The Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM), based in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

Australia, is the primary training body for specialist

emergency physician An emergency physician (often called an "ER doctor" in the United States) is a physician who works at an emergency department to care for ill patients. The emergency physician is a specialist in advanced cardiac life support (advanced life suppor ...

s in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

. The college is recognised by the

Australian Medical Council The Australian Medical Council (AMC) is an independent national standards and assessment body for medical education and training. It was established in 1985. Purpose The purpose of the AMC is: :"To ensure that standards of education, training a ...

and

Medical Council of New Zealand The Medical Council of New Zealand ( mi, Te Kaunihera Rata o Aotearoa) is the peak national standards and assessment body for medical education and training. It is responsible for the registration of doctors and has the power to suspend or remove ...

as such and provides services for approximately 2700

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

s and 2600 Trainees.

Role

As an educational institution, ACEM's prime objective is the training and examination of specialist emergency physicians for Australia and New Zealand. ACEM was established in 1981, incorporated in 1984, and with Foundation Editor George Jelinek began publishing "Emergency Medicine in Australasia" in 1989. In August 1993 the Australian Minister for Health approved the recognition of emergency medicine as a principal specialty. In New Zealand, emergency medicine was recognised as a medical specialty in November 1995. Its principal role is oversight of

emergency medicine Emergency medicine is the Medical specialty, medical speciality concerned with the care of illnesses or Injury, injuries requiring immediate medical attention. Emergency physicians (often called “ER doctors” in the United States) continuous ...

specialist training through the setting of standards and administration of assessment to ensure that trainees meet these standards. Admission to Fellowship of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine requires satisfactory completion of a minimum of seven years of post-graduate medical training, including multiple examinations and presentation of a research project (or equivalent coursework). Maintenance of Fellowship requires ongoing

professional training Professional development is learning to earn or maintain professional credentials such as academic degrees to formal coursework, attending conferences, and informal learning opportunities situated in practice. It has been described as intensive ...

as evidenced by the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program which the College also administers. ACEM has a wide range of subsidiary objectives relating to emergency department accreditation, policies and standards for the emergency medical system, teaching and research, publication, and those aspects of the medico political framework that have a direct impact on health outcomes for emergency patients.

Criticism

In late January 2017, ACEM was publicly criticised for passing only 6.8% of non-white applicants whereas 88% of white caucasians passed in one particular batch. A lecturer at the college, Associate Professor Dr Bob Dunn of

Royal Adelaide Hospital The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), colloquially known by its initials or pronounced as "the Rah", is South Australia's largest hospital, owned by the state government as part of Australia's public health care system. The RAH provides tertiary hea ...

was reported as responding that overseas trained doctors lacked the training to meet Australian requirements, relying on rote learning. They needed "tough love", he said. Some medical professionals pointed out many of the “non-white” doctors were born and bred in Australia, but still found themselves facing minuscule pass rates. The college initiated an inquiry through an expert advisory group chaired by Dr

Helen Szoke Helen Veronica Szoke (born 9 November 1954) is the former chief executive of Oxfam Australia, and a commentator and advocate on issues of human rights, poverty, inequality, gender and race discrimination. Throughout her career, she has held lead ...

to look into the matter. The terms of reference from the college stated that "Discrimination has no place in the College and its role in emergency medicine training and education. The College recognises that discrimination can have a serious impact on those affected by it: it demeans the worth of individuals; it prevents our people from reaching their true potential; and it causes the loss of highly desirable talent from our profession. The College accepts readily its responsibility to eliminate discrimination in its processes."

References

External links

* {{authority control Emergency medicine education Emergency medicine organisations Medical associations based in Australia Medical associations based in New Zealand Medical education in Australia National Rural Health Alliance organisations Organisations based in Melbourne 1984 establishments in Australia Specialist medical colleges in Australia