Day one of GP training is not about exams. It is about setting up the system that will carry you through three years of training, two major exams, and hundreds of portfolio entries. Build the infrastructure now — the infrastructure does the work later.
Day One Setup
FourteenFish account. Usually set up by your deanery. Log in, explore the interface, find the training map. This is your home for three years. BNF app (free). Install before your first clinical encounter. NICE CKS (bookmark). Your management reference from day one. iatroX (free). Create your account. Start the adaptive quiz — even 10 minutes builds your baseline. NHSmail. Essential for clinical communication.
Week One
Understand your deanery's ARCP requirements — every deanery has a guidance document. Read the RCGP curriculum overview (not the full document — the overview). Meet your educational supervisor. Understand your rotation schedule.
Month One Habits
Start learning log entries from your first clinical encounter — do not wait. "I'll start the portfolio later" is the most common ST1 mistake. Begin weekly iatroX adaptive quiz sessions (15 minutes/day) — this builds your clinical knowledge foundation gradually. Explore FourteenFish features — training map, assessment invites, learning log types.
What Not to Do Yet
Do not buy AKT Q-banks — too early unless you plan to sit in ST2. Do not subscribe to SCA tools — irrelevant until ST3. Do not stress about exams — ST1 is about building foundations, not cramming for tests.
What to Start
Building clinical knowledge breadth through every clinical encounter. Reflecting on encounters through a GP lens — even in hospital posts. Documenting everything — every clinical encounter is potential portfolio evidence. Complete mandatory training early — safeguarding, IG, fire safety, BLS. Do not let these become ARCP blockers.
Where iatroX Fits
iatroX is the one tool worth setting up from day one — free, adaptive, and designed to build the knowledge foundation that makes AKT revision in ST2/ST3 targeted rather than starting cold.