The Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM) with its headquarters in Melbourne, is the primary training body for specialist emergency physicians in Australia and New Zealand. The college is recognised by the Australian Medical Council and Medical Council of New Zealand as such and provides services for thousands of Fellows and Trainees.
Its principal role is oversight of emergency medicine specialist training through the setting of standards and administration of assessment to ensure that trainees meet these standards. Admission to Fellowship of the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine requires satisfactory completion of a minimum of seven years of post-graduate medical training, including multiple examinations and presentation of a research project (or equivalent coursework). Maintenance of fellowship requires ongoing professional training as evidenced by the Maintenance of Professional Standards (MOPS) program which the college also administers.
The ACEM is an incorporated educational institution whose prime objective is the training and examination of specialist emergency physicians for Australia and New Zealand.
ACEM has a vital interest in the quality of emergency medical care provided to the community and therefore has a wide range of subsidiary objectives relating to emergency department accreditation, policies and standards for the emergency medical system, teaching and research, publication, and those aspects of the medico political framework that have a direct impact on health outcomes for emergency patients.
ACEM was incorporated in 1984 and in August 1993 the Australian Minister for Health approved the recognition of emergency medicine as a principal specialty. In New Zealand, emergency medicine was recognised as a medical specialty in November 1995.