CICM Second Part Paediatric Examination Syllabus

Curriculum domains

The CICM Second Part Paediatric Examination syllabus (CICM Syllabus for the Second Part Examination in Paediatric Intensive Care Medicine, First Edition (February 2025)) is organised into 21 curriculum domains. PRIMEX maps every domain below to study topics and learning objectives so you can track coverage as you prepare.

The 21 domains

• Structure and Process — ICU systems, transport, rapid response, infection control, liberation, pandemic planning.
• Decision Making — Clinical assessment, severity scoring, clinical reasoning, treatment limitation and medical ethics.
• Sepsis and Infections — Sepsis, septic shock, MODS, ICU infections, immunocompromised host, antimicrobials, infection control.
• Cardiovascular Intensive Care — Congenital and acquired heart disease, shock, arrest, arrhythmias, pulmonary hypertension, monitoring, cardiac ECMO.
• Respiratory Intensive Care — Respiratory failure, ARDS, asthma, airway disease, ventilation, blood gases, respiratory ECMO and imaging.
• Gastrointestinal and Metabolic Intensive Care — Hepatic failure, GI bleeding, acute abdomen, pancreatitis, inborn errors, ICU nutrition and abdominal compartment syndrome.
• Renal Intensive Care — Acute kidney injury, renal failure, renal replacement therapy, acid-base and electrolyte disorders.
• Neurological Intensive Care — Status epilepticus, CNS infection, raised ICP, HIE, stroke, brain death, neuromuscular disorders, neuromonitoring.
• Endocrine Intensive Care — Diabetic emergencies, glucose control, sodium disorders, adrenal, thyroid and pituitary crises.
• Immunological and Rheumatological Intensive Care — Anaphylaxis, severe drug reactions, HLH/MAS, Kawasaki, MIS-C, autoimmune disease, plasma exchange.
• Haematological and Oncological Intensive Care — Cytopenias, haemoglobinopathies, oncological emergencies, transplantation, coagulation and transfusion.
• Trauma Intensive Care — Major and multisystem trauma, massive transfusion, non-accidental injury, TBI, regional trauma, compartment syndromes.
• Environmental Injuries and Toxicology — Poisoning, toxidromes, hyperthermic syndromes, burns, envenomation, submersion and thermal injury.
• Organ and Tissue Donation — Determination of death, care of the potential donor and family-centred donation practice.
• Populations Requiring Special Considerations — Cultural safety, the vulnerable child, chronic illness and technology dependence, long-stay patients.
• Neonatal Intensive Care — Transitional circulation, PPHN, RDS, HIE, IVH, NEC, neonatal sepsis and jaundice, prematurity.
• Peri-operative Issues in Intensive Care — Post-operative ICU care of cardiac, thoracic, neurosurgical, spinal and abdominal surgery and the high-risk patient.
• Intensive Care Procedures — Vascular access, cardiac, airway, respiratory, GI, renal and neurological ICU procedures.
• Radiology in Intensive Care — Interpretation and ICU implications of plain film, CT, MRI, cranial ultrasound and donation imaging.
• Applied Pharmacology in Intensive Care — Safe ICU use, indications and adverse effects of the major drug classes used in critically ill children.
• Professional Practice — Communication and collaboration, leadership and management, health advocacy, research, education, ethics and professionalism.

How PRIMEX maps to the syllabus

• Every domain above is mapped to PRIMEX study topics, so the curriculum tracker shows coverage domain by domain.
• Question banks, AI-graded SAQ practice and viva or OSCE simulation draw from these same mapped domains.
• Spaced-repetition scheduling and progress analytics surface the domains where your coverage is thinnest.

Frequently asked questions