Emergency medicine
Emergency Medicine is a field of practice based on knowledge and skills required for the prevention, diagnosis and management of acute and urgent aspects of illness and injury affecting patients of all age groups with a full spectrum of undifferentiated physical and behavioural disorders. It further encompasses an understanding of the development of pre-hospital and in-hospital emergency medical systems, and the skills necessary for this development.
Vocational training in emergency medicine is undertaken through the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM). Once ACEM training is completed, the doctor is awarded the Fellowship of the ACEM (FACEM).
Am I able to apply to work as a recognised specialist in New Zealand?
To apply for vocational registration in emergency medicine, you would need to hold:
- the FACEM qualification; or
- an international postgraduate medical qualification in emergency medicine, where your combination of qualifications, training and experience is assessed against the standard of the FACEM.
What standard will I be compared against?
To obtain the FACEM, the trainee completes 7 years of training:
- 2 years of general medical experience
- 1 year of provisional training in emergency medicine
- 4 years of advanced training:
- 30 months must be spent in an emergency department, including 6 months non-tertiary
- up to 12 months may be spent at an emergency department overseas, usually in the United Kingdom, subject to the approval of the ACEM
- 18 months must be spent in a non-emergency department post, including 6 months of accredited anaesthesia or intensive care
- experience is required in paediatrics, neonatal intensive care, medicine, surgery, rural medicine, retrieval medicine, hyperbaric medicine, education, toxicology and administration
- a research project must be completed by the end of advanced emergency medicine training
- logbooks must be submitted to the ACEM at regular intervals
- a pass in the FACEM primary examination is required to obtain entry into advanced emergency medicine training
- a pass in the FACEM final examination is required in the fourth year of advanced emergency medicine training
- FACEM awarded on satisfactory completion of examination and training requirements
- participation required in the ACEM maintenance of professional standards programme
I want to make a vocational registration application
If you wish to make a vocational registration application, please refer to the Vocational Registration Homepage and select the Option appropriate for you.
Am I able to apply for other types of registration?
You may be able to apply for more than one type of registration. To find out which is the best fit for you, please use our self assessment tool