Stage 1 tasks: Set up (once)

Each task stands on its own. It says when it happens in the year, how long it takes, what you need, and what comes next. Where a task has a clip, the clip and the steps tell the same story. Where a step cannot be undone, a warning comes before it and a line after it says what to do if it was a mistake.

On this page

1. Check the departments and their manpower bands
2. Add a department
3. Add a hospital, or change its cluster
4. Check the Curriculum
5. Add residents
6. Add residents' past years
7. Put the running year in through a draft
8. Check every resident's year group
9. Change a resident's details
10. Remove a resident added by mistake
11. Add a colleague to the planner

Check the departments and their manpower bands

When: at set-up, then whenever a department's places change. About 10 minutes. You need: each department's least and most residents per block, and the posting lengths it takes.

Before you start: a department has one band for the whole year. For part of a year, add a band rule to a draft instead (see Add a rule of your own).

1. On Home, press Departments. The page shows two closed lists, Hospitals and Departments, each with its count.
2. Press Departments. The departments open, grouped by hospital. Each shows its specialty, its band, such as Manpower: 5 to 6, and its lengths, such as Duration: 1 to 3 blocks.
3. Press a department. Its sheet opens, titled, for example, Cardiology at NHC.

Warning: a draft you have already made keeps the bands it was made with. After a change here it shows the line Residents / Curriculum / Department data changed since this draft was made. Press Duplicate on that draft to take the change.

4. Type the Min manpower and Max manpower: the least and the most residents in any block, as whole numbers.
5. Under Duration, pick each posting length it takes: 1, 2 or 3 blocks. You can pick more than one.
6. Press Save. The line Saved Cardiology at NHC. shows under its tile.

If this goes wrong: the sheet says what to fix, such as Min manpower is above max manpower., Min and max manpower are whole numbers. or Pick a duration. Fix it and press Save again.

Next: Add a department, or Check the Curriculum. Try it in the demo: change one band and save it. The demo's bands are a sixth of the real ones.

Add a department

When: at set-up, or when a department starts taking residents. About 3 minutes for one, 10 for a paste. You need: the specialty, the hospital, the band and the posting lengths.

Before you start: the hospital must be on the list. If it is not, add it first (see Add a hospital, or change its cluster).

One department

1. On Departments, press Add department. The sheet Add department opens.
2. Pick the Specialty and the Hospital. Only pairs not yet on the list are offered.
3. Type the Min manpower and Max manpower, and pick the Duration lengths.
4. Press Add. The line reads, for example, Added Rheumatology at SKH.

Many departments, by paste

Warning: a paste only adds new departments. A department already on the list reads Already on the list and is left as it is. Change its band in its own sheet.

1. On Departments, press Paste departments.
2. Press Download the template. The file departments-template.csv downloads, with an example row and the specialty codes.
3. In your spreadsheet, fill in one row per department: Specialty, Hospital, Min manpower, Max manpower and Duration.
4. Copy the rows and paste them into the box.
5. Read the count line, such as 5 rows: 3 to add, 1 already on the list, 1 left out. Each row left out says why.
6. Press the button that adds them. It says how many, for example Add these 3 departments. The line then reads Added 3 departments.

If this goes wrong: a row naming a hospital that is not on the list asks you to add it under Hospitals first. Other rows left out say, for example, Cannot be read: not one of the specialties, Cannot be read: manpower not a whole number or Cannot be read: duration not 1, 2 or 3.

Next: Add a hospital, or change its cluster. Try it in the demo: add a department, then remove it.

Add a hospital, or change its cluster

When: rarely: when postings start at a new hospital, or a hospital changes cluster. About 2 minutes. You need: the hospital's short code, and whether it is in your home cluster.

Before you start: a hospital cannot be renamed later. Its name is its short code, such as SGH.

1. On Departments, press Hospitals. The list opens, home cluster first.
2. Press Add hospital.
3. In Hospital name, type the hospital's short code, in letters and numbers only.
4. Pick Home cluster or Cross-cluster.
5. Press Add. A line says the hospital was added.

To change a hospital's cluster

1. Under Hospitals, press the hospital's tile. Its sheet opens, titled with its code.
2. Pick Home cluster or Cross-cluster.
3. Press Save. A line says it was saved.

The change counts from today's block. Postings already done keep the cluster their hospital had at the time.

If this goes wrong: That hospital is already on the list., or Use letters and numbers only, like SGH.

Next: Check the Curriculum.

Check the Curriculum

When: at set-up, then only when the programme's requirements change. About 5 minutes. You need: the programme's requirements by year group.

The Curriculum says how many blocks of each specialty a resident must do, by year group. It is kept in versions by intake year. Each resident follows the version for their admission cohort for their whole residency.

1. On Home, press Curriculum. The newest version is open, headed From AY 2025. Older versions are folded, such as Before AY 2025.
2. Read each row's five numbers: R1, R2, R3, Any year and Most allowed.
3. Press an older version's heading to open it, and check it the same way.

Warning: a changed number counts from today's block, for every resident who follows that version. Change a number only to fix a mistake. A real change of requirements for a new intake needs a new version.

4. To fix a mistake, type the right number in its box and leave the box. Saved shows over the grid.

To add a version for a new intake

1. Press Add a version. A sheet opens.
2. In For residents admitted from, pick the first intake year it applies to.
3. Press Add. The new version starts with the newest version's numbers. Change the ones that differ.

If this goes wrong: Whole numbers only, 0 or more. puts the old number back. That year already has a version. means that intake year has one already: change its numbers instead.

Next: Add residents.

Add residents

When: at set-up, and each year for the new intake. About 5 minutes by paste, or 1 minute a resident. You need: each resident's name and year group; their work email and admission cohort if you have them.

Before you start

• No two residents may share a name. The past postings paste finds residents by name.
• The work email is how a resident signs in, and where the wish emails go. A resident with no work email gets no email.

One at a time

1. On Home, press Residents, then Add residents.
2. Press Add resident. The sheet Add a resident opens.
3. Type the Name and pick the Year group: R0, R1, R2 or R3.
4. Optional: press More, then type the Work email and the Admission cohort: the year R1 began, as four digits.
5. Press Add, or Add another to keep the sheet open for the next resident. The line reads, for example, Added Hodor Wylis as R1.

Many at once, by paste

1. On Add residents, press Paste residents. The box opens with the line Admission cohort is the intake year; left blank, it is the year R1 began. An earlier year sets where R1 began, so every past posting from R1 can be pasted.
2. Press Download the template. The file residents-template.csv downloads with its four columns: Name, Year group, Work email and Admission cohort.
3. In your spreadsheet, fill in one row per resident. In Admission cohort, type the year their R1 began.

Warning: copy from the spreadsheet itself, in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets. Text copied from a .csv file opened in a text editor does not split into columns.

4. Copy the rows and paste them into the box.
5. Check that the picker over each column names what the column holds. A heading row sets them for you.
6. Read each row's line, such as Adds as R1 or Duplicate: already on the list. A row whose admission cohort is earlier than its year group implies also says where R1 began, such as R1 from AY 23/24, from the admission cohort. Nothing is written yet.
7. Press the button that adds them. It says how many, for example Add these 12 residents. The line then reads Added 12 residents.

If this goes wrong

• Duplicate: already on the list: that name is taken. Check the resident is not already in, or make the name differ.
• Not added: that work email is someone else's: two residents cannot share an email.
• Cannot be read: not a work email: check the address.
• Cannot be read: the year group is not R0, R1, R2 or R3: write the year group as R0 to R3.
• Added the wrong person? See Remove a resident added by mistake.

Next: Add residents' past years. Try it in the demo: add one resident, then remove them.

Add residents' past years

When: at set-up, after the residents are in. About 10 minutes, once the spreadsheet is ready. You need: for each resident, every academic year since their R1 year began, this year included, twelve blocks a year.

Before you start

• Add the residents first. Each row is matched to a resident by name, ignoring capitals and spacing.
• Earlier years and this year go in this way, this year's blocks still ahead as planned. A year that has not begun is refused.

1. On Add residents, press Paste past postings.
2. Press Download the template. The file past-postings-template.csv downloads, with an example row and the specialty codes.
3. In your spreadsheet, fill in one row per resident per year, earlier years and this year: Name, Academic year, then Block 1 to Block 12.
4. In each block, write the posting as specialty and hospital, such as CVM NHC; or Leave; or Left; or leave the block blank.
5. Copy the rows and paste them into the box.
6. Read each row's line, such as Adds AY 25/26.
7. Press the button that adds them. It says how many, for example Add these 40 years. The line then reads Added 40 years.

If this goes wrong

• Not on the list yet: paste the residents first: add that resident, then paste the row again.
• Not added: AY 27/28 has not begun: only a year that has begun goes in. Plan a coming year in a draft (see Make next year's draft).
• Not added: AY 24/25 is before R1 began: the planner has their R1 beginning later. If it began in AY 24/25, they need 2024 as their admission cohort: at set-up, before anything else of theirs is in, remove them and paste them again with it (see Remove a resident added by mistake and Add residents).
• Duplicate: AY 25/26 is already in the record: correct that year on the Database instead (see Correct a filed year).
• Not added: two residents share this name: make the two names differ.
• Cannot be read: block 7: check how that block is written.

Next: Check every resident's year group. If this year was not in the paste, first Put the running year in through a draft.

Put the running year in through a draft

When: once, at set-up, after the residents and their past years are in, if this year was not pasted with them. About 1 hour for a whole programme. You need: every resident's twelve blocks for this year, as planned, and this year's block dates.

This year can also be pasted with the past years (see Add residents' past years). A draft takes longer, but it brings this year's block dates into the Database, and those decide which block is today's. You plan the year, then file it. The demo was set up the same way.

Before you start: make the draft only once the residents and their past years are all in. A draft keeps the residents and their year groups as they were when it was made.

1. On Home, press Plan a new year. A new draft opens as its table, for next year, for example AY 27/28 Draft 1.
2. In Academic year, pick this year, for example AY 26/27. The name follows, for example AY 26/27 Draft 1.
3. Press Set the dates, set Block 1 to Block 12, then press Back (see Set the block dates).
4. Press Paint, pick a department, and press every box a resident did, or will do, there. Repeat for each department, and for Leave (see Place the postings you must).
5. Press Save.
6. Press File in the Database. The sheet File this table in the Database? opens. Read what it will write.

Warning: the next two steps write this year into the Database. You can correct it afterwards, but no button undoes it.

7. In Type FILE, type FILE.
8. Press File in the Database. The line starts AY 26/27 filed: and gives the number of residents.

If this was a mistake: correct single boxes on the Database year (see Correct a filed year). Or fix the draft and file it again: filing again replaces the year.

Next: Check every resident's year group.

Check every resident's year group

When: at set-up once this year is in, and before each wish round. About 5 minutes. You need: nothing.

1. On Home, press Residents, then Existing residents. Everyone is listed in groups: R0, R1, R2, R3, Graduated and Left. A group shows only when it has someone in it.
2. Check that each resident is in the group you expect.
3. Look for file says R2, past years not entered yet on the line under a name. That resident has a past year missing: paste it (see Add residents' past years).
4. Look for a line such as file says R3, planner reads R2 under a name. That resident has not yet served 12 blocks of postings in their year group, often because of Leave or a posting marked Failed. Press their name to see their record.
5. Look for no email. That resident will get no wish emails: add their work email (see Change a resident's details).
6. To find one person, type in Find a name.

Next: Add a colleague to the planner, or fix what you found with Change a resident's details.

Change a resident's details

When: whenever a name, work email or admission cohort is wrong. About 2 minutes. You need: the right details.

1. On Home, press Residents, then Existing residents, then the resident's name. Their page opens.
2. Under Who, press the pencil. A sheet opens, titled with their name.
3. Change the Name, the Work email or the Admission cohort.
4. Press Save. The page reads Saved.

If this goes wrong

• That work email is someone else's.: another resident has that address.
• That is not a work email.: check the address.
• The admission cohort cannot be later than the R1 start.: the cohort is the intake year, never after R1 began.
• The name and work email are saved; the rest is not.: fix the other fields and press Save again.

Next: Check every resident's year group.

Remove a resident added by mistake

When: only for a resident added in error, such as a duplicate. About 2 minutes. You need: nothing.

Warning: removing cannot be undone. It erases the resident, their name and email, every Database row and every wish list. For a resident who leaves the programme, mark a Left box instead (see Record a resident who leaves).

1. Open the resident's page: Residents, Existing residents, then their name.
2. At the very end of the page, press Remove this resident. The sheet asks Remove Hodor Wylis? and says All of their information goes. If the Database holds years for them, it names those years too.
3. Press Remove. You return to Existing residents, which says Removed Hodor Wylis.

If this was a mistake: add the resident again and paste their past years again (see Add residents). Their wish lists cannot be brought back. A draft made before the removal shows them as No longer in the programme: press Duplicate on it to bring in the re-added resident.

Next: Check every resident's year group.

Add a colleague to the planner

When: at set-up, and when a colleague joins. About 2 minutes. You need: their work email, or a mainstream personal email.

1. On Home, press People. The page lists everyone on the planner, each marked Admin or Member.
2. In Email, type your colleague's address.
3. If you are an admin, pick the Role: Member or Admin. A member does not see this choice, and adds members only.
4. Press Add. A line says the address was added. Your colleague receives an email headed You have been added, with how to sign in.

If this goes wrong

• That person is already on this project. To change their role, remove them first, then add them again with the new role.
• That does not look like an address roster.sg accepts. Check the spelling. Only work email and the common personal providers are accepted.

Next: Stage 2 tasks: Wish round.