The Emergency Medicine Core Programme

The EMCP is a next-stage training pathway. Modelled on the key components of the Acute Care Common Stem (ACCS) framework, it builds on the success of the Emergency Medicine Foundation Programme by offering a two-year programme with workplace-based assessments, appraisals, leadership development, and digital learning support.  

The EMCP equips doctors with skills to recognise and manage acutely unwell patients across a range of settings. 

This expansion reflects both the demand for higher specialty training and RCEM’s commitment to strengthening global emergency medicine capacity.   

Yes, the EMCP is only available to trainees who have successfully completed the EMFP. 

EMFP alumni can apply for the EMCP within a maximum of two years after completing the EMFP, provided they can demonstrate they have practised in emergency medicine for the majority of that period. 

Yes, the curriculum incorporates the latest international medical education principles found in the RCEM curriculum with adaptations to reflect the realities of the local context.  

Members of the RCEM Training Standards Committee, the RCEM Curriculum Sub-committee, the Global Emergency Medicine Committee have supported its development, alongside those with experience of the reality on the ground. 

The curriculum describes 8 clinical Learning Outcomes (LOs) and 3 non-clinical Learning Outcomes aligned with the UK General Medical Council (GMC) Generic Professional Capabilities (GPCs), ensuring trainees develop transferable skills, attitudes and behaviours. 

The full EMCP Curriculum is available here (link), please note that updates may occur based on changes to the RCEM curriculum and feedback from other relevant stakeholders, including those based in India and IFEM. 

Yes, as with ACCS, the EMCP includes time in the Emergency Department, Anaesthetics, Acute Medicine, and Intensive Care Medicine.

Further information on the ACCS framework is available here. 

Rotation duration will depend on trainee progress. 

A minimum of four continuous months per secondment is recommended.  

Yes, EMCP trainees will be required to attend an Annual Review of Competency Progression (ARCP) at the end of each year of training. 

At the end of the first year, the review determines whether the trainee can progress to the second year; at the end of the second year, it confirms whether the programme has been successfully completed. 

Assessments and recommendations will be made by a panel comprised of host site supervisors and RCEM educational specialists. 

Yes, trainees and supervisors will use the RCEM ePortfolio throughout the programme. 

RCEM will provide an induction and follow up support for supervisors and trainees participating in the programme. However, each site is responsible for ensuring that trainees record the key requirements in their ePortfolio and are able to provide sufficient evidence for their ARCPs.  

A review of trainees’ ePortfolios will form the basis of their ARCP meetings and the minimum requirements for trainees to pass will form part of key mandatory induction sessions.  

Yes, all supervisors and EMCP trainees will have full access to RCEM eLearning as well as free access virtually to the annual RCEM conference.  

A minimum of four trainees per site is recommended. In some cases, we may not be able to proceed if trainee numbers are too low.  

The maximum number will depend on the number of supervisors at the training site (see Q10). 

A maximum of two trainees per supervisor is recommended. 

The cost is £1300 per trainee per year. 

All participating sites will be required make full payment to RCEM at the start of each year for the trainees to start the programme and get access RCEM associate membership and to the ePortfolio. 

The fees for the EMCP programme cover the cost of full‑time RCEM staff and clinical support, as well as providing access to RCEM membership, RCEM eLearning, the RCEM ePortfolio, free entry to the RCEM conference, RCEM quality assurance at ARCPs, and RCEM training visits at least once a year where possible (subject to disruption only by major events such as a pandemic, war, or natural disasters).  

Virtual support will be guaranteed throughout the programme, and sites will be required to join regular calls with the RCEM team to assess progress and to support with troubleshooting of any issues.

A trainer to trainee ratio of 1:4 and adequate consultant supervision is required in the Emergency Department, Anaesthetics, Intensive Care, and Acute Medicine departments. 

The following criteria must also be met: 

Emergency Department
The department should see at least 25,000+ patients per year, with a mix of cases appropriate for training. 

Anaesthetics 
A minimum capacity of 100 cases every 6 months. 

Intensive Care Medicine 
An 8-bedded ICU with patients requiring >2 organ support. 

Acute Medicine 
A 20-bedded ward environment. 

• Each rotation must have named clinical supervisors with experience in training. 
• Supervisors must be available for regular feedback, workplace-based assessments, and sign off. 
• Emergency Departments should have senior EM clinicians present on site during trainee shifts. 

The programme is currently open only to established Emergency Medicine Foundation Programme sites invited to join the EMCP. Sites who have successfully completed one cohort of EMFP training will be eligible to apply for the EMCP.

Please contact the RCEM team at emfp@rcem.ac.uk to learn more. 

Deferral may only be considered under certain circumstances (e.g. health events, maternity leave). 

Approval is at the discretion of RCEM and the host site, and trainees must maintain clinical currency. 

Yes, completion of the EMFP is recognised regardless of the site at which it was undertaken. The skills and competencies acquired are transferable, and trainees may apply to join the EMCP at a different site or city. 

No, trainees cannot enrol into the EMFP and the EMCP as a single combined programme. Entry into the EMCP requires a separate application after successful completion of the EMFP. 

No, the EMFP and EMCP are separate programmes and charged independently. There is no bundled or discounted fee for completing both consecutively. 

Yes, trainees who successfully complete the two-year programme will receive an RCEM-endorsed certificate. 

While RCEM recognises the right of each individual trainee to pursue professional opportunities internationally, the programme’s central aim is to support the development of a sustainable, highly trained emergency medicine workforce within host countries. 

Yes, participation in audit or QI projects is expected and forms part of the non-clinical learning outcomes. 

Sites shall be able to support trainees in identifying suitable projects. 

Supervisors will receive an RCEM induction, access to RCEM eLearning, guidance on assessments, and ongoing virtual support. 

RCEM will also provide training visit feedback and recommendations to help maintain programme quality. 

Each site must deliver local inductions covering clinical process, escalation pathways, training rotas, and safety procedures. 

Sites should also be able to deliver the RCEM curriculum requirements on their teaching programme. 

RCEM will provide a programme-level induction, but local orientation remains the site responsibility. 

• Sites must have a designated EMCP lead responsible for programme oversight. 
• Regular internal review meetings should be held to monitor trainee progress. 
• Sites must participate in RCEM quality assurance processes, including training visits and ARCP panels. 

Sites may use local tools for internal feedback, or local requirements, but all mandatory assessments must be completed in the RCEM ePortfolio. 

Only evidence in the ePortfolio will be considered at the ARCPs; no paper-based evidence shall be considered.