Emergency Medicine Specialty Profile

Emergency Medicine

Emergency medicine is a relatively new specialty which deals with the identification and immediate management of serious and life threatening situations. Emergency physicians are faced with a broad range of undifferentiated medical and surgical problems from benign headaches to severe trauma, and thus need to have a general expertise in many areas. However the true area of specialization of the emergency physician is in the care and stabilization of the critically ill patient. Every day is different and unpredictable in the emergency department. In a given shift these doctors may encounter patients with sore throats, seizures, appendicitis, dislocated shoulders, ocular foreign bodies or even a homeless man looking for shelter or food. The ability to make quick decisions and multi-task is essential.

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Emergency Medicine Training Program

Training Program

Training and assessment is governed by the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine. A comprehensive overview of the training program is available from the college website.... more

Application process

Two years of post graduate experience are required prior to entry into the training program. The first year of training is a provisional year during which candidates must complete at least six months of emergency department work and pass a... more

Length of Training

Total training time is five years full time or equivalent. This comprises of an initial provisional year and four years advanced training.... more

Cost of Training

Annual Registration fee $659.00 Primary Examination $1,055.00 Base Fee plus $103.00 per subject Fellowship Examination $1,845.00 Fellowship Application fee $1,157.00 Costs as at 11/06. Costs of training may vary from year to year. Please visit the college website or contact... more

Availability/Competition for training positions

Current workforce projections suggest that training positions will be readily available in the short to medium term.... more

Flexibility in Training

This is an extremely flexible training program. Trainees are permitted to complete any part of their training on a part time basis (50% of workload which is generally interpreted as 20 hours per week). Training can be interrupted for a... more

Emergency Medicine Workplace

The workplace

Patients may arrive in the emergency department via personal transport, ambulance or even helicopter! The department is divided into areas according to the seriousness of the medical problem encountered. These often include resuscitation/trauma cubicles, cubicles for stable patients likely to... more

The doctor-patient relationship

Relationships between emergency doctors and their patients tend to be short term without follow up. While some doctors are frustrated by not knowing their patient’s outcomes, many enjoy managing the high acuity situation and then handing over medium and long... more

Intellectual content

An extremely broad knowledge base is required for emergency medicine practice, and this is one of the specialty’s big attractions. Topics covered in initial examinations include anatomy, pathology, physiology and pharmacology.... more

Lifestyle and Practice Options

Emergency medicine is considered one of the better lifestyle specialties. The work is arranged into shifts with a designated hand over time, and there are minimal on call requirements. A typical consultant workload in a tertiary hospital would be 38... more

Medical indemnity

Use our risk category tool to see what risk category is assigned to this specialty.... more

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