Applicable to all MLA exams and assessments taken from September 2026 onwards.
Domain 2: Areas of professional knowledge
This domain outlines the broad areas of professional, clinical, scientific and social scientific knowledge relevant to patient care, at the level expected of doctors entering the UK Foundation Programme. It provides the essential foundation on which clinical decision making is built, enabling doctors to apply pathophysiological, ethical and social principles in their approach to patient care.
Some areas in this domain include descriptors to offer additional context about what each heading covers. These descriptors are intended to guide understanding and should not be viewed as exhaustive or limiting in scope.
Areas of professional knowledge
Allergy and immunology
Recognised area of professional knowledge.
Biomedical sciences
Also includes clinical anatomy, clinical physiology, clinical pathology and science of ageing
- Outcomes for graduates (‘Applying biomedical scientific principles’)
Clinical biochemistry
Also includes chemical pathology
Clinical imaging
Also includes understanding the selection of appropriate investigations for common clinical conditions and diseases
- Outcomes for graduates (‘Applying biomedical scientific principles’)
Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
Also includes pain management
Genetics and genomics
Recognised area of professional knowledge.
Histopathology
Also includes cytology
Human factors and quality improvement
Also includes understanding how improvements in the quality and safety of patient care can be made through principles and methods of quality improvement, such as:
- audit, reflection and research
- safety science and plan-do-study-act cycles
- identification of hazards and control of associated risks in a clinical setting.
- Good medical practice (‘Maintaining, developing and improving your performance’)
- Outcomes for graduates (’Patient safety and quality improvement’)
Laboratory haematology
Also includes an understanding of the blood transfusion pathway (assessment of the risk and benefits of transfusion; safe sample collection; compatibility testing; and monitoring for, and managing, transfusion reactions).
Medical ethics and law
Also includes:
- knowledge of the ethical duties in Good medical practice and the more detailed guidance
- the range of legal duties that apply to practitioners.
- Good medical practice and the range of more detailed guidance
- Outcomes for graduates (‘Professional behaviours’, ‘Professional and ethical responsibilities’, and ‘Legal responsibilities’)
Microbiology
Also includes applying principles of infection prevention and control
- Confidentiality: disclosing information about serious communicable diseases includes advice on talking to patients about the risk of transmission, what to do if colleagues suffer needlestick injuries, and disease control and surveillance
- Outcomes for graduates (‘Patient safety and quality improvement’ and ‘Applying biomedical scientific principles’)
Psychological principles
For patients experiencing mental health conditions, also includes:
- identification
- safe management
- referral.
- Confidentiality: disclosing information about serious communicable diseases includes advice on talking to patients about the risk of transmission, what to do if colleagues suffer needlestick injuries, and disease control and surveillance
- Outcomes for graduates (‘Applying psychological principles’)
Social and population health
Also includes:
- health promotion and illness prevention
- health economics
- interpreting and using research, data and statistics
- social science
- social determinants of health
- health inequalities
- public health and global health.
- Outcomes for graduates (‘Applying social science principles’ and ‘Health promotion and illness prevention’)
