Specialty overview

Emergency medicine physicians are acute generalists with specialist skills in resuscitation and diagnosis during the acute phase of illness or injury. Utilising a broad range of procedural and technical skills, emergency medicine physicians assess and treat patients of all age groups who have a wide range of illnesses, including those patients who are suffering potentially life, or limb, threatening conditions. Common conditions treated by emergency physicians include; heart attacks, strokes, fractures, asthma attacks, injuries resulting from car crashes, pregnancy related emergencies, overdoses and behavioural

Clinical practice

Emergency medicine physicians work within both public and private facilities, playing a key role in trauma and retrieval teams and in the development of pre-hospital and in-hospital emergency medical systems. Emergency medicine physicians work closely with other important healthcare practitioners such as paramedics, nurses, social workers, physiotherapists, mental health clinicians and other doctors to ensure that patients passing through emergency departments receive the highest possible standard of care.

Key statistics

2023 QLD Training program selections(first year)

89
eligible

82
selected

This doughnut chart shows the proportion of applications recieved vs applicants selected. Eligible applications received is 89, Applicants selected is 82.

Number of Queensland and Australian specialists

704

Number of QLD specialists

2828

Number of Australian specialists

Number of Queensland and Australian new fellows

49

Number of QLD new fellows

211

Number of Australian new fellows

Number of Queensland trainees and average work hours

623

Number of QLD trainees

40.2

Average weekly hours

Information on specialists

  • 704

    Number of QLD specialists

  • 49

    Number of QLD new fellows

  • 40.2 hours

    Average weekly hours QLD

  • 45 years

    Average age QLD

  • Specialists over 60

    This donut chart shows that 6% of specialists are aged over 60 years.

  • Specialist intending to retire by 2032

    This donut chart shows that 29% of 2022 workforce intend to retire by 2032.

  • Location in Queensland

    This donut chart shows the percentage of specialists by their location: 25.4% are located in regional Queensland, 72.1% are in major cities, and 2.4% are in remote areas. The chart highlights that a vast majority of specialists are based in major cities.

  • Proportion Female/Male - QLD

    61.2%
    male

    38.8%
    female

    This doughnut chart shows the proportion of males and females. Males are 61.2%, Females are 38.8%.

  • Public vs Private

    12.5%
    private

    87.5%
    public

    This doughnut chart shows the proportion of public and private specialists. Private is 12.5, Public is 87.5%.

Information on trainees

  • 623

    Number of Queensland trainees

  • 63

    Number of new Queensland trainees

  • 2,254

    Number of Australian trainees

  • 238

    Number of new Australian trainees

  • Proportion female/male trainees in Queensland

    50.4%
    male

    49.6%
    female

    This doughnut chart shows the proportion of males and females. Males are 50.4%, Females are 49.6%.

  • 2023 QLD Training program selections (first year)

    89
    eligible

    82
    selected

    This doughnut chart shows the number of 2023 QLD Training Program Selections (First Year). 89 Eligible applications were received, 82 of those were selected.

Number of Queensland trainees 2015-2022

This line chart shows the trend of the number of Queensland trainees from 2015 to 2022. The data points are: 2015 - 508 trainees, 2016 - 536 trainees, 2017 - 623 trainees, 2018 - 631 trainees, 2019 - 592 trainees, 2020 - 546 trainees, 2021 - 600 trainees, 2022 - 623 trainees.

Hear about our training

Emergency Training in Northern Queensland
Duration: 04:07

Transcript for Emergency Training in Northern Queensland

[Soft music plays in the background]

[Text on screen] Specialty Training in Northern Queensland, Emergency Medicine.

>> Dr Farah Aziz:

[Text on screen] Dr Farah Aziz, Emergency Medicine Registrar

I came to Australia almost 10 years ago. When I started as a junior doctor, I enjoyed working in ED. Just seeing all kinds of patients and the mix of cases, just from simple rolled ankles to emergencies and resuscitations. So, it was very interesting, very challenging, but very rewarding as well.

>> Dr Julia De Boos:

[Text on screen] Dr Julia De Boos, FACEM, Director of Emergency Medicine Training, Retrieval Senior Medical Officer

The training as a student is amazing because you actually get to do stuff. If your patient needs an ART line or a central line, put it in. If the patient has a subdural haematoma, organise the transfer, but know very well how to stabilise a person. It’s a totally different mindset, it if walks in the door, sort it out.

>> Dr Farah Aziz:

Patients here are very different to anywhere else in the country, we see a lot of Aboriginal patients and we see patients who even come from hundreds of kilometres away from here and from really remote communities and by the time they get to us, they can be really sick. I’ve done some procedures here which I’ve never done before, which is really exciting.

>> Dr Julia De Boos:

It’s a small ED and there’s only going to be one or two of you at the most; so, you’re not fighting with all the other students and everybody else to try and get experience. You’ve got good access to procedures; you’ll never have such good access to consultants the way you do in Mount Isa.

>> Dr Farah Aziz:

It’s a very good team here, the nurses are really good, very skilled. Consultants who come here, they’re mix of FACEMs and FACRRMs and they come from all over the country so you get a very good exposure to different ways of doing things and just picking up lots of tips along the way.

>> Dr Don Bowley:

[Text on screen] Dr Don Bowley, Senior Medical Officer, Royal Flying Doctor Service (Qld Section)

The RFDS is the longest continuously operating aeromedical retrieval service in the world. So, you get to go out and do GP clinics in very remote locations that are often serviced either by no health professional or by a single 24/7 remote director of nursing. You get to know the people who live in these remote locations. You get a better understanding of the challenges and the burden of the disease including very rare diseases like rheumatic fever and things that you just don’t see in urban centres. You’ll also be doing retrievals, going out to care for people with injuries and illness that require being brough to a major hospital, so you’re doing the general practice work and you’re also doing emergency work.

>> Dr Julia De Boos:

You’ll never make a bigger impact anywhere else in the country than you will here. Last week I was doing my Baby Shark dance at the end of a bed for a giggling 15-month-old child, when we got the chest x-ray back, he had more or less white over most his left lung. Just this tiny little bit of air still at the top, but he could still giggle. And that’s just what Mount Isa is like, from tiny through to old. They’re amazing.

>> Dr Don Bowley:

You also get to share the joy that people have in living in these remote areas. There’s a special breed of people who choose to live out here, who were born and stay living out here. You get to become part of the community.

>> Dr Julia De Boos:

If trauma is your thing, come between August and February when it’s Rodeo season. You’ll be amazed at what a hoof can do to any part of the body and you’ll be amazed at what people can actually survive and be absolutely rigidly determined to beat their 7.5 second record the next rodeo around.

>> Dr Farah Aziz:

It’s a great place to bring up a young family, lots of things for the kids to do. It’s a very nice drive to Lake Moondarra, it’s just amazing views from the lookout there. We love to feed the peacocks and they all come and open up their feathers and it’s very exciting for the kids. Every day being different and seeing variety of cases like babies to 90-year-olds and dealing with all that. This gives me a chance to do everything.

[Text on screen] Explore specialty training opportunities in northern Queensland. nqrth.edu.au

All Emergency Medicine specialty training can be completed in northern Queensland.

Cairns and Townsville provide the majority of training with regional and rural placements in Mackay and Mount Isa.

Six months training in Mount Isa offers a wonderfully varied experience, including working alongside the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

This video was funded by the Australian Government Department of Health as part of the Regional Training Hubs initiative. Produced in partnership with northern Queensland health care providers and James Cook University.

[James Cook University crest appears on screen] Northern Queensland Regional Training Hubs. A network of medical training opportunities. nqrth.edu.au

End of transcript

Training information

College

Australasian College of Emergency Medicine (ACEM)

Length of training

5 years full-time including at least 42 months in ACEM-accredited EDs, 6 months non-ED, 6 months elective (ED or non-ED) and 6 months critical care. Trainees must train at a minimum of two EDs.

Method of allocation

College-selected trainees may be allocated to a training post by:

  • Queensland Health facility (accredited for training)

Training and assessment summary

For detailed information in relation to training and assessment requirements, please contact ACEM.

Training program overview

Since 2022, the new emergency medicine training program is a four-stage program where Training Stages 1 to 4 replace Provisional and Advanced Training phases. Of the 60 months of total training time in the training program, trainees must undertake at least 42 months of their training in ACEM-accredited emergency departments (EDs). Other training time requirements include 6 months of non-ED, 6 months elective (ED or non-ED) and 6 months critical care. Upon completing all requirements of the training program, trainees may apply for election to Fellowship of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (FACEM).

Eligibility

Applicants must have citizenship, permanent residency, or the necessary visa to undertake training in Australia and hold general registration with the Medical Board of Australia. Applicants must be able to fulfil the requirements of the training program and have completed or be currently undertaking PGY3. There is a requirement that applicants have completed a minimum of 6 months full time equivalent (FTE) in an ED in Australia or New Zealand where the applicant assesses and manages all types of patients in that ED (i.e. not only fast-track patients) during or after PGY2 at a minimum of 0.5 FTE. Applicants must also have completed 3 postgraduate terms in 3 different disciplines other than emergency medicine for a minimum of 8 FTE weeks of continuous clinical work at a single site. At least one of these terms must have been completed during or after PGY2.

Flexibility

Minimum 50% of full-time commitment. Training must be completed within 12 years.

Interrupted training

Allowed up to 3 years during the course of training, however only 1 year may be approved at one time.

Training locations

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Last updated: May 2025

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