Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Examinations

Duration: 2 hours

Number of questions: 60 MCQs and 5 SAQs

Maximum number of attempts: 3
 

For the purposes of Regulation F, candidates for the Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Written Examination must:

1. have commenced a PHRM placement at a site that has full Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine training accreditation.

or

2. if seeking to complete the requirements through a combination of placements at sites accredited for the pre-hospital component of Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine training and/or the retrieval component of Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine training a full and/or full Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine training accreditation, have completed one three (3) FTE month placement and commenced their remaining placement.

The Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Written Examination is held online, under the supervision of an approved invigilator, at a candidate’s Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine training site. If a candidate cannot undertake the Written Examination at their Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine training site, it is the responsibility of the candidate to contact the ACEM PHRM Team, via email, at the time of examination registration to discuss alternative arrangements.

Candidates are NOT required to submit payment for the exam fee at the time of application.
Once applications have been processed (after the closing date), eligible candidates will be invoiced by email and instructed to complete an online payment. Candidates who fail to pay by the due date will forfeit their place, however, are still liable to pay the exam fee.

The fee for examinations can be found here. 

Any questions regarding the application process should be emailed to [email protected].

All withdrawals must be submitted using the Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Examination Withdrawal Form.

• Before the closing date – candidates may withdraw their application and will not be charged any fees.
• After the closing date – candidates may withdraw from the exam, but are still liable for the full examination fee, unless there are exceptional circumstances. In that case, candidates may apply for consideration under the Exceptional Circumstances and Special Consideration Policy. Please contact the PHRM Training Team for more information about this option.

*NOTE: Withdrawal from the examination at any time prior to the sitting will not count towards the maximum number of attempts.

The Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine OSPE is a face-to-face examination comprising stations through which candidates move in a timed fashion. This examination will not be conducted in an online format – all candidates and examiners will be participating face-to-face, and stations will be interactive in nature.

• The examination will include 8 single 10-minute stations. There are no double stations.
• The examination will test knowledge, application of knowledge and communication.
• Examination stations may include clinical scenarios, communication scenarios, descriptions and/or simulations of management of critically ill or injured patients.

Candidates sitting the OSPE are only required to attend one day of the examination.

For a more detailed summary of what to expect on the day of your exams please refer to the Educational Resources on eLearning.

Duration: 80 minutes total
Method: Eight clinical examination stations
Maximum no. of attempts: Three
Location: MedSTAR Emergency Medical Retrieval Service, Adelaide 
Current Exam Fee: Please see the Fees and Payments page
Terms of Candidature: view now

2025: Saturday 29 – Sunday 30 November 2025
Application open: Monday 1 September 2025
Application close: Friday 26 September 2025

*Please Note: As the application close date for the 2025 PHRM OPSE occurs prior to the October PHRM Written Examination date, there will be an option on the OSPE application form to indicate that you will be sitting or are enrolled for the upcoming written exam.

Candidates must meet and maintain the following eligibility criteria by the application closing date (as per official ACEM records):

• be a registered PHRM trainee
• have no financial debts to ACEM
• hold current registration to practise medicine in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand
• have successfully completed the PHRM Written Examination

Applications are by electronic submission (a link to the online form will appear here when applications are open).

Please see the ‘Exam Date’ section above for information regarding when you may apply for future examinations.

No payment will be taken from applicants at the time of application. If applicants are awaiting results for the PHRM Written Examination, invoices for the OSPE will not be issued until those results are known and eligibility is confirmed.

All withdrawals must be submitted using the required PHRM Examination Withdrawal Form.

• Before the closing date: candidates may withdraw their application and will not be charged any fees.
• After the closing date – candidates may withdraw from the exam, but are still liable for the full examination fee, unless there are exceptional circumstances. In that case, candidates may apply for consideration under the Exceptional Circumstances and Special Consideration Policy. Please contact the PHRM Training Team for more information about this option.

*NOTE: Withdrawal from the examination at any time prior to the sitting will not count towards the maximum number of attempts.

Please note: For each attempt at the PHRM OSPE a new application must be made and the relevant examination fee paid.

Important to note: All candidates will have a maximum of three attempts at the PHRM OSPE.

Resources to support Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine trainees in preparing for their examinations are found here, and include important information and sample written examination questions.  In order to prepare appropriately for the exams, Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine trainees should:

• Identify your specific learning needs and discuss them with your Training Supervisor and other consultants with whom you’ve worked who can provide informed advice on your exam preparation.
• Actively participate in all education opportunities provided by your accredited training site to address these needs.
• Identify other learning opportunities, through the support of your Training Supervisor and others with whom you work, that may address your learning needs.
• ​Complete all WBAs to ensure that you are receiving constructive feedback and support from your colleagues and supervisors regarding your performance against the learning outcomes in the Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine curriculum.
• Familiarise yourself with all matters pertaining to the Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine examinations. Relevant resources can be found on the PHRM Training Program Resources elearning site, including sample written examination questions.