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	7	Practise
1.2	Understand pre-hospital operational environments	10	Practise
1.3	Understand the training and regulation of pre-hospital healthcare personnel	14	Practise
1.4	Understand the process of ambulance emergency call handling, prioritisation, dispatch categorisation and resource management	20	Practise
1.5	Understand the role of pre-hospital emergency medical services within EMS	16	Practise
1.6	Understand the law relevant to Pre-hospital Emergency Medicine practice	46	Practise
1.7	Work effectively with emergency services	21	Practise
1.8	Work effectively with acute hospital services	24	Practise
1.9	Provide EMS clinical advice, support and co-ordination	8	Practise
1.10	Understand the pre-hospital and acute sector management structures within the wider healthcare system	12	Practise

2. Providing Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Care

Unit	Name	Questions
2.1	Assess patients in the pre-hospital phase	34	Practise
2.2	Provide immediate pre-hospital clinical care	16	Practise
2.3	Provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the pre-hospital environment	57	Practise
2.4	Manage acute medical emergencies in the pre-hospital environment	77	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	32	Practise
2.7	Manage obstetric emergencies in the pre-hospital environment	20	Practise
2.8	Manage the newborn in the pre-hospital environment	14	Practise
2.9	Manage injured or ill children in the pre-hospital environment	99	Practise
2.10	Manage the bariatric patient in the pre-hospital environment	6	Practise
2.11	Manage elderly patients in the pre-hospital environment	11	Practise
2.12	Manage acute behavioural disturbance in the pre-hospital environment	12	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	9	Practise
3.2	Understand and use personal protective equipment	8	Practise
3.3	Operate all types of commonly used pre-hospital emergency medical device	48	Practise
3.4	Operate common non-medical pre-hospital equipment	7	Practise
3.5	Manage and administer medicines	64	Practise

4. Supporting Rescue and Extrication

Unit	Name	Questions
4.1	Work within the rescue environment	14	Practise
4.2	Understand entrapment	11	Practise
4.3	Support extrication	27	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	12	Practise
5.2	Understand the applied physiology of patient transfer	9	Practise
5.3	Co-ordinate and plan patient transfer	31	Practise
5.4	Prepare patients for transport	17	Practise
5.5	Utilise a range of patient transport modalities	15	Practise
5.6	Clinically manage patients during transport	19	Practise

6. Supporting Emergency Preparedness and Response

Unit	Name	Questions
6.1	Understand principles of emergency preparedness, response and recovery	19	Practise
6.2	Respond to emergencies at operational (bronze) level	38	Practise
6.3	Respond to emergencies at tactical (silver) level	15	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	8	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	9	Practise
7.3	Respond to incidents by air	10	Practise
7.4	Utilise telecommunications and voice procedure	12	Practise
7.5	Apply principles of dynamic risk assessment at incident scenes	18	Practise
7.6	Provide scene management	9	Practise
7.7	Maintain records	13	Practise
7.8	Apply infection prevention and control principles and procedures	7	Practise
7.9	Apply moving and handling principles and procedures	9	Practise
7.10	Apply principles of equality and diversity	7	Practise

8 (B). Team Resource Management

Unit	Name	Questions
8.1	Understand human factors and their role in patient and team safety	5	Practise
8.2	Maintain situational awareness	5	Practise
8.3	Understand and apply principles of decision making	6	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	6	Practise
8.8	Understand and apply principles of error investigation and management	9	Practise

9 (C). Clinical Governance

Unit	Name	Questions
9.1	Understand and apply principles of clinical governance as applied to pre-hospital practice	36	Practise
9.2	Manage and support continuous professional development	5	Practise
9.3	Utilise clinical evidence to support clinical practice	8	Practise
9.4	Utilise and prepare documents that guide practice	15	Practise
9.5	Support and apply clinical audit	8	Practise
9.6	Understand and apply organisational risk management processes	24	Practise
9.7	Support training and development	4	Practise
9.8	Understand and apply quality management processes	9	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