FFICM Final Examination Syllabus

Curriculum domains

The FFICM Final Examination syllabus (Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine (FFICM), UK syllabus (PRIMEX-authored, 310 LOs)) is organised into 20 curriculum domains. PRIMEX maps every domain below to study topics and learning objectives so you can track coverage as you prepare.

The 20 domains

• RESUS - Resuscitation & initial management - Advanced life support, peri-arrest arrhythmias, shock recognition, the acutely deteriorating patient, initial resuscitation and triage, major haemorrhage.
• ASSESS - Assessment, diagnosis & investigation - History and examination in critical illness, imaging interpretation, point-of-care ultrasound, laboratory and microbiological investigation, scoring systems.
• RESP - Respiratory failure & ventilation - Acute respiratory failure, ARDS, invasive and non-invasive ventilation, weaning, asthma and COPD, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, ventilator-associated complications.
• CVS - Cardiovascular failure & support - Shock states, haemodynamic monitoring, vasoactive and inotropic support, acute coronary syndromes, arrhythmias, heart failure, mechanical circulatory support and ECMO.
• RENAL - Renal failure & replacement therapy - Acute kidney injury, fluid and electrolyte disorders, acid-base disturbance, renal replacement therapy modalities and prescription, rhabdomyolysis.
• NEURO - Neurological disease & injury - Traumatic brain injury, subarachnoid haemorrhage and stroke, status epilepticus, raised intracranial pressure, delirium, ICU-acquired weakness, neuromuscular disorders.
• GI - Gastrointestinal, hepatic & nutrition - Acute liver failure, pancreatitis, GI bleeding, intra-abdominal sepsis and hypertension, nutrition and refeeding, the surgical abdomen in ICU.
• ENDO - Endocrine & metabolic - Diabetic emergencies, glycaemic control, thyroid and adrenal emergencies, sodium and other electrolyte disorders, metabolic disturbance.
• INFECTION - Infection, sepsis & immunology - Sepsis and septic shock, antimicrobial stewardship, healthcare-associated infection, the immunocompromised patient, tropical and emerging infection, source control.
• HAEM - Haematology & transfusion - Anaemia and transfusion, coagulopathy and DIC, thrombocytopenia, VTE prophylaxis and treatment, haematological malignancy in ICU, patient blood management.
• TRAUMA - Trauma, burns & environmental - Major trauma and damage control, spinal injury, burns, drowning, hypothermia and hyperthermia, envenomation, crush injury.
• TOXICOLOGY - Poisoning & toxicology - General approach to poisoning, paracetamol and salicylate, toxic alcohols, cardiovascular and CNS drug overdose, antidotes and elimination techniques.
• OBSTETRIC - Obstetric critical care - The critically ill obstetric patient, pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, obstetric haemorrhage, amniotic fluid embolism, peripartum cardiomyopathy.
• PHARM - Pharmacology & therapeutics in ICM - Sedation and analgesia, neuromuscular blockade, vasoactive drugs, antimicrobial pharmacology, drug handling in organ failure, therapeutic drug monitoring.
• PROCEDURES - Practical procedures - Central and arterial access, airway procedures and tracheostomy, chest drains, bronchoscopy, ultrasound-guided procedures, pericardiocentesis, safe procedural practice.
• PERIOP - Perioperative & post-operative critical care - The high-risk surgical patient, post-operative optimisation, abdominal and cardiothoracic post-op care, delirium and pain after surgery.
• COMFORT - Comfort, sedation, delirium & recovery - Analgesia and sedation strategy, delirium prevention and management, sleep, rehabilitation and recovery, post-intensive-care syndrome.
• EOL - End-of-life care, ethics & law - Withdrawal and limitation of treatment, communication with families, capacity and best interests, the Mental Capacity Act, duty of candour, resource allocation.
• DONATION - Organ donation & death by neurological criteria - Diagnosis of death by neurological and circulatory criteria, ancillary testing, donor optimisation, the organ donation pathway and consent.
• PROFESSIONAL - Transport, safety, QI & professionalism - Intra- and inter-hospital transfer, quality improvement and audit, human factors and teamwork, infection prevention, safe systems, professionalism and reflective practice.

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