The Emergency Medicine curriculum published by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) defines the knowledge, clinical skills, and professional capabilities required to practise as a consultant in Emergency Medicine in the UK.
It forms the foundation for Emergency Medicine training and underpins the structure of the MRCEM and FRCEM examinations, workplace assessments, and standards expected of doctors working in Emergency Departments.
The curriculum reflects the breadth and complexity of modern Emergency Medicine - caring for undifferentiated patients of all ages, leading resuscitation teams, and managing the full spectrum of acute illness and injury.
Emergency Medicine consultants must deliver urgent and emergency care 24 hours a day across the entire population, managing both physical and mental health emergencies and leading multidisciplinary teams in high-pressure environments.
The RCEM curriculum exists to train doctors to safely and independently deliver this level of care.
It sets out:
By the time a trainee completes training and achieves CCT, they must demonstrate the ability to independently deliver the full scope of Emergency Medicine practice.
During core training, doctors develop the ability to:
This phase is typically delivered through the Acute Care Common Stem (ACCS) programme.
This stage focuses on:
By the end of intermediate training, doctors should be capable of acting as the most senior clinician in the Emergency Department overnight.
Higher training focuses on preparing doctors for consultant-level responsibilities:
The RCEM curriculum is organised around 12 Specialty Learning Outcomes (SLOs). These define the key capabilities every Emergency Medicine consultant must demonstrate.
Together, these outcomes reflect the wide scope of Emergency Medicine - combining clinical expertise, leadership, teaching, and system improvement.
Underlying the curriculum is a comprehensive clinical syllabus covering the conditions and presentations seen in Emergency Departments.
The RCEM examinations sample from across this syllabus to ensure trainees have the breadth of knowledge required for safe Emergency Medicine practice.
The RCEM curriculum forms the blueprint for all Emergency Medicine examinations.
Each examination assesses different elements of the curriculum and ensures trainees have the knowledge, clinical judgement, and professional capabilities required for progression in training.
FlyteX questions are written to reflect the structure of the RCEM Emergency Medicine curriculum and organised by the same clinical areas trainees are expected to understand for the FRCEM SBA examination.
The FRCEM examination tests knowledge across the full scope of Emergency Medicine as defined by the RCEM curriculum.
This guide outlines core clinical topics that appear in the FRCEM SBA examination, based on the RCEM Emergency Medicine curriculum and exam blueprint.
The FRCEM SBA examination samples broadly from the Emergency Medicine clinical syllabus. Questions may cover acute presentations, underlying medical conditions, emergency management, diagnostic reasoning, procedural knowledge, and systems/human factors.
Resuscitation topics focus on recognition and management of critically ill patients and rapid guideline-based decision-making.
A major component of Emergency Medicine practice and frequently tested in FRCEM SBA questions.
Emergency physicians frequently manage acute respiratory presentations.
Neurological emergencies are a core component of the FRCEM syllabus.
Trauma care is central to Emergency Medicine practice.
Emergency physicians must manage acutely unwell children across all age groups.
Emergency gastrointestinal and liver presentations tested in SBA questions.
High-yield endocrine emergencies commonly tested in emergency settings.
Infectious emergencies remain a major part of Emergency Medicine practice.
Poisoning and overdose presentations frequently appear in FRCEM examinations.
Emergency physicians must recognise and manage common and limb-threatening injuries.
Emergency obstetric and gynaecology presentations tested in the syllabus.
Mental health presentations form a significant proportion of ED attendances.
Environmental exposures can cause life-threatening illness and are part of the exam blueprint.
The FRCEM SBA exam samples questions from across the clinical syllabus and links them to the Specialty Learning Outcomes (SLOs) defined in the RCEM curriculum.
This ensures candidates demonstrate:
The most effective way to prepare for the FRCEM SBA exam is through repeated practice questions mapped to the Emergency Medicine curriculum.
FlyteX questions are written to reflect the RCEM syllabus, exam blueprint, and real ED decision-making.
