Novice Guide

The Royal College of Anaesthetists has developed an online learning resource known as e-LA (e-Learning Anaesthesia). e-LA has a vast array of  on-line tutorials, journal articles and MCQs, all of which are available for you to use, free of charge. Each session is designed to cover the subject areas & key concepts which are vital for tr ainees in Anaesthesia to understand. 

The e-LA material is hosted on the NHS e-learning for health platform. If you haven’t already done so, you will need to register for the platform. The registration page can be found here.

Once you have registered, you will see that Module 1 of the e-LA material is a really useful introduction to clinical anaesthesia, which will help you find your feet in these early days of your career. It’s the best place to start – and can be found by clicking here. This module was developed by experienced trainers and College Tutors to cover the knowledge and skills required by novices in the first 3 months of training whilst working up to the Initial Assessment of Competence (IAC).

By clicking on the link below – you can access a PDF summary of the contents of module 1, which can be used as workbook to record your progress - Module 1: Workbook

As you become more established as a trainee anaesthetist, the e-LA platform can be used to find information to reinforce your clinical experience, read up about new concepts and prepare for exams. The system is able to provide reports of activities you perform for inclusion in the LLP, and thus it can be a source of evidence towards HALO sign-offs and to demonstrate progress at ARCPs.

The College does not mandate but strongly encourages anaesthetists in training to use e-LA. As a learning resource it is ideally suited to self-paced, self-directed learning, as part of a blended learning programme which also incorporates teaching in the workplace and locally delivered tutorials.

More information about the e-LA project can be found on the College website here.