7A001E - Foundations of Emergency Medicine 01 Sep 2027 - 31 Aug 2033 | Version 0

Associated Module Information

Module Code: 7A001E
Module Title: Foundations of Emergency Medicine
Faculty: Faculty of Life Sciences and Education
Faculty Group: Nursing and Allied Health
Faculty Sub Group: Nursing and Allied Health
Module Leader: Karl New
Module Team:
First Intended Intake: SEP 2027 Final Year of Intake: 2032
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 20 Credit Level: 7
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100258 - clinical physiology
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 0
Valid From 01 Sep 2027
Valid To 31 Aug 2033

Module Aims

The main aims of the module are: 

  • To critically examine the foundational principles, systems thinking, and clinical reasoning underpinning advanced emergency medicine practice. 

  • To develop structured approaches to assessment, acuity recognition, risk stratification, and safe patient disposition in complex and undifferentiated presentations. 

  • To critically explore the ethical, legal, professional, and communication principles required for reflective and patient-centred emergency care practice

Content Summary

Foundations of Emergency Medicine establishes the professional mindset, clinical frameworks, and ethical grounding that underpin all subsequent learning throughout the course. Across six weeks, students will explore what it means to think and practise as an emergency medicine clinician - from the principles of triage and structured assessment to the cognitive biases that shape clinical decision-making and the risk stratification tools that inform safe disposition. 

The module moves beyond clinical knowledge alone, examining the human factors, communication skills, legal frameworks, and governance responsibilities that define advanced emergency practice. Students will engage critically with the ethical and professional dimensions of emergency care, including consent, capacity, and the duty of candour, developing the reflective practitioner identity that the programme as a whole demands. 

By the end of this module, students will have the conceptual tools to approach complex, undifferentiated presentations with structured reasoning, professional accountability, and an informed awareness of uncertainty - the foundations on which every subsequent module builds. 

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Asynchronous seminars 40
Independent Study 80
Directed Study 40
Problem/Challenge based learning 40
Total Hours Selected 200

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Critically evaluate and apply the core principles of emergency medicine, synthesising these frameworks to construct approaches to the assessment and prioritisation of patients.
LO2 Critically appraise and justify evidence-based management decisions across a range of complex emergency presentations.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Case study N/A 0 2400 40 No 40
Asynchronous Assessment Project N/A 0 1000 20 No 40
Asynchronous Assessment Self-reflective Assessment N/A 0 600 10 No 40
Synchronous Online Assessment  Classroom Test - Time Constrained (Online)  N/A 60 N/A 30 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Case study ✔ ✔
Project ✔ ✔
Self-reflective Assessment ✔ ✔
Classroom Test - Time Constrained (Online)  ✔ ✔

Reading List

The module reading list is available to the students to access via electronic links on the learning platform (Moodle). 

In addition to the list below, each list is supplemented with up-to-date peer-reviewed journal articles and studies that are continually refreshed as guidelines change and new treatments and technologies emerge. 

 

Additional reading resources are also provided where relevant by the tutors during the running of the module in the discussion forum to keep the reading resources current and relevant. 

Websites 

  1. Royal College of Emergency Medicine. Human factors and patient safety [Internet]. London: RCEM Learning. 

  1. NHS England. Guidance for emergency departments initial assessment [Internet]. London: NHS England. 

  1. Resuscitation Council UK. (2021). Resuscitation Council UK Guidelines 2021: Adult advanced life support. London: RCUK. 

  1. General Medical Council guidelines- Significant Events, The reflective practitioner. 

  1. NHS England. Learning from patient safety events [Internet]. London: NHS England.