Running the list.
Run the list by acuity, not room. What a good list holds, the run-the-list playbook, and where lists break down.
Reviewed July 2026 · verify against current guidelines
The Frame
Acuity, not room number.
The list is situational awareness
Your list is how you hold the whole team in your head. Order it by who is sickest and who is moving, not by room number.
Three jobs at once
- See the sick early: pre-round on unstable patients yourself.
- Drive rounds: keep them moving, decisions made, plan set.
- Track the moving parts: pending results, consults, and dispo.
Run the list on a rhythm: morning rounds, a midday check, an afternoon wrap to close every loop.
Anatomy of a Good List
What each line holds.
Every patient, five things
| One-liner | Age, key problem, relevant history. The 10-second summary. |
|---|---|
| Active problems | What you are actively managing, not the whole past history. |
| To-dos | Today's tasks, each owned by someone, with a checkbox. |
| Pending | Labs, imaging, consults, and micro you are waiting on. |
| Dispo | Barriers to discharge and the plan to clear them. |
If it is not on the list, it gets dropped. The list is the team's memory.
Run-the-List Playbook
Drive the day.
How to run it
| Pre-round | Lay eyes on the unstable first; flag who could deteriorate today. |
|---|---|
| Run by acuity | Sickest and soon-to-move up top; stable chronic patients last. |
| Drive rounds | One patient, one problem, one plan. Timebox and keep moving. |
| Own the board | Track pending labs, imaging, consults, and each patient's dispo. |
| Balance load | Distribute admits and tasks so no intern is buried. |
A good list runs the team. A bad one lets tasks and sick patients slip through.
Where Lists Break Down
Where seniors slip.
- Rounding by room number, so the sickest wait.
- Rounds that run long; the afternoon collapses.
- Losing track of pending results and consults.
- One intern buried while another is light.
- No plan for discharges until late afternoon.
Set the day's dispo plan on rounds, not at 4 p.m.
Sources
Verify against current guidelines and local protocol before acting.
- ACGME Common Program Requirements: supervision and progressive responsibility for residents.
- Ward-operations and running-the-list guidance from resident handbooks and academic-medicine resources.
- Resident-as-teacher literature: keeping work rounds efficient and learner-centered.
Downloads
Every card for this topic — carousels and tables, print-ready for the wards or for sharing.
