RCEM Membership

Applications for membership can be made online at any time.
We aim to approve all members within two working days with the vast majority being approved on the day of application. Memberships commence as soon as they are approved and you will receive your confirmation details later on the same day your application is approved. All memberships are ratified by Council.
Following approval, you will be a member of the College and have full access to the benefits and resources associated with your membership category.
Membership with the College runs in a calendar year, from 1st January to 31st December.
Therefore, if your application is approved part-way through the year, your fee will be pro-rated for the remainder of that calendar year. A full yearly subscription will commence the following year, on an annual rolling basis.

In order to complete any transactions with the College, such as registering for an event or signing up for membership via the website, you need to have an online account.
Please note that users have separate account login details for the following:

• The main College website rcem.ac.uk
• RCEM Learning website rcemlearning.co.uk
• The RCEM ePortfolio system

If you have become a member since March 2015 then your username is your preferred email address. If you are unsure what this is then there is a function to remind you of your username. Note: Please do not create another account to access the system, this will cause a duplication in the system and the newly created account will not recognise you as a member. If you are still having problems, contact the membership team at membership@rcem.ac.uk or call 020 7404 1999 (Option 1 for member services).

What happens if I have forgotten my password?
In the first instance, click on forgot password link which will send you an email allowing you to reset your password. If you do not receive an email as advised, then please contact the membership team at membership@rcem.ac.uk or call 020 7404 1999 (Option 1 for member services).

What happens if I get locked out of my account?
Your account will become locked after three failed login attempts. To get your account unlocked please contact the membership team at membership@rcem.ac.uk or call 020 7404 1999 (Option1 for member services).

We endeavour to respond to all password reset queries within 4 hours of the request being received in line with College opening hours which are 9am to 5pm (UK time)
Monday – Friday.

Note: Please do not create another account to access the system as this will cause a duplicate record and the newly created account will not recognise you as a member.

Payments for subscriptions can be completed upfront using a debit or credit card or via direct debit.

When are membership subscriptions due?
When you join the College, your membership subscription will be calculated in line with the month that you are approved. Once your membership has been approved, payment is due within four weeks.

Methods of payment

Direct debit
The majority of members pay via direct debit with payments being collected via either a one-off annual payment or by monthly instalments. If you set up a direct debit, payments will commence on the next available collection date. Collections will continue for the duration of your membership and you will be advised of any changes in line with direct debit guarantee.
If you would like to setup a direct debit to pay for your membership on either a one off or monthly basis please complete this link in your online account. If you encounter issues with the online process then please contact membership@rcem.ac.uk
Note: Regular direct debits are collected in ten monthly instalments throughout the year between February and November and are not collected in January and December.

Card payments
Credit and debit cards (with the exception of American Express) can be used to pay for membership subscription payments. Members, who choose to pay by card, pay their yearly subscription fee upfront.
Upon joining, members can pay for their subscription either online via their account at manage your membership or over the phone via the membership team by calling 0207 067 4376. On an annual basis, card payments can be made from the second working day of January for that subscription year.

I would like to pay by direct debit. How do I do this?
All members, with a UK bank account, are eligible to setup a Direct Debit Instruction. If you would like to setup a direct debit to pay for your membership on either a one off or monthly basis please complete this link in your online account if you encounter issues with the online process then please contact membership@rcem.ac.uk
Once it has been set up, members are sent a payment schedule letter informing them of when payments will be collected.

Receipts
Members will receive an automatically generated receipt to their preferred email address upon payment of any fee via debit/credit card. Members can view previous payments made to the College via their online account. If you wish to receive a copy of your invoices, please email membership@rcem.ac.uk or call 020 7404 1999.

Can I reclaim tax on my subscription?
The College is on the HM Revenue and Customs’ list of Approved Professional Organisations and Learned Societies, which means that Fellows and Members, who pay UK taxes, are eligible for tax relief on their annual membership subscriptions.
Further information can be found on the Government’s tax relief pages here.
Tax claims can be made for subscription payments going back up to seven years.
If you wish to receive proof of payment, please email membership@rcem.ac.uk or call 020 7404 1999.
Reduce the cost of your fees by up to 45% by using this free tax rebate guide written by doctors for doctors provided by Medics’ Money – https://www.medicsmoney.co.uk/free-guide/

Change of circumstances
The College provides several options for reductions in membership subscriptions to cover various scenarios that affect a member’s career.
These are as follows:

• No cost for membership subscription during new parents leave
• There is a 50% reduction for UK based members working LTFT who are earning less than £37,100 per annum. This has been amended for 2025 in line with the recent government uplift of 5%. This reduction does not include the EMJ which is calculated separately and is optional for members meeting the above criteria
• Membership ‘freeze’ for a £20 fee for members who give up medicine to do voluntary work or who are on a career break for long-term sickness.

*Please note that the 50% reduction excludes the EMJ, which is calculated and paid for
separately.

A reduction is also available for the following situations:

• For members no longer working in emergency medicine
• For members working overseas
• For retired members. For the purposes of subscriptions the College considers retired members to be ‘members who are retired from NHS work and do not have a licence to practice’.

Only one reduced rate can be claimed by any member in any one calendar year.
If you believe you are entitled to one of these reductions then please contact the membership team at membership@rcem.ac.uk or call us on 0207 400 6107.

Please note that any changes to your personal circumstances, which may affect your membership subscription, need to be communicated to the membership department on
an annual basis in writing before the 15th January. This will allow for changes to be effective in time for the direct debit run, on the first working day of February.

Any changes submitted to us after 15th January are not guaranteed to be processed in time to take effect before direct debit collection on 1st February and will not automatically be considered for a refund.

Maternity leave
All Members are entitled to a reduced rate (50% reduction excluding EMJ subscription fee) for one year of subscription if they go on maternity leave or any other form of equivalent parental leave. One reduced subscription is available per period of leave. A copy of the MAT B1 form (or equivalent) will be required.

Retirement
The College considers, for the purposes of membership, a retired member to be any members who is retired from NHS work and does not have a licence to practice.
If a member continues to work in a ‘semi retired’ way then they will still be eligible to pay the standard subscription rate. If income from medical practice reduces and is less than the lower income rate (£35K) the relevant “lower income” rate will apply.
Those Members and Fellows, who have retired in line with the above definition may choose one of the following retired fellow options:
(a) An annual reduced fee as a retired Fellow or
(b) Pay a single ‘one-off’ life Fellowship fee
An optional subscription to the EMJ of £78.00 per annum is available in addition to these membership subscriptions.

Exams and membership categories
Successful candidates that complete the MRCEM or FRCEM examinations will have their membership reclassified to Member/Fellow by Examination following the release of the
results of the examination.
Existing members, whose membership is reclassified following an examination pass, will only have their subscription increased for the following subscription year.
Individuals who have passed MRCEM or FRCEM, and are not yet members of the College, will be able to apply for membership at the category for which they have passed the examination following the publication of the results.
Members who are reclassified to Member by Examination, who do not already have an EMJ subscription, will have this added to their membership for the following calendar year. The EMJ subscription is a mandatory component of the Member by Examination category.

How do I cancel my membership?
Membership can be cancelled at any time. A written request should be sent to the membership team at membership@rcem.ac.uk.
Access to benefits and resources will cease once your membership has been resigned.
If you resign part-way through a subscription year, you will be required to pay for the membership period (including EMJ if you opted for it), prior to your cancellation.
Note: cancelling your direct debit with your bank, directly, does not constitute as formal cancellation from the College. All cancellations must be in writing to the membership team.

Will I get a refund after I cancel my membership?
We appreciate that circumstances for our members can change and consequently refunds may be issued on a case by case basis.

I didn’t make use of my membership – do I still need to pay?
Membership subscriptions continue to be due until written cancellation is received.
Access to the College’s benefits and resources remain open to all current members throughout their membership and membership fees are in line with the cost of maintaining and providing these.

If I cancel my membership, what will happen to the data on my eportfolio?
Resigned members do not lose access to eportfolio immediately, your account will remain active for 30 days after your resignation to allow you to download any data you require.

All College members have access to a range of benefits and resources dependent on their membership category. An outline of the main membership benefits and services are below:

Emergency Medicine Journal (EMJ)

Do I have to receive the EMJ?
The EMJ is optional for the following members:

• Affiliate members
• Associate members
• Retired Members or Fellows
• Not working in Emergency Medicine
• Fellows (FRCEM) and Members (MRCEM) located in LIC and LMIC

For these members, EMJ is offered at a flat rate of £78.00 per year and is pro-rated if you join part-way through the year.

For all other membership categories, the EMJ is included as part of the annual subscription and cannot be removed.

All EMJ subscribers have access to the EMJ online as well as receiving monthly editions in the post. Hard copies of the EMJ are sent out during the third week of the month to members’ preferred mailing address, recorded on the College’s membership system. To check your current postal address or make any changes, please log in to your RCEM account here. If you are concerned you are not receiving the EMJ, please email membership@rcem.ac.uk so that we can look into this for you.

Can I receive the EMJ online, only?

Members have the option to access the EMJ online only for a reduced subscription of £66 per year. Please email membership@rcem.ac.uk and this can be amended for you.

RCEM Learning

College membership provides full access to RCEMLearning. Newly approved members receive an email, from the RCEMLearning team, confirming that their account has been set up including their login details.
If you do not receive your login details within 24 hours of being approved then please contact rcemlearning@rcem.ac.uk.

RCEM ePortfolio

If you have requested RCEM ePortfolio access as part of your membership you will receive your login details from the RCEM ePortfolio platform the day after your approval as a member. Please note this email will come from a non-RCEM source, so please check your junk folder. If you do not receive your login details then please contact eportfolio@rcem.ac.uk.

TOTUM Pro cards

As of 2019, the College is now registered with the National Union of Students (NUS) and NUS card holders are eligible for discounted products and services. This benefit is available via the College to any member that meets the NUS eligibility criteria. You can sign up to a TOTUM Pro card when you are logged in via the College website.

RCEM Lifestyle rewards

As part of membership all members have the benefit of being able to experience and enjoy RCEM Lifestyle Rewards. Members receive exclusive discounts on a wide range of luxury products, services and experiences.
Visit the College’s dedicated Lifestyle Rewards page via the College’s website, when logged in as a member, to view all the rewards on offer.

New offers are released every month and are promoted in the membership section of the College’s monthly newsletter.

Members of the College are entitled to a number of rights and privileges based on their membership category.
Members and Fellows are reminded that the only Post-Nominal letters, authorised by the College, are MRCEM and FRCEM as set out below:

Member Category / Post-nominal

• A full guide to all the membership rights and privileges related to different membership categories can be found here:  Benefits of RCEM Membership

RCEM Awards
The College provides a number of grants and awards to aide research and recognise outstanding work in the area of emergency medicine.
The awards are:

• The Alison Gourdie memorial fund which is a research grant available to Junior Doctors, Consultants within five years of appointment and members of professions involved in the provision of emergency medical care.
• The Maurice Ellis Award which recognises pioneering work in the field of Emergency Medicine.
• The William Rutherford International Award which recognizes the inspiring work of one of the specialty’s ‘founding fathers’, William Rutherford.

Further information on RCEM Awards can be found here.

The EM undergraduate Essay Prize
The College holds an annual essay prize competition run by the Research & Publications Committee of the College, where applicants are encouraged to write an essay describing original Emergency Medicine research.
The prize includes £1,000, attendance to the annual RCEM Scientific conference and one year’s membership. Find out more information here.

The College has put together a brief guide for new emergency medicine trainees, which provides an overview of the most important information new emergency medicine trainees need to know. This guide is further supported by the Trainee handbook, which is a guide for those in Specialty Registrar training in Emergency Medicine from CT1/ST1 onwards and in LAT or FTSTA posts.

Should you require further information relating to training please use the following details:
For general training enquiries – training@rcem.ac.uk
For ePortfolio enquiries – eportfolio@rcem.ac.uk

The College provides the following types of fellowship:

• Fellowship by Examination (overseas option is available) – Doctors who have passed their FRCEM exam with the College.
• Fellowship by Examination (Non EMSR) – Doctors who have passed the FRCEM examination, who are no longer working in EM. They cannot be on the Emergency Medicine Specialist Register.
• Fellowship by Ad Eundem (overseas option is available) – This membership category is for doctors who have successfully completed an overseas EM examination regarded as equivalent to FRCEM. From 1st April 2018, this is only the FACEM. (Prior to April 1st 2018: Australasian, North American, Hong Kong and Singapore qualifications are accepted.)
• Honorary Fellows – Recognition of exceptional contribution to Emergency Medicine. Fellows cannot apply to become honorary fellows; they are nominated by a Fellow of the College and one other person who is not a Fellow of the College.

Associate Fellowship
The College provides an Associate Fellowship membership category for doctors working in a substantive post in Emergency Medicine in the United Kingdom or in a country recognised by the College as having a developed specialty of Emergency Medicine and who satisfy one of the following criteria:

• Have worked as a substantive Middle Grade in EM, in the United Kingdom, for at least 6 years with United Kingdom postgraduate qualifications:
  MRCGP, FRCS, MRCS, MRCP, FRCP, FRCA or MRCPCH
  or
• Have worked as a substantive Middle Grade in EM in the United Kingdom for at least 3 years with a recognised overseas postgraduate qualification in Emergency Medicine, or be on the General Medical Council specialist register for A&E medicine
  or
• Have worked overseas in substantive posts for at least 6 years at a level equivalent to Middle Grade in EM, and hold a recognised overseas postgraduate qualification in Emergency Medicine.

Note: for Medical Practitioners working less than half-time, the time requirements will be increased by 1 year for each 10% below half-time.
Applicants for Associate Fellowship will need to demonstrate an active contribution above and beyond straightforward service provision.

Everyone that passes the MRCEM or completes the FRCEM examinations automatically receive an examination certificate, certificates are also provided for any member awarded Fellowship Ad Eundem of the College.

How will my name appear on my certificate?
Your name on your certificate will appear as you entered it onto the online examination application which should reflect your GMC registration or equivalent.
It is the College policy to use your first name and surname (family name) only, but if you wish to include your middle name as detailed on your application form, please contact the membership team membership@rcem.ac.uk. Generally, no more than three names can appear on the certificate due to space restrictions. Any changes to your name that are required for your certificate should be communicated at the earliest opportunity. Replacement certificates are charged at £50.

When will I get my certificate?
We aim to get all certificates to recipients within 4 weeks. The College will initially be in touch to confirm your address for the certificate to be delivered to and will aim to keep you updated on the progress of your certificate.

What if I need my certificate sooner?
Should you require your certificate earlier than the timeframes above then the College can provide you with an ‘interim’ diploma, which is an electronic A4 PDF replica of your actual certificate. This can be used to verify your examination pass and to apply for registration with the GMC.

Diploma ceremony
Every year a diploma ceremony is held in London during the month of December. This is to recognise the achievements of those doctors who have passed the FRCEM and the
MRCEM during the past 14 months. Invites are generally sent out in July and August to inform members about booking a place at this event, as well as a reminder to book a gown and photography services, via Ede and Ravenscroft.
Depending upon the venue, sometimes numbers are restricted, but the invites will clearly state how many people can attend for each diplomate.
For any queries relating to the diploma ceremony please contact events@rcem.ac.uk.

The College sends out diaries to all retired members and any member who has requested one. If you would like to receive a diary, then please email membership@rcem.ac.uk.

Staying in touch
Stay in touch with the latest College news on our range of social media platforms:

• Member Services Team – Should you require any assistance with any College related services or resources then our dedicated Member Services team are on hand to answer your queries and make getting in touch with us easier than ever.
  We can be reached by phone (+44 020 7404 1999 – option 1 for member services), email (membership@rcem.ac.uk) or live webchat available from our home page.
• For the latest news and updates from Emergency Medicine and the College – Follow @RCollEM
• Add us to your professional network, stay in touch with people you know, share ideas and build your career via LinkedIn.
• Want to hear all the latest news about the College’s events, conferences and study days? Follow us now on Twitter @RCEMevents
• LanguageLine Interpretation Service – RCEM have recently partnered with LanguageLine to offer increased accessibility for our members via a telephone/text/British Sign Language interpretation service. LanguageLine’s team can interpret 240 languages so if you’re contacting the College and communication is challenging due to limited English and/or hearing issues then please get in touch (mailto:membership@rcem.ac.uk) and we can organise for a LanguageLine interpreter to facilitate your engagement with us.

Your contact details
Members are responsible for keeping accurate records with the College. Members can update their details by logging into their account at www.rcem.ac.uk or by contacting the membership team to make changes on their behalf.
Maintaining up to date contact details will ensure you receive the latest communications from the College, including information relating to changes to your membership, in a timely manner.
The membership team are available to assist you with any membership related queries between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday and can be reached by phone (+44 020 7404 1999 – option 1 for member services) , email membership@rcem.ac.uk or live webchat available from our home page.
Telephone – 020 7404 1999 – option 1)
Email – membership@rcem.ac.uk

College contact details:

See our Contact us page

How the College will communicate with you
Our preferred method of communication to our members is via email.
As well as ad hoc communication with individual members, the College also sends targeted messages to different groups within the membership, as appropriate, to promote events and activities and to share information.
You can also expect to receive a monthly College newsletter, which includes an update from the President and news from across the College.
Please make sure that your preferred email address remains up to date, so that you do not miss out on communications from the College.

Resigning your membership

We are sorry to hear you wish to resign your membership with the College. To resign your membership please email membership@rcem.ac.uk and a member of the team will be in touch to confirm this with you.

All resignations must be received via email. Refunds or adjustments to membership subscriptions due to changes in circumstances and addition/removal of services will be based on months of the year.