How emergency stations work
The AMC Clinical is 16 assessed stations plus rest stations: 2 minutes of reading, then 8 minutes in the station. Fourteen stations are scored, and a pass needs a pass on 9 or more of them. Each station gets a global rating on a 7-point scale, informed by 2 to 5 key steps and 3 to 5 assessment domains. Read how the AMC Clinical is marked for the detail.
Emergency stations may present a manikin, a role-player or a scenario described by the examiner, with observations given as you ask. You are usually expected to say what you would do and in what order.
The ABCDE approach
| Step | Assess | Act |
|---|---|---|
| Airway | Patency, stridor, voice | Positioning, suction, adjuncts, call for help |
| Breathing | Rate, saturation, auscultation | Oxygen to target, bronchodilators |
| Circulation | Pulse, BP, capillary refill, bleeding | IV access, fluids, stop bleeding |
| Disability | Conscious level, glucose, pupils | Treat hypoglycaemia, protect airway |
| Exposure | Temperature, rash, injuries | Keep warm, look for the cause |
Common emergency scenarios
- Anaphylaxis: IM adrenaline 0.5 mg (adult) into the lateral thigh, repeat every 5 minutes as needed.
- Sepsis: recognise early, blood cultures, IV antibiotics within the first hour, fluids.
- Chest pain: ECG within 10 minutes, aspirin, ACS pathway.
- Acute asthma: salbutamol, oxygen, steroids, escalation.
- Overdose: ABCDE, toxicology history, paracetamol level, poisons information 13 11 26.
- Trauma: primary survey and haemorrhage control.
Communicating in an emergency
Call for help early and use ISBAR to hand over: identify yourself, situation, background, assessment and recommendation. Explain to the patient or relative what is happening in brief, clear sentences.
Worked station: anaphylaxis in a clinic
Station walk-through · Emergency medicine
Candidate brief: A 24-year-old develops wheeze, lip swelling and dizziness 10 minutes after a cephalosporin injection. Manage the patient and explain your actions to the examiner.
| Time | What to do |
|---|---|
| 0:00 to 0:30 | Recognise anaphylaxis, call for help and an ambulance |
| 0:30 to 2:00 | IM adrenaline 0.5 mg lateral thigh; lie flat with legs raised; oxygen |
| 2:00 to 5:00 | Reassess ABC; repeat adrenaline at 5 minutes if needed; IV access and fluids |
| 5:00 to 8:00 | Hand over with ISBAR; plan observation, adrenaline autoinjector, allergy referral and documentation |
Where candidates lose marks: giving antihistamine first, delaying adrenaline, and sitting a hypotensive patient upright.
Using the 2 minutes of reading time
- Read the setting: general practice, ward, emergency department or telehealth changes what is realistic.
- Underline each task and its time allocation, and plan your 8 minutes to match.
- Note the patient's age, sex and any cue in the brief (a medicine, an occupation, a family member present).
- Write a short list of the 3 diagnoses you must separate and the one dangerous condition you must not miss.
- In an emergency station, plan to start with ABCDE and call for help before taking a detailed history.
- Decide your opening sentence so you start calmly.
Check the current AMC candidate information for what you may bring or write during reading time. Whatever you plan, keep it short: there is no time to read a long list in the room.
High-yield stations to prepare
Emergency practice stations reward a clear order of actions, the right doses and early escalation.
| Station | Likely task | Key step examiners look for |
|---|---|---|
| Anaphylaxis | Emergency management | IM adrenaline 0.5 mg in the lateral thigh |
| Sepsis in an older patient | Emergency management | Antibiotics within the first hour |
| Chest pain in a rural hospital | Emergency management | ECG, aspirin and reperfusion decisions |
| Severe asthma attack | Emergency management | Salbutamol, oxygen, steroids, escalation |
| Diabetic ketoacidosis | Emergency management | Fluids, insulin infusion and potassium |
| Acute stroke | Emergency management | Time of onset, CT and thrombolysis decision |
| Major trauma | Emergency management | Primary survey and haemorrhage control |
| Paracetamol overdose | History and management | 4-hour level and acetylcysteine |
A one-week practice plan
| Day | Practice |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Read the structure on this page and run 2 emergency stations untimed with a partner |
| Day 2 | Run 3 stations with the 2-minute reading timer and an 8-minute station timer |
| Day 3 | Record 2 stations on your phone; watch for jargon, interruptions and missed tasks |
| Day 4 | Swap roles: play the patient and the examiner, marking against the checklist |
| Day 5 | Run 3 new stations back to back with a 2-minute gap, as on exam day |
| Day 6 | Repeat the stations where your global rating was below 4 |
| Day 7 | Rest, then review your notes on the common mistakes below |
Our station bank lets you filter by discipline and station type, so you can follow this plan for each area of the exam.
Common mistakes in emergency stations
- Starting history before stabilising.
- Forgetting to call for help.
- Wrong adrenaline dose or route.
- Not reassessing after each intervention.
- No handover or disposition plan.
Practise these as timed stations with a partner playing the patient and another marking against the checklist. Each of our emergency medicine stations has a candidate brief, role-player script, examiner notes, marking checklist and a model approach.
Free sample emergency medicine stations
Candidate briefs from our AMC Clinical station bank. Read the task, plan your 8 minutes, then open the marking checklist.
Diabetic ketoacidosis in a young adult (8 minutes)
You are a doctor in an emergency department in Townsville. Ella Morgan, 19, has type 1 diabetes and 2 days of vomiting and abdominal pain.
Tasks:
- Assess her, asking the examiner for findings and results (4 minutes).
- Outline your immediate management to the examiner (4 minutes).
Show the marking checklist
- Identifies the precipitant: stopping insulin during illness
- Diagnoses DKA from glucose, pH, bicarbonate and ketones (critical)
- Starts IV 0.9% saline resuscitation
- Starts a fixed-rate insulin infusion after fluids, with potassium replacement guided by levels (critical)
- Continues long-acting insulin
- Plans hourly glucose and ketones and 2-hourly electrolytes and gas
- Considers HDU or ICU for severe DKA
- Explains sick day rules kindly
The full station adds the role-player script, examiner notes and a model approach.
Anaphylaxis in the waiting room (8 minutes)
You are the doctor in a busy general practice. A practice nurse runs in: Ms Grace Liu, 26, became unwell 5 minutes after her first dose of an antibiotic injection (ceftriaxone) for gonorrhoea treatment.
She is pale, wheezy and has a widespread rash. Observations: HR 128, BP 78/40, RR 30, SpO₂ 89% on air.
Task: manage this patient, explaining your actions to the examiner, who will act as the nurse (8 minutes).
The role-player script, examiner notes, marking checklist and model approach open with a plan.
Practise emergency medicine stations free
Every emergency medicine station in our bank
The bank holds 8 emergency medicine stations across 1 station type: Emergency management (8). Each one has a candidate brief, role-player script, examiner notes, marking checklist and model approach.
- Diabetic ketoacidosis in a young adultEmergency management · free
- Acute stroke: thrombolysis decisionEmergency management
- Anaphylaxis in the waiting roomEmergency management
- Chest pain in a rural hospitalEmergency management
- Major trauma: primary surveyEmergency management
- Paracetamol overdoseEmergency management
- Sepsis in a nursing home residentEmergency management
- Severe asthma attackEmergency management
Common questions
Do AMC Clinical stations include resuscitation?
Acute management stations can involve emergencies. Know ABCDE, anaphylaxis, sepsis and basic life support well.
What adrenaline dose should I give in anaphylaxis?
For adults, 0.5 mg IM (0.5 mL of 1 mg/mL) into the lateral thigh, as recommended by ASCIA.
How do I hand over in an emergency station?
Use ISBAR and state clearly what you need from the colleague.
Sources
Clinical content is summarised from current Australian guidance at the date above. Guidelines change, so always check the latest edition.