Checklists

Overview

Medicine is complex.
Checklists reduce mistakes, reduce anxiety, and improve performance.

Strong doctors don’t rely on memory alone — they rely on systems.

This page gives you practical checklists you can use throughout your career.

New NHS Job Checklist

Before or during your first 2 weeks:

  • GMC registration confirmed
  • Trust email and login working
  • Access to electronic notes system
  • Access to prescribing system
  • ID badge collected
  • Swipe card working
  • Bleep/phone allocated
  • Rota confirmed
  • Named supervisor identified
  • Induction attended
  • Local guidelines bookmarked
  • Escalation numbers saved on phone

This prevents early chaos.

On-Call Safety Checklist

Before each on-call:

  • Know who your registrar is
  • Know how to contact consultant
  • Escalation policy understood
  • Crash trolley location known
  • Sepsis pathway known
  • How to order urgent bloods/scans
  • Where high-dependency patients are located
  • How to call outreach / critical care team

Preparedness reduces panic.

Reviewing an Unwell Patient Checklist

Use this mental structure:

  • ABCDE assessment
  • Review observations and NEWS
  • Review drug chart
  • Review recent bloods
  • Review recent imaging
  • Examine the patient
  • Form a working impression
  • Escalate if concerned
  • Document clearly

You don’t need the perfect diagnosis.
You need a safe approach.

Escalation Checklist

Before calling a senior, ensure you have:

  • Patient name and location
  • Age and main diagnosis
  • Current issue
  • Latest observations
  • Relevant blood results
  • Relevant imaging
  • What you have already done
  • What you are asking for

This makes your calls efficient and respected.

Portfolio Maintenance Checklist (Monthly)

Once per month, check:

  • At least one reflection uploaded
  • At least one supervised learning event completed
  • Teaching activity documented
  • Feedback requested or uploaded
  • Certificates filed
  • Supervisor meeting planned or documented
  • Audit/QIP progress updated

Small monthly effort prevents yearly panic.

ARCP Preparation Checklist

Before ARCP or appraisal:

  • Supervisor reports completed
  • Minimum required assessments achieved
  • Reflections demonstrate insight
  • Evidence mapped to curriculum
  • Audit/QIP documented
  • Teaching evidence uploaded
  • Exams updated
  • CV updated
  • Gaps explained honestly

Preparation reduces stress dramatically.

Relocation to UK Checklist

Before arrival:

  • Visa approved
  • Accommodation arranged
  • Airport pickup planned
  • Bank appointment booked
  • GP registration planned
  • NI number process understood
  • SIM card ready
  • Emergency contacts saved
  • Trust HR contact available

Moving countries is stressful. Systems make it manageable.

Why Checklists Work

They:

  • Reduce cognitive load
  • Improve safety
  • Improve confidence
  • Prevent missed steps
  • Protect your performance under pressure

They are not for weak doctors.
They are for organised doctors.

Reality Check

Even senior consultants use mental and written checklists.
The myth of the doctor who “just remembers everything” is exactly that — a myth.

Safe medicine relies on structure.

Reassurance

You don’t need to memorise everything.
You need good habits and good systems.

Checklists help you build both.