The DipIMC syllabus: the PHEM curriculum
By Leigh Rogers · Checked 26 September 2026
There is no separate DipIMC syllabus. The College blueprints both parts of the exam against phase 1 of the UK Pre-hospital Emergency Medicine (PHEM) curriculum. It "strongly advise[s]" candidates to read the curriculum thoroughly before applying (DIMC Regulations). The exam tests these elements whatever your own professional scope of practice.
The curriculum is published by the Intercollegiate Board for Training in PHEM. The current edition is the third edition (2022). Download it, with its appendices and the syllabus spreadsheet, from ibtphem.org.uk/curriculum.
How it is organised
The curriculum has six subspecialty themes and cross-cutting themes that run through all of them.
Subspecialty themes
- Working in emergency medical systems
- Providing pre-hospital emergency medical care
- Using pre-hospital equipment
- Supporting rescue and extrication
- Supporting safe patient transfer
- Supporting emergency preparedness and response
Cross-cutting themes
- A. Operational practice
- B. Team resource management
- C. Clinical governance
IBTPHEM describes four cross-cutting themes, and puts Generic Professional Capabilities at the centre of the curriculum (ibtphem.org.uk/curriculum). The College's written-paper blueprint lists that fourth theme as "D. Good Medical Practice", with 9 of the 180 questions (Review, Table 2.2, p. 8).
In its own question tags, RCSEd numbers themes A, B and C as 7, 8 and 9. That is why DipIMC.Ninja shows unit codes such as 7.2 or 8.4. See Part A for how the paper spreads its questions across the themes.
Every unit, with practice questions
1. Working in Emergency Medical Systems
| Unit | Name | Questions | |
|---|
| 1.1 | Understand Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems models and components | 4 | Practise |
| 1.2 | Understand pre-hospital operational environments | 7 | Practise |
| 1.3 | Understand the training and regulation of pre-hospital healthcare personnel | 11 | Practise |
| 1.4 | Understand the process of ambulance emergency call handling, prioritisation, dispatch categorisation and resource management | 10 | Practise |
| 1.5 | Understand the role of pre-hospital emergency medical services within EMS | 10 | Practise |
| 1.6 | Understand the law relevant to Pre-hospital Emergency Medicine practice | 42 | Practise |
| 1.7 | Work effectively with emergency services | 15 | Practise |
| 1.8 | Work effectively with acute hospital services | 12 | Practise |
| 1.9 | Provide EMS clinical advice, support and co-ordination | 6 | Practise |
| 1.10 | Understand the pre-hospital and acute sector management structures within the wider healthcare system | 8 | Practise |
2. Providing Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Care
| Unit | Name | Questions | |
|---|
| 2.1 | Assess patients in the pre-hospital phase | 21 | Practise |
| 2.2 | Provide immediate pre-hospital clinical care | 14 | Practise |
| 2.3 | Provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the pre-hospital environment | 51 | Practise |
| 2.4 | Manage acute medical emergencies in the pre-hospital environment | 58 | Practise |
| 2.5 | Manage injury in the pre-hospital environment | 70 | Practise |
| 2.6 | Provide analgesia, procedural sedation and anaesthesia in the pre-hospital environment | 30 | Practise |
| 2.7 | Manage obstetric emergencies in the pre-hospital environment | 14 | Practise |
| 2.8 | Manage the newborn in the pre-hospital environment | 12 | Practise |
| 2.9 | Manage injured or ill children in the pre-hospital environment | 90 | Practise |
| 2.10 | Manage the bariatric patient in the pre-hospital environment | 6 | Practise |
| 2.11 | Manage elderly patients in the pre-hospital environment | 9 | Practise |
| 2.12 | Manage acute behavioural disturbance in the pre-hospital environment | 6 | Practise |
| 2.13 | Provide end-of-life care and immediate management of bereavement | 11 | Practise |
3. Using Pre-hospital Equipment
| Unit | Name | Questions | |
|---|
| 3.1 | Apply equipment governance principles and practice | 5 | Practise |
| 3.2 | Understand and use personal protective equipment | 8 | Practise |
| 3.3 | Operate all types of commonly used pre-hospital emergency medical device | 44 | Practise |
| 3.4 | Operate common non-medical pre-hospital equipment | 5 | Practise |
| 3.5 | Manage and administer medicines | 55 | Practise |
4. Supporting Rescue and Extrication
| Unit | Name | Questions | |
|---|
| 4.1 | Work within the rescue environment | 12 | Practise |
| 4.2 | Understand entrapment | 8 | Practise |
| 4.3 | Support extrication | 24 | Practise |
| 4.4 | Clinically manage the trapped patient | 12 | Practise |
5. Supporting Safe Patient Transfer
| Unit | Name | Questions | |
|---|
| 5.1 | Understand the concepts underpinning transfer medicine | 11 | Practise |
| 5.2 | Understand the applied physiology of patient transfer | 6 | Practise |
| 5.3 | Co-ordinate and plan patient transfer | 23 | Practise |
| 5.4 | Prepare patients for transport | 13 | Practise |
| 5.5 | Utilise a range of patient transport modalities | 9 | Practise |
| 5.6 | Clinically manage patients during transport | 16 | Practise |
6. Supporting Emergency Preparedness and Response
| Unit | Name | Questions | |
|---|
| 6.1 | Understand principles of emergency preparedness, response and recovery | 14 | Practise |
| 6.2 | Respond to emergencies at operational (bronze) level | 36 | Practise |
| 6.3 | Respond to emergencies at tactical (silver) level | 11 | Practise |
| 6.4 | Manage chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) emergencies | 11 | Practise |
| 6.5 | Understand the psychosocial and mental health aspects of multiple casualty incidents | 5 | Practise |
7 (A). Operational Practice
| Unit | Name | Questions | |
|---|
| 7.1 | Apply the curriculum framework to local operations | 7 | Practise |
| 7.2 | Respond to incidents by road | 5 | Practise |
| 7.3 | Respond to incidents by air | 7 | Practise |
| 7.4 | Utilise telecommunications and voice procedure | 6 | Practise |
| 7.5 | Apply principles of dynamic risk assessment at incident scenes | 16 | Practise |
| 7.6 | Provide scene management | 10 | Practise |
| 7.7 | Maintain records | 11 | Practise |
| 7.8 | Apply infection prevention and control principles and procedures | 4 | Practise |
| 7.9 | Apply moving and handling principles and procedures | 5 | Practise |
| 7.10 | Apply principles of equality and diversity | 3 | Practise |
8 (B). Team Resource Management
| Unit | Name | Questions | |
|---|
| 8.1 | Understand human factors and their role in patient and team safety | 3 | Practise |
| 8.2 | Maintain situational awareness | 5 | Practise |
| 8.3 | Understand and apply principles of decision making | 7 | Practise |
| 8.4 | Communicate effectively | 18 | Practise |
| 8.5 | Employ effective team working | 9 | Practise |
| 8.6 | Demonstrate leadership and followership | 6 | Practise |
| 8.7 | Manage stress and fatigue | 5 | Practise |
| 8.8 | Understand and apply principles of error investigation and management | 8 | Practise |
9 (C). Clinical Governance
| Unit | Name | Questions | |
|---|
| 9.1 | Understand and apply principles of clinical governance as applied to pre-hospital practice | 35 | Practise |
| 9.2 | Manage and support continuous professional development | 5 | Practise |
| 9.3 | Utilise clinical evidence to support clinical practice | 7 | Practise |
| 9.4 | Utilise and prepare documents that guide practice | 13 | Practise |
| 9.5 | Support and apply clinical audit | 6 | Practise |
| 9.6 | Understand and apply organisational risk management processes | 22 | Practise |
| 9.7 | Support training and development | 4 | Practise |
| 9.8 | Understand and apply quality management processes | 10 | Practise |
D. Good Medical Practice
DipIMC.Ninja does not yet tag questions to theme D separately. Its professional, legal and ethical content is tagged to themes 1, 8 and 9.
Practise across the whole curriculum