Referral and handover
Make the clinical question and the next responsibility clear.
Clinical learning outcomes: Awaiting named clinical review.
What you should learn
- Present a concise problem, relevant findings and the help needed.
- Check that the next action and responsibility are understood.
Recognise and explain
- Referral and handover are conversations. The receiving clinician may need information that changes your initial plan.
On your placement
Agree the activity and supervision with the clinical team. For patient-facing learning, seek permission and respect the patient’s comfort and care needs.
- Observe a referral or handover with your supervisor.
- Draft your own short presentation for a patient you have assessed.
- Rehearse it with a partner, who checks that the problem, concern and request are clear.
- Ask a clinician to review your presentation and explain how they confirm the agreed plan.
Start here
Chapter 4: Communication
Use the MLA referral and handover scenarios to practise a clear reason for calling and an agreed plan.
Current guidance
GMC practical skills and procedures
Check the task-specific graduate expectation and discuss your current supervision with the placement team.
GMC guidance on the quality of clinical placements
Use the placement guidance to agree learning opportunities, supervision and feedback with your team.
On your next shift
Listen for who will do what next and when. Ask for clarification if that responsibility is unclear.
Go deeper
Optional material. Advanced resources extend discussion; they do not define independent student practice. Check the publication date and compare clinical advice with current guidance.
Make a useful referral paired practice
Optional extension: rehearse the supplied chest-pain referral with a supervisor; this card is labelled Early-career EM.
How this relates to GMC graduate outcomes and the MLA
These are St Emlyn’s learning connections, not a claim that this page covers every national requirement.
Clinical and professional capabilities: Clinical assessment; Communication; Recognising limits and seeking help.
Practical skills: Referral and handover.
Suggested placement activities informed by the GMC framework. No new procedure-specific supervision level is assigned here.
Explore the student placement programme
Student practice and graduate expectations
About this resource and its review
A St Emlyn’s guide to learning Emergency Medicine during undergraduate placements. It is not an official medical-school or GMC curriculum. Your medical school’s curriculum and assessment requirements take precedence.
National foundations: GMC Outcomes for Graduates, the practical-skills supplement and the MLA content map applying from September 2026.
Framework checked: 8 October 2026. This is a source check, not clinical sign-off.
Clinical learning outcomes: awaiting named clinical review.
The four learning routes are St Emlyn’s groupings. The six interconnected MLA domains remain part of the official content map.