Executive summary
Starting your Foundation Year 1 (FY1) is one of the most demanding transitions in a medical career. You are immediately expected to make safe, fast, and reliable decisions in a high-pressure environment. Success and safety in your first few months hinge on having a robust, accessible digital toolkit. This guide curates the core clinical references, local guideline apps, communication tools, calculators, and e-portfolio essentials you will need from day one.
The non-negotiables remain the BNF/BNFC app for prescribing and NICE CKS for management pathways. These are supported by trust-specific guidance in MicroGuide and secure communication via Accurx. We will also show how the UK-centric AI assistant, iatroX, can act as the glue for your learning, helping you get rapid, cited answers from the wider evidence base, consolidate your knowledge with adaptive revision, and capture your reflections for your Horus/Turas e-portfolio.
Who this guide is for (and how to use it)
This guide is for final-year medical students transitioning to UK Foundation Year 1 and new FY1 doctors. The best way to use it is to download the core national apps now, check your OpenAthens and e-portfolio logins, and then find your specific hospital's tools (like MicroGuide and Accurx) during your induction.
Medicines & guidelines you’ll use every day
- BNF + BNFC (official apps): This is your non-negotiable prescribing reference. It provides the definitive UK source for dosing, contraindications, and interactions. Its offline access is a lifesaver on wards with poor Wi-Fi. Install it on day one.
- NICE CKS (web/PWA): The NICE Clinical Knowledge Summaries are concise, practical summaries for the most common conditions you will see in primary and acute care. Add the website to your phone's home screen for a quick, app-like experience.
- BMJ Best Practice (free via NHS OpenAthens): This is a powerful point-of-care tool for step-by-step diagnosis and management, with evidence grading. It is nationally funded for all NHS staff and learners. Log in with your OpenAthens account to unlock the full app and its essential offline content packs.
Your UK-centric AI layer: iatroX
- What it does: iatroX is a free, UK-grounded AI assistant designed for clinicians. Its Ask iatroX feature provides conversational Q&A with clear citations to authoritative sources like NICE and SIGN guidelines and peer-reviewed research. It also features a Knowledge Centre for quick look-ups, an adaptive Quiz for spaced-repetition revision, and a CPD capture tool with AI-assisted reflections.
- Why it matters for FY1: It dramatically shortens your "time-to-answer" when you're unsure, helps you structure your reasoning for complex cases with the Brainstorm feature, and makes it easy to turn those learning moments into logged evidence for your portfolio.
- Where to get it: The iatroX app is free on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store, and on the web.
Trust-specific policies & antimicrobials
- MicroGuide: This is one of the most important apps to get during your induction. It hosts your specific hospital's local antimicrobial formulary and other clinical policies (e.g., VTE prophylaxis, managing hyponatraemia). The content downloads for fast offline use on the wards.
Communication & coordination on the wards
- Accurx (formerly “Accurx Switch” / Induction Switch): This is your essential communications tool. Its primary function is a hospital directory that lets you find the right bleep or extension number without calling the main switchboard. It also supports secure patient messaging (where enabled) and, increasingly, the Accurx Scribe for ambiently drafting notes and letters.
- Consultant Connect: Check if your Trust or ICS has commissioned this. It provides a rapid "Advice & Guidance" pathway by phone or secure messaging, connecting you directly to local specialists. Its PhotoSAF feature is invaluable for sending IG-compliant clinical images.
Calculators & emergency algorithms
- MDCalc: The industry-standard library of trusted clinical calculators and risk scores (e.g., Wells' score, CHA₂DS₂-VASc, AMTS), complete with links to the evidence behind them.
- iResus (Resuscitation Council UK): An indispensable app for emergencies. It gives you immediate offline access to the latest ALS, PLS, NLS, and anaphylaxis algorithms.
Portfolios & credentials you must set up
- Foundation e-portfolio (Horus/Turas): Your career depends on this. You will use Horus (in England) or Turas (in Scotland, Wales, NI) to log all your assessments, reflections, and curriculum outcomes. Get your login details during induction and learn how to create an entry.
- NHS OpenAthens: Your golden key to accessing a vast range of NHS-funded knowledge resources, including BMJ Best Practice and many other journals and databases.
- NHSmail: Your professional email and identity. Ensure you have your login, have set up multi-factor authentication (MFA), and have it on your phone before day one.
- CPD made simple: Your e-portfolio requires high-quality reflections. Use the iatroX CPD feature to instantly log a clinical question you looked up, use the AI-assisted prompts to write a meaningful reflection, and then export the PDF report for your portfolio.
One-week onboarding checklist
- Day 1–2: Install the BNF/BNFC app. Pin the NICE CKS website to your phone's home screen. Register for your OpenAthens account and use it to log in to the BMJ Best Practice app (then download the offline content).
- Day 3: Download the MicroGuide app and find and select your new NHS Trust. Skim the empirical antibiotic ("sepsis") guidance.
- Day 4: Install Accurx. Add your new hospital site and test the directory. See if the Scribe feature is enabled.
- Day 5: Install iResus and MDCalc. Run through the algorithms for ACS and sepsis to see how they work.
- Day 6: Create your free iatroX account. Practice asking 5 clinical questions you're unsure about. Start a 10-question adaptive Quiz session to find your baseline.
- Day 7: Confirm you can access your Horus/Turas e-portfolio. Add your first test reflection. Set up your NHSmail on your phone with MFA.
"What good looks like" (usage patterns)
- On-shift: Use BNF/CKS for core decisions. Check MicroGuide for local policy (e.g., which antibiotic to use). Use MDCalc for scoring. Use iResus in emergencies. Document and communicate via your EHR and Accurx.
- After-shift: Use iatroX to read around a case you saw, verify concepts with its citations, log a quick CPD reflection, and schedule a spaced-repetition quiz on that topic for the weekend.
FAQs
- Is BMJ Best Practice really free to NHS staff?
- Yes, it is nationally funded in England. You just need to register for a free NHS OpenAthens account and use that to log in. This will also unlock the full mobile app and its offline features.
- What's the Accurx app vs. the old Induction/“Switch” app?
- Accurx acquired Induction Switch in 2023. The app is now part of the Accurx family and provides the same great hospital directory, along with new, integrated features like their AI Scribe.
- Do all Trusts use MicroGuide and Consultant Connect?
- MicroGuide is used by the vast majority of UK Trusts, but you must select your specific Trust inside the app. Consultant Connect availability varies by ICS and Trust, so check your local induction pack.
- Is iatroX free and UK-specific?
- Yes. It is a UK-centric platform that provides citation-first answers from UK-accepted guidance and peer-reviewed research. Its core features—Ask, Knowledge Centre, Quiz, and CPD—are free to use.