ST EMLYN’S · MLA REVISION GUIDE
The MLA revision guide
01 / MLA GUIDE
A practical companion to your clinical learning
Clinical reasoning, communication and practical care for UK medical students preparing for the MLA and the start of Foundation training. Read a chapter alongside your placements, then practise the skill and use feedback to refine your approach.
The guide covers ten areas of preparation. It supports your curriculum rather than claiming complete coverage of the GMC content map. Your medical school’s instructions determine the arrangements for your assessments.
Start with chapter 1: the Applied Knowledge Test →
Read the foreword, scope and contributor credits
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Exams and preparation
CHAPTER 01
The Applied Knowledge Test
Understand the UK medical-school AKT, practise single-best-answer reasoning and find clinical resources across adult and paediatric care.
Read chapter 1CHAPTER 02
The Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment
Prepare for integrated clinical and professional assessment through observed practice, feedback and adaptable performance.
Read chapter 203 / MLA GUIDE
Assessment and communication
CHAPTER 03
History taking
Take a focused, patient-centred history and use the findings to assess severity, develop a differential diagnosis and plan what comes next.
Read chapter 3CHAPTER 04
Communication
Explain, listen and negotiate a safe plan in everyday consultations, difficult conversations, referrals, consent and complaints.
Read chapter 4Browse 8 topics in chapter 4
CHAPTER 05
Psychiatry, substance use and safeguarding
Assess mental health, substance use, capacity and safeguarding concerns with attention to safety, context and the patient’s perspective.
Read chapter 5Browse 7 topics in chapter 5
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Physical examination
CHAPTER 06
System examination
Work through system examinations, interpret the findings and present a reasoned conclusion, supported by the original illustrations and videos.
Read chapter 6CHAPTER 07
Musculoskeletal examination
Examine joints, the spine and gait; use regional and screening examinations to understand function and recognise important abnormalities.
Read chapter 7Browse 10 topics in chapter 7
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Practical care and prescribing
CHAPTER 08
Resuscitation
Recognise deterioration, begin appropriate immediate care and contribute effectively to a resuscitation team.
Read chapter 8CHAPTER 09
Procedures
Prepare for graduate practical skills, understand supervision requirements and use clearly labelled advanced procedure resources.
Read chapter 9Browse 14 topics in chapter 9
- Learn the skill and the care around it
- A reliable procedure sequence
- Graduate practical skills: what level is expected?
- Vascular access and sampling
- Everyday skills: preparation, interpretation and aftercare
- Vascular resources
- Diagnostic aspiration and drainage
- Cardiac procedures
- Airway, anaesthesia and sedation
- Obstetrics and gynaecology
- Urological resources
- Trauma, immobilisation and wound care
- Regional anaesthesia and blocks
- Other practical resources
CHAPTER 10
Prescribing
Develop a systematic approach to safe prescribing, including electronic and paper prescriptions, patient factors, calculations and monitoring.
Read chapter 10Browse 9 topics in chapter 10
- Safe prescribing starts before the prescription
- A systematic prescribing method
- Outpatient and community prescribing
- Inpatient and electronic prescribing
- Doses, units and calculation checks
- Intravenous fluids are a prescription
- Recognise abbreviations; write clear instructions
- Review the original prescription example
- Practise the whole prescribing task