Free Practice Questions for DipRTM Part A

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Key Facts: DipRTM Part A Exam

180

Minutes for Part A written paper

DipRTM Regulations Aug 2019

≤180

SBA questions in Part A

DipRTM Regulations Aug 2019

£760

Published exam fee

RCSEd DipRTM exam details

Maximum attempts

DipRTM Regulations / RCSEd exam details

6 months

Minimum full-time retrieval experience (typical route)

DipRTM Regulations Aug 2019

24 months

Minimum full-time professional practice

DipRTM Regulations Aug 2019

No neonates

Neonatal retrieval excluded from syllabus

FPHC DipRTM / regulations

100

Free Part A practice SBAs on OpenExamPrep

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DipRTM Part A is up to 180 SBAs in 180 minutes (£760 exam fee on RCSEd details). Pass both Part A and Part B OSPE. Eligibility: registered practitioner, ≥24 months practice, ≥6 months retrieval experience. This free bank has 100 Part A practice SBAs.

Sample DipRTM Part A Practice Questions

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

1In UK retrieval taxonomy, transfer of a critically ill adult from a district general hospital ICU to a tertiary neurosurgical centre for definitive care is best classified as:

A.Tertiary retrieval

B.Quaternary retrieval

C.Primary retrieval

D.Secondary retrieval

Explanation: Per DipRTM syllabus taxonomy, tertiary retrieval is transfer from a secondary-care facility to another centre for tertiary care (e.g., DGH ICU to a neurosurgical centre). Secondary retrieval is from a facility with basic facilities/skills; primary is from scene; quaternary is international repatriation.

2According to DipRTM regulations, the examination’s main clinical focus is:

A.Neonatal intensive-care retrieval only

B.Retrieval of patients from one healthcare facility to another (interfacility), especially secondary/tertiary work

C.Elective outpatient clinic transport only

D.Sports-event first-aid without transfer capability

Explanation: DipRTM tests resuscitation, stabilisation and safe transfer of seriously ill/injured patients, focusing mainly on interfacility retrieval, with candidates expected to understand primary and quaternary principles while emphasising secondary/tertiary practice.

3A regional adult critical-care transfer service is tasked to move an intubated patient with aortic dissection for emergency surgery. The coordinating desk’s first organisational priority should be:

A.Transfer only after family have booked overnight accommodation

B.Wait until daytime visiting hours to avoid night driving

C.Confirm receiving ICU/theatre bed and named accepting clinician before departure

D.Depart immediately without confirming a destination bed to save time

Explanation: Safe interfacility transfer requires confirmed receiving capacity and a named accepting clinician. Departing without a confirmed destination risks unsafe diversion and delayed definitive care.

4Primary retrieval, as used in DipRTM/FPHC teaching, means:

A.Moving a patient between two ICUs in the same hospital corridor

B.Administrative paperwork transfer without a clinical team

C.International repatriation by commercial airline only

D.Deployment to the scene of illness/injury for resuscitation and transfer to definitive care

Explanation: Primary retrieval is scene/community response: resuscitating and transferring the patient to definitive care. Quaternary is international repatriation; intra-hospital corridor moves are not primary retrieval.

5Quaternary retrieval principally involves:

A.International medical repatriation across borders

B.Transfer from ED to CT within the same hospital

C.Transfer between two wards in the same hospital for routine physiotherapy

D.Scene extrication from a road traffic collision

Explanation: Quaternary retrieval denotes international repatriation. Candidates must understand its principles and challenges even if operational experience is mainly secondary/tertiary.

6When a referring hospital requests urgent transfer of an unstable critically ill adult, UK transfer guidance emphasises that the decision to transfer should primarily be driven by:

A.Whether transfer can wait until the next routine network meeting

B.Whether clinical benefit at the receiving centre outweighs transfer risk, after senior clinical decision-making

C.Whether the referring hospital can continue unsupported care indefinitely without senior review

D.Whether the journey distance alone is short enough to omit monitoring

Explanation: Transfer decisions balance anticipated benefit of specialist care against physiological and logistical risks of transport, with senior clinical oversight—not amenity factors.

7Clinical governance for a retrieval service should include which of the following as a core element?

A.Never auditing adverse events

B.Randomly changing drug concentrations each shift without protocol

C.Case review, incident reporting, standardised documentation and continuous quality improvement

D.Avoiding all documentation to reduce legal exposure

Explanation: Governance for retrieval/transfer services includes structured documentation, incident reporting, M&M/case review and QI. Avoiding documentation or random concentration changes undermines safety.

8Secondary retrieval is best exemplified by:

A.International repatriation of a stable discharged tourist by commercial flight

B.Intra-hospital ward escort to pharmacy without critical illness

C.Helicopter deployment to a mountain scene then transfer to hospital

D.Collecting a critically ill patient from a remote community hospital with limited ICU capability for transfer to a higher-level centre

Explanation: Secondary retrieval is from a healthcare facility with basic facilities and skills to a more capable centre. Scene mountain rescue is primary; international repatriation of a discharged tourist is quaternary/repatriation logistics, not secondary critical-care retrieval.

9A retrieval coordination desk triages simultaneous requests. Which principle best guides prioritisation?

A.Clinical urgency, patient acuity, and time-critical interventions at the receiving centre, within service capacity

B.Strict alphabetical order of referring hospital names

C.Preference for whichever hospital contacts the desk most frequently

D.Strict first-come, first-served order irrespective of clinical urgency

Explanation: Transfer prioritisation is clinical: acuity, time-critical definitive interventions and service capacity. Administrative convenience is not the triage rule.

10DipRTM eligibility typically requires evidence of pre-hospital/retrieval experience. The standard full-time experience expectation cited in regulations is:

A.10 years consultant anaesthesia mandatory for all candidates

B.At least 6 months full-time (or 12 months part-time regular) pre-hospital/retrieval experience within the past 5 years, plus ≥24 months professional practice

C.No clinical experience required if a textbook is purchased

D.Exactly 48 hours of shadowing only

Explanation: Regulations require fully registered practitioners with ≥24 months full-time professional practice and ≥6 months full-time (or 12 months part-time) pre-hospital/retrieval experience within 5 years (training-programme route may sit with ≥3 months full-time by exam time), plus supervisor support.

About the DipRTM Part A Exam

The Diploma in Retrieval and Transfer Medicine (DipRTM RCSEd) assesses knowledge, skills and attitudes for critical-care practitioners who resuscitate, stabilise and transfer seriously ill or injured patients, focusing mainly on interfacility (secondary/tertiary) retrieval while including primary and quaternary principles. Part A is a 180-minute written SBA paper of up to 180 questions based on current UK practice. The exam emphasises adults, includes paediatric retrieval content, and excludes neonatal retrieval. This free bank provides 100 Part A–style practice SBAs across systems, transport physiology, clinical transfer domains, equipment/safety and human factors.

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

Part A written paper: up to 180 Single Best Answer questions in 180 minutes (development items may be included and unscored). Part B OSPE (up to 16 stations) is separate and not covered by this bank. Both parts must be passed for the diploma.

Time Limit

180 minutes (Part A)

Passing Score

Pass required in both Part A and Part B (standard-set; no fixed public % published for Part A alone)

Exam / Certification Fees

£760 (RCSEd exam details; confirm current diet)

Exam sponsor website

Reported exam pass rate: Not published as a fixed percentage. RCSEd/FPHC use standard setting per diet; a fixed public pass-rate percentage for DipRTM Part A is not published on the exam pages. 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.

12%

Retrieval Systems & Coordination

Retrieval categories, tasking, triage, governance and coordination

14%

Transport Platforms & Physiology

Land/air platforms, altitude physics and transfer physiology

14%

Airway & Respiratory Transfer

Airway, ventilation, pneumothorax and respiratory monitoring en route

12%

Cardiovascular & Shock Support

Shock, vasoactives and haemodynamic stability for transfer

12%

Trauma & Neuro Transfer

Trauma packaging, spinal care and neurocritical transfer issues

12%

Medical Critical Care Transfer

Medical ICU emergencies and special adult populations (not neonatal)

Paediatric Retrieval

Paediatric critical-care transfer principles (neonates excluded)

10%

Equipment, Packaging & Safety

Kit, oxygen/power, packaging, checklists and vehicle safety

Human Factors & CRM

CRM, communication, leadership and handover under pressure

Preparing for the DipRTM Part A Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: Pass required in both Part A and Part B (standard-set; no fixed public % published for Part A alone)
Assessment: Part A written paper: up to 180 Single Best Answer questions in 180 minutes (development items may be included and unscored). Part B OSPE (up to 16 stations) is separate and not covered by this bank. Both parts must be passed for the diploma.
Time limit: 180 minutes (Part A)
Exam / certification fees: £760 (RCSEd exam details; confirm current diet) Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

Work through all 100 available questions
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DipRTM Part A: Suggested Study Strategy

1Map revision to published DipRTM scope: secondary/tertiary retrieval first, then primary/quaternary principles, coordination and platforms.

2Use ICS/FICM critically ill adult transfer guidance for packaging, monitoring, checklists and minimum equipment standards used in UK practice.

3Drill altitude physiology (gas expansion, hypoxia, oxygen planning) for rotary and fixed-wing transfers.

4Practise timed SBA blocks to build toward a full 180-minute Part A sitting.

5Include paediatric (not neonatal) dosing, sizing and physiology differences in mixed papers.

6Rehearse CRM language: closed-loop communication, challenge/response and structured handovers (e.g., ATMIST/SBAR variants used locally).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the format of DipRTM Part A?

Part A is a written paper lasting 180 minutes with up to 180 Single Best Answer questions. Some items may be unscored development questions. Part B is a separate OSPE with up to 16 testing stations.

How much does the DipRTM examination cost?

The RCSEd exam details page lists the exam fee as £760. Always confirm the fee for your specific diet before applying.

Who is eligible to sit DipRTM?

Candidates must be fully registered practitioners and have at least 24 months full-time professional experience, plus at least 6 months full-time (or 12 months part-time) pre-hospital/retrieval experience within the past 5 years, with a supervisor support letter. Training-programme candidates may apply earlier but are expected to have at least 3 months full-time experience by the exam sitting.

Does DipRTM cover neonatal retrieval?

No. The examination focuses on adults, includes paediatric retrieval questions, and explicitly excludes neonatal retrieval from the syllabus.

Must I pass Part A and Part B together?

You must pass both parts to gain the diploma. A pass in one component can be carried forward for up to two subsequent diets or two years, whichever is longer. Candidates are limited to four attempts.

What clinical emphasis should I revise for Part A?

Regulations emphasise secondary and tertiary interfacility retrieval of critically ill or injured adults, plus retrieval coordination, land and air platforms, and principles of primary and quaternary retrieval, with content based on current UK practice.