doctors preparing for life on the wards. We cover tips for preparing for an on-call shift, practical advice for common scenarios and emergencies you might face, and touch upon recovering at the end of the shift. This course aims to help you feel more prepared and confident for that first on-call.


This course approximately takes 1 hour to complete. 

Foundation Programme Curriculum

This course covers the following Foundation Programme Curriculum areas:


1. Acts professionally

6. Communicates clearly with patients and team members in a variety of settings

9. Recognises, assesses and initiates management of the acutely ill patient

12. Requests relevant investigations and acts upon results

13. Prescribes safely

18. Recognises and works within limits of personal competence

19. Makes patient safety a priority in clinical practice

About the Author

Dr Camilla Rhead

Author

Camilla is a junior doctor working in London. She is currently taking a year out after her foundation training before commencing core medical training. She has been awarded prizes during her foundation training for teaching, clinical excellence and quality improvement. She plans to pursue a career in gastroenterology and this year will be doing research looking at decompensated liver disease.Outside of medicine, Camilla is a keen runner, skier, sailer and tag rugby player. She also enjoys travelling and will be spending a lot of this year jetting off around the world.

About the Peer-Reviewers

Dr. Stephen Hamshere

Dr Stephen Hamshere is a Registrar in Cardiology at Imperial NHS Trust and an Honorary Research Fellow at Barts Health NHS Trust. 

Dr Emma Cox

Chief Product Officer

Dr Emma Cox is the Chief Product Officer at Medics.Academy and an Emergency Medicine Registrar. Dr Cox manages and leads multiples teams of engineers, designers and product specialists across two continents. Dr Cox is passionate about improving healthcare. Dr Cox's particular areas of focus are technology, education and working conditions. Dr Cox's previous experience includes being an Elected Public Governor for The Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust, a board member of a national union, and an Academic Lead for University College London Medical School. Dr Cox's current roles include being an honorary lecturer for UCLan, a Peer Reviewer for the UKRI, a Committee Member of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine’s National Sustainable Working Practices Committee, and a NHS England Clinical Entrepreneur.

Course Curriculum

  • 1

    Introduction

    • Introduction

    • Aims and objectives
  • 2

    Preparing for oncall

    • Preparing for the oncall

    • Taking handovers before the shift

    • Taking handovers during the shift

    • Prioritising jobs
  • 3

    Common scenarios

    • Common scenarios

    • The generally unwell patient - introduction

    • The generally unwell patient

    • Falls

  • 4

    Sepsis

    • Introduction

    • Sepsis 6
  • 5

    Deranged electrolytes

    • Deranged electrolytes - Introduction

    • Deranged electrolytes - Hyponatraemia

    • Deranged electrolytes - Hypernatraemia

    • Deranged electrolytes - Hyperkalaemia

    • Deranged electrolytes - Hypokalaemia

    • Deranged electrolytes - AKI
  • 6

    Chest pain

    • Chest pain
  • 7

    Handover

    • Handover
  • 8

    Conclusion

    • Recovery and reflection
  • 9

    Assessment

    • Quiz