Executive overview
The transition from medical school finals to the first day as a Foundation Year 1 (FY1) doctor is one of the most demanding periods in a clinical career. The landscape in 2025 has new, high-stakes milestones: the UK Medical Licensing Assessment (UKMLA) is now a mandatory part of graduation, the Prescribing Safety Assessment (PSA) must be passed early in F1, and your ePortfolio is the definitive record of your competence from day one.
In this fast-paced environment, artificial intelligence in healthcare education and point-of-care tools can be powerful allies. When used correctly, they can shorten search times, help structure your reflections, and reduce administrative burden. This guide provides a practical blueprint for how to leverage these tools safely and effectively, keeping clinical governance and academic integrity front and centre (ukmla.info, UK Foundation Programme).
The landscape to prepare for (facts you must know)
- UKMLA (Medical Licensing Assessment): For all UK medical students graduating from the academic year 2024–25 onwards, the UKMLA is mandatory. It consists of an Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) and a Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA), which are embedded within your university's finals. You must pass it to join the GMC register (ukmla.info).
- PSA (Prescribing Safety Assessment): This is a national online assessment of your ability to prescribe safely. The UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) publishes the dates for the F1 sittings each year, so check these early (bps.ac.uk, UK Foundation Programme).
- Foundation ePortfolio platforms: Your entire professional development as a foundation doctor is recorded in an ePortfolio. This is Horus in England and Turas in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Know which platform you'll be using, as it's where all your evidence lives (UK Foundation Programme).
- Good medical practice (2024): The GMC's updated guidance places a renewed emphasis on creating respectful workplaces, ensuring safe delegation, and demonstrating inclusive leadership. These professional values must shape how you interact with colleagues, patients, and new technologies like AI (gmc-uk.org).
How artificial intelligence helps you revise (final year → MLA/PSA)
- Map revision to the MLA blueprint: Use an AI assistant to help you generate checklists and spaced-practice schedules that are aligned to the official UKMLA content map. However, always cross-check these against the official MLA pages to ensure you are covering the correct topics (ukmla.info).
- Question-first workflow: A powerful study technique is to draft your own practice questions with an AI assistant, then use your core resources—like NICE CKS, the BNF, and your university textbooks—to verify and write detailed answers.
- OSCE/CPSA practice: You can role-play clinical stations with an AI chatbot to practise your communication skills, but always mark your performance against the official rubrics from the GMC or your medical school. Keep logs of these sessions as evidence of reflective practice.
- Prescribing drills for PSA: Use AI to generate realistic clinical scenarios, then use the BNF and the official PSA item styles to practise your prescribing. Avoid the temptation to memorise unverified "hacks" or answers from non-official sources (bps.ac.uk).
Point-of-care knowledge you’ll actually use on wards
Once you start on the wards, you'll need rapid access to trusted information. These are the core tools you will rely on.
- BMJ Best Practice (via OpenAthens): This is an essential point-of-care summary tool. Ensure you have your NHS OpenAthens login set up, install the mobile app, and enable the offline content packs so it works anywhere in the hospital.
- NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries (CKS): For any common presentation in a UK setting, CKS is the pragmatic, step-by-step guide on what to do. Bookmark it.
- Evidence Q&A / retrieval: For quick, specific questions, AI-powered tools can be very fast. Prioritise tools that always show their sources, like Trip/AskTrip, Medwise AI, or iatroX, so you can paste the reference directly into your notes for a clear audit trail.
Micro-workflow for the ward round
- Skim the BMJ Best Practice topic for a quick overview.
- Check for any specific UK nuances in the relevant NICE CKS page.
- Confirm the exact dose or contraindication in the BNF.
- Use an AI Q&A tool like iatroX to get a cited summary you can save for your CPD log.
Documentation & admin: where AI helps—and where to be careful
- Ambient scribes: You may encounter AI scribe tools in practice. The official NHS England guidance sets clear expectations for their use, covering the need for a clinical safety case, robust data protection, and mandatory human verification of every single note. Only use tools that have been formally approved by your organisation.
- A word of caution: The BMJ has recently reiterated that clinicians must stop using unregistered AI scribes. Never paste live patient data into consumer-grade applications. It is a serious breach of patient confidentiality and professional standards (BMJ).
Building your Foundation evidence trail with AI support
- Horus/Turas + e-LfH: A top tip for F1 is to link your NHS e-Learning for Healthcare (e-LfH) account to your ePortfolio (Horus or Turas). This means that when you complete mandatory induction and foundation modules on e-LfH, the certificates can flow into your portfolio automatically, saving you a huge amount of admin time.
- Reflection helper: AI can be a useful "reflection helper" but must be used ethically. You can use it to help you structure your thoughts by giving it prompts (e.g., "what did I learn from this event?", "what will I change in my practice?"). However, you must then edit and rewrite the output in your own words to meet the Good medical practice standards of honesty and professionalism.
- CPD capture: Use tools that allow you to capture learning as it happens. For example, you can save cited Q&A conversations from iatroX and other informal learning, add a reflection, and then export it as a PDF for your appraisal evidence later.
Academic integrity & university policy
UK universities are increasingly permitting but also regulating the use of generative AI for study. The golden rule is simple: follow your local university's rules, and never submit AI-written work as your own. Use it as a tool to help you learn, but the work you are assessed on must be yours. Sector guidance from bodies like the QAA and Jisc can help you stay on the right side of the line (Quality Assurance Agency, Jisc).
30-60-90 day plan (final year → FY1 start)
- Days 1–30 (Finals term): Map out the UKMLA topics. Set a spaced repetition schedule for your revision. Install the BMJ Best Practice app and activate offline mode. Bookmark the NICE CKS website. Start doing short PSA-style practice cases.
- Days 31–60 (After exams): Get a head start on your foundation journey. Complete the "Doctors-in-Training Induction" and "Foundation" programmes on e-LfH. Connect your e-LfH account to your ePortfolio. Build a simple template for your clinical reflections.
- Days 61–90 (Trust induction): During your shadowing period, practise doing AI-assisted but fully cited evidence checks. Confirm your hospital’s official stance on the use of ambient scribes before you use one.
Tool shortlist (by job, not by brand)
- Revise & plan: UKMLA blueprint, PSA item styles, spaced schedule generator.
- On-ward answers: BMJ Best Practice (OpenAthens, offline), NICE CKS, BNF.
- Evidence Q&A: Trip/AskTrip, Medwise AI, iatroX (always keep the citations).
- Portfolio & CPD: e-LfH → Horus/Turas syncing; iatroX conversation → PDF export.
FAQ
- Is the UKMLA definitely required for my cohort?
- Yes. For all students graduating from UK medical schools from the academic year 2024–25 onwards, passing the MLA (both AKT and CPSA components) is part of your degree and is required before you can be granted provisional registration with the GMC.
- When will I sit the PSA as an F1?
- The UKFPO publishes the national sitting dates each year. For the 2025–26 training year, for example, there are typically windows in October, March, and April.
- Which ePortfolio do I use?
- You will use Horus in England, and Turas in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Your medical school or foundation school will confirm this.
- Can I use an AI scribe on the wards?
- Only if your Trust has formally approved a compliant product that meets NHS guidance, and you have been trained on its use. You must obtain patient consent and personally verify every output.
- Is BMJ Best Practice free for NHS staff and available offline?
- Yes. You can sign in via your NHS OpenAthens account, which then allows you to create a personal account to use the mobile app and download content for offline use.