AOBEM Emergency Medicine case studies
AOBEM Emergency Medicine · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The AOA Osteopathic Board Certification in Emergency Medicine is a specialty board credential offered through the American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine (AOBEM), one of the AOA's specialty certifying boards. It is intended for osteopathic physicians (DOs) practicing emergency medicine who want to demonstrate specialty-level competence and affirm a commitment to ongoing evidence-based education and whole-person care. The certification process is organized around required exams and eligibility criteria, and the board publishes separate certification pathways and content areas for Emergency Medicine, Emergency Medical Services, Medical Toxicology, and an OMT Designation, reflecting the breadth of the discipline from resuscitation and undersea/hyperbaric and toxicologic emergencies to prehospital systems and osteopathic manipulative treatment. Candidates apply through the AOA certification portal, register for exams and the longitudinal assessment there, and retrieve exam results and dates through the same system. The AOBEM Emergency Medicine case studies are 5 cases and about 2,100 words.
1The Hypotensive Trauma Patient Who Is Not Bleeding Where You Think
A 34-year-old man is brought in by EMS after a high-speed motorcycle crash. He is awake, anxious, and diaphoretic.
413 words, about 2 min2The Overdose That Does Not Match the Story
A 22-year-old woman is brought in by friends who say she 'took some pills' about 2 hours ago. She is drowsy but arousable, with HR 118, BP 102/68, RR 10, SpO2 96% on room air, temp 36.2°C.
422 words, about 2 min3Chest Pain in a Patient You Cannot Fully Assess
A 58-year-old man with a history of hypertension and smoking presents with 45 minutes of substernal pressure radiating to the left arm, associated with nausea and diaphoresis. Vitals: HR 96, BP 148/92, RR 18, SpO2 97%.
375 words, about 2 min4The EMS Handoff That Changes the Destination
You are the EMS medical director reviewing a case. A 62-year-old woman called 911 for sudden severe headache ('worst of my life') and vomiting.
450 words, about 2 min5Low Back Pain With a Red Flag You Can Feel
A 45-year-old man presents with 3 days of worsening low back pain after lifting a heavy box. Pain is midline lumbar, worse with movement, and radiates to the left buttock but not below the knee.
440 words, about 2 min