The Diploma in Immediate Care of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

The pre-hospital care of patients is increasingly recognised as a discipline in its own right. Whilst some aspects of the knowledge used to treat patients in a hospital are relevant, there are many additional skills which are required to practice safely and effectively in the pre-hospital environment. The British Medical Association recognised in 1993 that the training of doctors in the management of patients in pre-hospital care was important (1). Since then the British Association for Immediate Care (BASICS) has established a voluntary system of accreditation that brings together experience, an appropriate medical qualification and other skills such as safe driving which many active immediate care doctors in the United Kingdom now possess (2). There is an “alphabet soup” of postgraduate qualifications for doctors interested in pre-hospital care (3). These range from the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care certificate (PHEC), Pre-hospital Trauma Life Support course (PHTLS), and Advanced Trauma Life Support course (ATLS) to the military equivalent of ATLS, the Battlefield Advanced Trauma Life Support Course (BATLS). However, many study for the Diploma in Immediate Care of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. This examination is designed to test the ability of practitioners to practice emergency care outside hospital. It has immediate relevance to the Defence Medical Services given the requirement of individuals to be skilled in the management of patients who have suffered trauma or have a serious medical problem, often in challenging pre-hospital environments. This applies both on opera-tions and in peacetime (4). It is also the qualification recommended by the Football Association, the Jockey Club and other sporting organisations for individuals providing medical care. In addition, for some BASICS schemes it is now the entry qualification for individuals to be accredited as a BASICS doctor. The aim of this article is to describe what is required of candidates for the Diploma in Immediate Care and to provide guidance for those who are preparing to take it.