Emergency Medicine (Defined route of entry and ACCS route) ST3 — 2026 Application Guide
Complete guide to applying for Emergency Medicine (Defined route of entry and ACCS route) ST3 in the 2026 recruitment cycle. This page covers eligibility requirements, self-assessment scoring criteria, portfolio sections, key dates, required forms, and evidence guidance — building on Specialty Training.
Oriel route name: Emergency Medicine (Defined route of entry and ACCS route) ST3 · Route family: specialty-training
Interview preparation guide for Emergency Medicine (Defined route of entry and ACCS route) ST3 →Medically reviewed by MedNext Clinical Team. Last reviewed 27 April 2026. See our editorial policy and correction policy.
About Emergency Medicine (Defined route of entry and ACCS route) ST3
Emergency Medicine (Defined route of entry and ACCS route) ST3 is a specialty training programme entering at higher specialty training at ST3 level, following core training. Selection uses portfolio-scored selection. The full training pathway typically takes 8-10 years total.
Entry Level
ST3
Training Duration
8-10 years total (2yr foundation + 2-3yr core + 4-5yr higher specialty)
Selection Method
Portfolio Scored
Training Pathway
Official Source Documents
The scoring criteria, eligibility requirements, and self-assessment guidance on this page are derived from the following official documents. Always refer to the latest published version before your application.
Published by: NHS England Medical Hub
View original documentKey Dates & Deadlines
Important dates for the Emergency Medicine (Defined route of entry and ACCS route) ST3 2026 recruitment cycle. Check the official recruitment timeline for the most up-to-date information, as dates may change.
Eligibility Requirements
You must meet all essential eligibility criteria to be considered for Emergency Medicine (Defined route of entry and ACCS route) ST3. These are assessed at the application stage. Failure to meet any essential requirement will result in your application being rejected.
Track the core published eligibility requirements for Emergency Medicine (Defined route of entry and ACCS route) ST3.
Entry Criteria — Person Specification
The following entry criteria are extracted from the official 2026 person specification for Emergency Medicine (Defined route of entry and ACCS route) ST3. You must meet all essential criteria at the point specified. Failure to meet any essential criterion will result in your application being rejected.
Qualifications
2 Application form- All applicants must have:
- Applicants who are on, or have completed, an approved UK Core Surgical Training programme must have:
- MBBS or equivalent medical qualification
- Successfully completed MRCS by the offer date 1
Eligibility
Application form- All applicants must:
- (Further information can be found on the next page under *Eligibility Continued)
- Hold full registration with the General Medical Council (GMC) at the time of application, and hold a current licence to practise on the date your post commences.
- Be eligible to work in the UK.
- Current certification in ALS or equivalent OR supporting evidence as work based assessment/simulation/faculty statement (must have all 3 types) at time of application.
Fitness to practise
Application form, References- Is up to date and fit to practise safely and is aware of own training needs.
Language skills
Application form, interview/selection centre- Applicants must have demonstrable skills in written and spoken English, adequate to enable effective communication about medical topics with patients and colleagues, as assessed by the General Medical Council 3
Health
Application form, pre-employment health screening- Applicants must meet professional health requirements (in line with GMC standards / Good Medical Practice).
Selection Criteria — Person Specification
Shortlisted candidates are assessed against these selection criteria. Essential criteria are requirements; desirable criteria can strengthen your application. Understanding both columns helps you target your evidence and interview preparation.
General
- Qualifications
General
Application formEssential
- As above
Desirable
- MRCEM primary, MRCEM SBA, FRCEM Primary or Intermediate; or
- Full MRCEM
- Any additional postgraduate examinations
General
- Career Progression
General
Application formEssential
- As Above
Desirable
- Evidence of experience in specialties of acute care common stem training other than Emergency Medicine (such as Anaesthesia, Intensive Care Medicine and/ or Internal Medicine)
General
- Courses
General
Application formEssential
- Up to date and demonstrable advanced life support skills (current certification in advanced life support or equivalent OR supporting evidence as work-based assessment/simulation/faculty statement (must have all 3 types) at time of application
Desirable
- Any short training course related to Emergency Medicine e.g., airway course, ultrasound course, etc.
General
- Clinical Governance
General
Application formEssential
- Is able to demonstrate an understanding of CG and risk management.
- Evidence of personal work in a completed audit or Quality Improvement Project (QIP)
Desirable
- Evidence of CG activity e.g., presentation at CG meeting, involvement with incident reporting, dealing with complaints
- Evidence of change introduced as an outcome of audit
General
- Clinical skills
General
Application form, interview/selection centre References- Clinical Knowledge and Expertise
- Capacity to apply sound clinical knowledge and judgement.
- Able to prioritise clinical need
Academic skills
Application formEssential
- Teaching:
- Evidence of interest in, and experience of, teaching
Desirable
- Research skills:
- Teaching:
- Evidence of degrees (not including intercalated BSc or ‘Honorary’ MA), prizes, awards, distinctions, publications, presentations, posters, contribution to e-learning modules
- Evidence of contribution to departmental guidelines
- Evidence of active participation in research
- Publications in peer review journals, presentations at academic meetings or poster presentations
- Membership of faculty for a local, regional or national training event or course
- Evidence of structured feedback for teaching
- Evidence of completion of a teaching course
Personal skills
Application form Interview/selection centre References- Communication skills:
- Problem solving and decision making:
- Empathy and sensitivity:
- Managing others and team involvement:
- Organisation and planning:
- Vigilance and situational awareness:
- Coping with pressure and managing uncertainty:
- Values:
- Demonstrates clarity in written/spoken communication, and capacity to adapt language to the situation, as appropriate.
- Capacity to use logical/lateral thinking to solve problems/make decisions.
- Capacity to take in others’ perspectives see patients as people.
- Capacity to work cooperatively with others and demonstrate leadership when appropriate.
- Capacity to work effectively in multi-professional teams.
- Capacity to organise oneself and prioritise own work.
- Demonstrates punctuality, preparation and self-discipline.
- Understands importance of information technology
- Capacity to be alert to dangers or problems, particularly in relation to clinical governance.
- Demonstrates awareness of developing situations
- Capacity to function under pressure
- Demonstrates initiative, flexibility and resilience to cope with setbacks and adapt to rapidly changing circumstances.
- Awareness of own limitations and when to ask for help.
- Understands, respects and demonstrates the values of the NHS (e.g., everyone counts; improving lives; commitment to quality of care; respect and dignity; working together for patients; compassion)
Probity – professional integrity
Application form, interview/selection centre References- Demonstrates probity (as outlined by the GMC)
Commitment to specialty – learning and personal development
Application form Interview/selection centre References- Demonstrates interest and realistic insight into Emergency Medicine
- Demonstrates self-awareness and ability to accept feedback.
- Evidence of achievements relevant to Emergency Medicine within and outside of medicine
Self-Assessment & Scoring
Emergency Medicine (Defined route of entry and ACCS route) ST3 uses a portfolio-scored selection process. Applicants complete a self-assessment based on official scoring criteria, then upload supporting evidence. Each question has its own point scale — some worth up to 6 points. Understanding the full marking scheme is essential to maximising your score.
Scoring Sections
The self-assessment is structured across 4 sections with 0 scored questions. Each question has variable points — refer to the official self-assessment guidance for exact marking tiers.
Qualifications and eligibility
Track uploads and mapping evidence for qualifications and eligibility.
Quality improvement and audit
Track uploads and mapping evidence for quality improvement and audit.
Academic output
Track uploads and mapping evidence for academic output.
Commitment and communication
Track uploads and mapping evidence for commitment and communication.
Interview Format
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to interview. Below is the expected interview structure for Emergency Medicine (Defined route of entry and ACCS route) ST3. Prepare for each station by reviewing the relevant areas of your portfolio and clinical experience.
Interview
Format: Selection process
Track the route interview flow and supporting evidence.
Required or Recommended Courses
Certain courses may be required or strongly recommended for Emergency Medicine (Defined route of entry and ACCS route) ST3 applicants. Check the validity period — expired certificates may not be accepted.
Evidence Packaging & Export
Understanding how to package and present your evidence is just as important as having the evidence itself. Poorly organised submissions can result in lost marks even when the underlying evidence is strong.
Export Mode
section pdf
Each scored section PDF requires its own file
File Size Limit
10 MB per file
Compress images and merge PDFs to stay under the limit
Title Page
Required
Index Page
Not required
Ordering guidance: Group evidence by section and keep the most probative material first.
Evidence Validation Checklist
Before submitting your application, check your evidence against these validation rules. Items marked as errors will block your submission; warnings indicate areas that may cost marks.
Map evidence to a route target
Evidence should be assigned to a section or question before export so the pack builder can assemble the right output.
Check route-specific forms
The route requires supporting forms or certificates in addition to the core evidence uploads.
Evidence Guidelines
General guidance for evidence preparation and organisation for your Emergency Medicine (Defined route of entry and ACCS route) ST3 application.
- Keep uploads mapped to the route targets shown on this dashboard rather than storing undifferentiated files.
- refetched from 2026_st3_dreem_st3_accs_emergency_medicine_sa_form_1.pdf; body confirms "2026 National Emergency Medicine ST3 ACCS/ST3 DRE-EM"
- new download from 2026_st3_dre-em_applicant_handbook_v2.pdf
- new puppeteer fetch of Y&H landing page
Frequently Asked Questions
What qualifications do I need for Emergency Medicine (Defined route of entry and ACCS route) ST3?
How competitive is Emergency Medicine (Defined route of entry and ACCS route) ST3?
What is the training pathway for Emergency Medicine (Defined route of entry and ACCS route) ST3?
When does Emergency Medicine (Defined route of entry and ACCS route) ST3 2026 recruitment open?
Related Specialties
Compare adjacent specialties that share a recruitment family, training pathway, or portfolio structure.
Ready to Build Your Emergency Medicine (Defined route of entry and ACCS route) ST3 Portfolio?
MedNext Portfolio helps you collect evidence, score your self-assessment, and generate an Oriel-ready submission pack. Start free — no credit card required.