ACEM Primary study guide
ACEM Primary · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The ACEM Primary Examination is an assessment within the Australian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM) training pathway, listed under the College's Training content and referenced through its examinations pages and the FACEM Training Program Handbook. It is intended for doctors progressing toward FACEM Fellowship, and the College's own site directs trainees to its Examinations and Educational Resources pages for authoritative detail. The ACEM Primary study guide has 5 sections and about 1,387 words.
01Emergency Medicine: Structured Resuscitation and Time-Critical Reasoning
Emergency medicine questions reward a disciplined sequence: recognise the physiology that is about to kill the patient, intervene, then refine. Anchor your revision on the primary survey (airway with cervical spine protection, breathing, circulation, disability, exposure) and on the idea that each step is reassessed after every intervention rather than completed once.
301 words, about 2 min02Anatomy: Applied Topography and Clinical Correlates
Anatomy in a primary emergency examination is applied anatomy: the question usually describes a lesion and asks which structure is injured or which deficit appears. Build your knowledge around topographical relationships rather than isolated lists.
305 words, about 2 min03Pathology: Mechanisms of Disease and Injury Patterns
Pathology questions test whether you can move from a mechanism to a morphological consequence. Organise your revision around the core processes: cell injury and necrosis versus apoptosis, acute and chronic inflammation, repair and fibrosis, haemodynamic disorders (thrombosis, embolism, infarction, oedema), neoplasia and its grading and staging, and genetic and immunological disease.
262 words, about 1 min04Physiology: Integrated Control and Compensatory Limits
Physiology questions ask what the body will do next and how far compensation can go. Revise the major control systems as loops with sensors, integrating centres and effectors.
260 words, about 1 min05Pharmacology: Rational Drug Selection and Adverse Effects
Pharmacology questions in an emergency context focus on indication, mechanism, dose route and the adverse effect that matters at the bedside. Organise your knowledge by receptor or target, then by clinical use.
259 words, about 1 min