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Training Standards

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Content on this page is produced by RCEM’s Training Standards Committee (TSC). TSC has responsibility for translating the Royal College’s aims for specialty training in EM into working systems throughout the UK.

Core Principles and Commitments

Promoting Excellence

Promoting Excellence in Emergency Medicine Training underpins RCEM’s training standards and sets out its commitment to maintaining and enhancing the quality of medical education and training in Emergency Medicine. The document has recently been updated for 2025, bringing guidance and expectations fully up to date. 

Fairer Training Cultures 

The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) is committed to fairer training cultures for all. As part of this commitment the Training Standards Committee (TSC) Quality Lead and Head of Training have reviewed the ARCP outcome data for EM trainees for the time period April 2023  – April 2024. The ARCP outcomes have been reviewed against self-reported demographic data on protected characteristics. We have focused on intersectionality rather than singular protected characteristics to ensure a more meaningful review of the data. 

 The college is sharing this early initial data recognising that its contents indicate that we have more work to do to create a fairer training culture for all.  Following the publication of this report the College will progress work on more cross-sectional analysis of this data, as well as comparisons to Exam performance.  

 RCEM is committed to supporting all our members and ensuring the highest standard of patient care through ongoing education and training.  

Please read ARCP Outcomes broken down by characteristics for more information.

The findings of this report highlight that while there is a statistically significant but weak relationship between ARCP outcomes and trainee characteristics across gender, ethnicity, PMQ, and English as a first language, any disparity is unacceptable. As a College, we are committed to playing our part in reducing these differences to zero. We will continue to foster a fair and inclusive training culture.  

Romana Moss, Director of Education RCEM 

The first step in solving a problem is to describe it accurately. This is a welcome development from RCEM, which shows courage to examine and address structural inequalities found throughout society but expressed in Emergency Medicine. The commitment to a truly equitable training culture and environment is a process which will reveal more challenges as it is examined more closely. This is not easy work to do but will result in true growth and a fairer training culture for all involved in the process. 

Dr David Chung, Co-Chair of the RCEM EDI Committee 

Use of AI in reflective practice

Reflective practice is central to postgraduate medical education and a key requirement in the RCEM curriculum. With the rise of AI tools such as large language models, questions have emerged around their role in supporting reflective logs. Some trainees and supervisors see AI as a useful aid, while others raise concerns about authenticity and professionalism. To provide clarity and guidance, RCEM has published a position statement setting out its stance on the use of AI in reflective practice.

Time in Training

Following the publication of the RCEM Position Statement on Training Hours, the College has now released detailed guidance to support consistent application of the principle that RCEM defines ‘full-time’ training in Emergency Medicine as 40-hours a week. Read RCEM Defining Full Time Training for more information. 

Bringing Forward CCT

The committee has released its position on accelerating training time for EM Trainees. Read TSC position on early CCT for more information. 

External Advisors

External Advisors for ARCP

  • Representing RCEM and contributing to the oversight of specialty training programmes
  • Supporting the GMC’s Quality Assurance Framework by ensuring independent, impartial review of ARCP processes
  • Providing constructive feedback on the delivery and evaluation of training, highlighting good practice and areas for improvement
  • Submitting a short report to RCEM and the local team, with independent record keeping

You can sign up to take part in our panels, which are held virtually, with participation typically expected once or twice per year. All External Advisors must be up to date with equality and diversity training and have current ARCP and educational supervisor experience. 

Assessment Schedule and ARCP Requirement Guides

The Training Standards Committee have produced the following Guidance on Annual Review of Competence Progression (ARCP) requirements:

  • ACCS ARCP Requirement Guide summarises the evidence that ACCS trainees of all parent specialties must provide for ARCP and the standards expected in order to achieve satisfactory ARCP outcome
  • Intermediate Training ARCP Requirement Guide summarises the evidence that trainees must provide for ARCP and the standards expected in order to achieve a satisfactory ARCP outcome at the end of ST3 intermediate training
  • Higher Training ARCP Requirement Guide summarises the evidence that trainees must provide for ARCP and the standards expected in order to achieve satisfactory ARCP outcome for the ST4 – ST6 years of higher training.