Training Requirements, Eligibility and Enrolment

To be awarded the Associateship in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine, trainees must satisfactorily complete

• A minimum six-month 1.0FTE placement at a CCPHRM-accredited training site*
• WBAs and examinations
  • Training Supervisor Reports (TSRs) every 3 calendar months
  • 4 Multi-source Feedback (MSFs)
  • 2 Mission Assessments (MAs)
  • 4 Direct Observation of Technical Skills (DOTS)
  • 3 Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS)
  • 3 Case-based Discussions (CbDs)
  • Task logbook via the PHRM Portal
  • Written Examination
  • Practical Examination; and
• Other requirements as prescribed by the CCPHRM.

Candidates may undertake the training on a full or part-time basis.

Trainees may undertake the Associateship in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine at a minimum of 0.25FTE. Current FACEM trainees must complete the Associateship in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Training Program at minimum of 0.5FTE to ensure they are compliant with FACEM Training Program Regulation B. Trainees of other CCPHRM College training programs should check if their Associateship in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine enrolment complies with the relevant regulations of their parent College.

Trainees may take a maximum of three years to complete all components of the Associateship in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine, regardless of FTE.  This includes successfully completing both examinations.

*Some PHRM sites may only be able to provide one component of the Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Training Program, such as pre-hospital or retrieval experience, or a site may be exclusively road-based. In these cases, trainees are required to complete an additional placement at another CCPHRM-accredited site to ensure all components of the Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Training Program can be completed. Trainees may secure their additional placement before or after enrolling in the Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Training Program.

In addition, some sites may be accredited for 12-month positions as the average caseload available per registrar would not enable trainees to meet Associateship in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine caseload requirements within a 6-month placement at the site. 

It is the trainee’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of their training site’s Associateship in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine accreditation status – pre-hospital only, retrieval only, or full accreditation - prior to enrolling in the Associateship in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine.

To be eligible to enrol in the Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Training Program, medical practitioners must hold appropriate medical registration with no suspension, condition, restriction or undertaking imposed that limits their ability to complete the requirements of the Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Training Program. Refer to Associateship in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Regulation F for additional requirements.

Due to the nature of pre-hospital and retrieval medicine, prospective trainees will need to have a level of functional independence and so will need to be suitably experienced and advanced in their specialist training or be a suitably experienced Fellow.

Medical practitioners must also:

1. provide evidence of a confirmed training position at a site accredited by the CCPHRM for Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine training; and
2. be a Fellow or trainee of ACEM, ACRRM, ANZCA, CICM or RACGP with not more than 18 months of required training remaining to attain Fellowship.

Individuals who otherwise meet all eligibility requirements other than those specified in (b) may apply to the CCPHRM under the College’s Exceptional Circumstances/Special Consideration Policy for consideration on a case-by-case basis for permission to enrol in the Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Training Program. In these cases, prospective trainees should contact the Associateship Training Programs Team at [email protected].

Closing dates for enrolment in the Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Training Program for each term in 2024 are listed below.

Trainees undertaking a 12-month position at a CCPHRM-accredited site may opt to enrol in the Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Training Program three or six months into their placement, providing that there is enough remaining time in their placement to complete six-months 1.0FTE training. Trainees choosing to undertake the Associateship in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine this way must be aware that they will not be permitted to backdate any caseload or WBA requirements to the commencement of their employment at the site. Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Training Program requirements may only be counted from the date a trainee enrols in the Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Training Program.

To enrol in the Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Training Program, prospective trainees must submit the online Associateship in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine enrolment form, upload evidence of remaining Fellowship requirements (if applicable), upload a Letter of Support from their CCPHRM-accredited Training Site and agree to comply with the Associateship in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Trainee Agreement.

View the Associateship in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Trainee Agreement.

View a pro-forma letter for your site to complete that you must use to provide evidence of a confirmed position at a CCPHRM-accredited site.

Enrol into the Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Training Program, via the form below.

If you have previously withdrawn or been removed the Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Training Program, please review the Policy on Former Associateship in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Trainees Re-Entering the Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Training Program.

Recognition of Prior Learning may be available in the following situations:

• Prospective trainees wishing to receive recognition of prior learning for evidence of knowledge, skills and competencies obtained from experience or training in a training program in PHRM.
• Prospective trainees wishing to transfer from one recognised PHRM training program to another.

Applications for Recognition of Prior Learning must satisfy the below eligibility criteria:

• The applicant must be a trainee or Fellow of ACEM, ACRRM, RACGP, ANZCA or CICM.
• The training and/or experience that forms the basis of the application must have been completed in the past 5 years.
• The applicant must hold current general medical registration with the Medical Board of Australia or Medical Council New Zealand.
• If the applicant is a Fellow, the applicant must be an active participant in the CPD program related to their speciality, including activities directly relevant to PHRM.

To apply, please complete the online application form.

Please note that applications for RPL must be received prior to a trainee enrolling in the Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine training program.

Applications for RPL must include the following documentation:

• A certified copy of any written in-training assessments relevant to the application, clearly showing the name and signature of the Supervisor of Training, details of the term, and site. If not available, evidence of competency in the learning outcomes as set out in the Associateship in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine curriculum and a summary of training undertaken, including relevant dates, supervisors, and sites.
• Details of the relevant training course/program, if applicable, including the objectives, content, and outcomes of the associated curriculum.
• A statement of supervision issued by a specialist doctor at a level equivalent to a PHRM Consultant that confirms the applicant’s ability to perform in the role of trainee at a level consistent with the learning outcomes of the Associateship in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine.
• A logbook of cases undertaken during the relevant training term/s, using the CCPHRM-approved Excel template.
• Evidence of completed CPD activities that are directly relevant to PHRM.
• A copy of your current Curriculum Vitae.
• All RPL applications must include payment of the RPL Application Fee.

Your RPL application will be reviewed by the College to confirm that the eligibility criteria have been met, and if any further documentation is required.

Please refer to the ACEM Associateship in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine RPL Policy for further information.

If you have any questions or need additional help, please contact [email protected]

Unless an applicant can demonstrate the existence of exceptional circumstances, Recognition of Prior Experience may be available in the following circumstances:

• Prospective trainees must have Specialist Registration with the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) OR Vocational Registration with the Medical Council of New Zealand (MCNZ) relevant to the college of which they are a Fellow.
• The applicant must be a fellow of ACEM, ACRRM, ANZCA, CICM or RACGP
• The applicant must be an active participant in the professional development program relevant to their speciality.
• The applicant must have at least one (1) year of full-time equivalent FTE of active clinical pre-hospital and retrieval medicine experience undertaken in the five (5) years preceding the RPE application.
• The applicant must be clinically active in PHRM at a minimum of 0.25 FTE at the time of the application, and for at least twelve (12) months prior to the application.
• The applicant must not have been actively involved in the development, delivery and assessment of the Associateship in Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Examinations (Written and/or OSPE) in the twenty-four (24) months preceding the RPE application.

To apply, please complete the online application form.

Please note that applications for RPE must be received prior to a trainee enrolling in the Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine training program.

Applications for RPE must include the following documentation:

• The applicant’s current Curriculum Vitae.
• Evidence of completed CPD activities that are directly relevant to PHRM
• Any additional documentation or information that may be required by the Conjoint Committee of Pre-Hospital & Retrieval Medicine
• Details of three (3) professional references
• All RPL applications must include payment of the RPL Application Fee.

Your RPE application will be reviewed by the College to confirm that the eligibility criteria have been met, and if any further documentation is required.

Please refer to the ACEM PHRM RPE Policy for further information.

If you have any questions or need additional help, please contact [email protected].