Free Practice Questions for DipIMC RCSEd Part A

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Key Facts: DipIMC RCSEd Part A Exam

180

Part A SBA Questions

DIMC RCSEd Regulations March 2023

180 min

Part A Time Limit

DIMC RCSEd Regulations March 2023

£760

Examination Fee

RCSEd Exam Details page

Level 6

Skills for Health Performance Level

DIMC RCSEd Regulations March 2023

Attempts Allowed per Part

DIMC RCSEd Regulations March 2023

100

Free Practice Questions

OpenExamPrep

DipIMC RCSEd Part A is 180 SBAs in 180 minutes (£760 combined diploma fee per RCSEd). It is blueprinted to UK PHEM phase 1 themes (IBTPHEM) at Skills for Health Level 6; Part B OSPE is separate. Eligibility is typically ≥4 years post-registration (or 5 months WTE UK PHEM training for doctors), with five attempts per part.

Sample DipIMC RCSEd Part A Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the DipIMC RCSEd Part A exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1In the UK pre-hospital system, which organisation sets the national clinical guidelines most commonly used by NHS ambulance services for day-to-day paramedic practice?

A.Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee (JRCALC)

B.National Institute for Health and Care Excellence only, replacing all local protocols

C.World Health Organization emergency care handbook as the sole UK ambulance standard

D.European Resuscitation Council guidelines exclusively, without Resuscitation Council UK input

Explanation: JRCALC produces the clinical guidelines used across UK ambulance services for paramedic and pre-hospital practice. NICE and Resuscitation Council UK guidance are also important, but JRCALC is the core day-to-day ambulance clinical reference.

2A BASICS doctor responding to a road traffic collision should primarily understand their role as:

A.Assuming exclusive command of the police investigation at the scene

B.Providing enhanced or immediate care in support of the ambulance and multi-agency response at scene

C.Replacing the need for ambulance clinicians once they arrive

D.Authorising hospital bed closures during the incident

Explanation: BASICS (British Association for Immediate Care) schemes provide volunteer doctors and other clinicians who deliver enhanced immediate care working with ambulance and multi-agency teams, not as scene commanders for police investigations or hospital bed managers.

3Within UK emergency medical systems, the METHANE message is primarily used to:

A.Replace the need for any subsequent triage or casualty counting

B.Document only the financial cost of an ambulance response

C.Structure an initial major incident report from scene to control/command

D.Authorise prescription of controlled drugs at scene without governance

Explanation: METHANE (Major incident declared, Exact location, Type of incident, Hazards, Access, Number of casualties, Emergency services present/required) is the UK structured major-incident report format used to communicate scene information to control.

4Which statement best describes the relationship between DipIMC RCSEd and UK PHEM training?

A.DipIMC replaces the need for any GMC-approved PHEM subspecialty training

B.DipIMC is only available to doctors and excludes nurses and paramedics

C.DipIMC tests only Part B OSPE skills and has no written knowledge paper

D.DipIMC is blueprinted to phase 1 elements of the UK PHEM curriculum and is often used as summative assessment in PHEM programmes

Explanation: Official RCSEd regulations blueprint DipIMC against phase 1(a)/1(b) PHEM curriculum capabilities. It is a multi-professional diploma (doctors, nurses, paramedics) with Part A SBA and Part B OSPE; it does not replace full PHEM subspecialty training.

5When integrating with Fire and Rescue at a trapped-casualty incident, the pre-hospital clinician’s priority within the multi-agency response is to:

A.Coordinate clinical care and extrication planning with rescue teams while protecting the patient from further harm

B.Direct the fire service appliance routing on the public highway as incident commander for all agencies

C.Ignore scene hazards until after full secondary survey in hospital

D.Refuse to communicate with rescue crews until the patient is fully extricated

Explanation: Safe pre-hospital practice requires joint working with Fire and Rescue: clinical priorities, extrication plan, and hazard mitigation are shared. Highway command and appliance routing remain with the appropriate emergency service roles.

6HEMS / air ambulance tasking in the UK is generally intended to:

A.Replace all ground ambulance responses in urban areas as the default first resource

B.Deliver enhanced pre-hospital critical care and rapid transfer for time-critical patients when clinically and operationally appropriate

C.Provide only social transport for non-urgent outpatient appointments

D.Bypass all triage and take every 999 call by air

Explanation: Helicopter emergency medical services provide enhanced critical care and/or rapid transfer for selected time-critical patients within defined tasking criteria. They complement, not replace, ground ambulance systems.

7A paramedic considering activation of an enhanced care team (e.g. HEMS or critical care desk) should base the decision primarily on:

A.Personal preference to avoid completing paperwork

B.Whether the patient has private health insurance

C.Clinical need for interventions or decision-making beyond standard ambulance scope, plus logistics and time-criticality

D.Automatically activating for every patient over 65 years of age

Explanation: Enhanced care activation should be driven by clinical need (advanced airway, blood products, PHEA, complex decision-making), combined with geography/time and resource availability—not insurance status or age alone.

8In UK immediate care, ‘scope of practice’ for a multi-professional DipIMC candidate means:

A.Passing DipIMC legally authorises every candidate to perform every hospital consultant procedure unsupervised

B.Only doctors may answer questions about airway management in the exam

C.Paramedics must answer using US EMS protocols rather than UK practice

D.The examination tests PHEM curriculum elements and is not limited by any one profession’s local scope, but success alone does not prove competence for every element in practice

Explanation: RCSEd regulations state DipIMC is multi-professional and blueprinted to PHEM curriculum elements without being limited by local professional scopes, while also stating that exam success should not be the sole evidence of competence for every element in real practice.

9Which body administers the Diploma in Immediate Medical Care examination?

A.Examinations Department of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh on behalf of the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care

B.General Medical Council as a direct licensing OSCE

C.Health and Care Professions Council as a registration renewal test

D.Ofqual as a Level 3 vocational award

Explanation: DipIMC RCSEd is administered by RCSEd Examinations for the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care. It is a postgraduate diploma examination, not a GMC licence test, HCPC renewal exam, or Ofqual Level 3 award.

10Compared with in-hospital emergency care, pre-hospital emergency medicine systems are characterised by:

A.Unlimited imaging, full laboratory panels, and elective operating theatres at every roadside

B.Resource limitation, environmental challenge, multi-agency working, and tempo of decision-making at scene

C.Absence of any need for clinical governance or documentation

D.Exclusive reliance on family members to provide all airway interventions

Explanation: IBTPHEM and FPHC materials emphasise that PHEM differs from hospital practice through environment, limited resources, isolation, tempo, and multi-agency context—while still requiring governance and professional standards.

About the DipIMC RCSEd Part A Exam

The Diploma in Immediate Medical Care (DipIMC RCSEd) assesses doctors, nurses and paramedics who provide pre-hospital emergency care at Skills for Health Level 6. Part A is a 180-question single-best-answer paper blueprinted to phase 1 of the UK PHEM curriculum, focusing on recognition, diagnosis and management in the pre-hospital environment across all ages. This free practice bank targets Part A knowledge only.

Exam sponsor: Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Two parts: Part A written SBA (180 questions / 180 minutes) and Part B OSPE (normally 14 stations: 12 × 8 minutes and 2 × 16 minutes). Both parts must be passed; parts may be taken in either order. A pass in one part remains valid for a maximum of 3 subsequent available diets.

Time Limit

180 minutes (Part A)

Passing Score

Standard-set each diet (not a fixed published percentage); pass required in both Part A and Part B

Exam / Certification Fees

£760

Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Official sources

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

10%

Working in Emergency Medical Systems

UK EMS structure, JRCALC, enhanced care/HEMS/BASICS, multi-agency roles, exam blueprinting

40%

Providing Pre-hospital Emergency Care

Airway/PHEA, haemorrhage, ALS, trauma, medical, paediatric, obstetric and environmental emergencies

10%

Using Pre-hospital Equipment

Immediate-care kit, airways, IO, ventilators, defibrillation, POCUS, thoracostomy

Supporting Rescue and Extrication

Vehicle/technical rescue, extrication tactics, crush syndrome awareness

Supporting Safe Patient Transfer

Handover, packaging, destination decisions, transfer physiology and logistics

10%

Supporting Emergency Preparedness and Response

Major incidents, triage, command, CBRN/hostile events

Operational Practice

Risk assessment, PPE, records, consent, infection control

Team Resource Management

Communication, leadership, checklists, team welfare

Clinical Governance

Audit, incident reporting, controlled drugs, airway governance

Preparing for the DipIMC RCSEd Part A Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Standard-set each diet (not a fixed published percentage); pass required in both Part A and Part B
Assessment: Two parts: Part A written SBA (180 questions / 180 minutes) and Part B OSPE (normally 14 stations: 12 × 8 minutes and 2 × 16 minutes). Both parts must be passed; parts may be taken in either order. A pass in one part remains valid for a maximum of 3 subsequent available diets.
Time limit: 180 minutes (Part A)
Exam / certification fees: £760 Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

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DipIMC RCSEd Part A: Suggested Study Strategy

1Map revision to the six IBTPHEM specialty themes plus operational practice, TRM and clinical governance — not only clinical algorithms.

2Know RCUK adult/paediatric/newborn ALS and UK trauma haemorrhage priorities (cABCDE, TXA, tourniquets, pelvic binder) cold.

3Drill major-incident tools: METHANE, triage sieve/sort, CSCATTT and Gold–Silver–Bronze roles.

4Practice SBA timing at ~1 minute per question to match the 180-in-180 Part A pace.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the format of DipIMC Part A?

Part A is a single-best-answer written paper of 180 questions lasting 180 minutes, testing underpinning knowledge for pre-hospital emergency care. It is blueprinted to phase 1 of the UK PHEM curriculum.

Do I need to pass Part B as well?

Yes. The diploma requires a pass in both Part A (SBA) and Part B (OSPE, normally 14 stations). Parts can be taken in either order; an isolated pass remains valid for up to three subsequent available diets.

How much does the DipIMC examination cost?

RCSEd lists the examination fee as £760 for the Diploma in Immediate Medical Care. Resit fees are calculated according to the component(s) being retaken.

Who is eligible to sit DipIMC?

Doctors need at least four years’ practice after full GMC registration or five months whole-time-equivalent training in a UK approved PHEM programme. Nurses and paramedics need at least four years after NMC or HCPC registration. Special consideration is available for other applicants, including those outside the UK.

Is a fixed pass mark published?

No fixed public percentage pass mark is published. Candidates are notified of the minimum mark required for each part for that diet together with their achieved mark, and both parts must be passed.