Organizations around the world:

United Kingdom and Ireland:

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the College of Emergency Medicine sets the examinations that trainees in Emergency Medicine take in order to become consultants (fully-trained emergency physicians).

Australasia:

In Australia and New Zealand, advanced training in Emergency Medicine is overseen by the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine (ACEM).

Canada:

In Canada, there are two routes to certification in emergency medicine. However, more than two-thirds of the physicians currently practicing emergency medicine across Canada have no specific emergency medicine residency training or certification.[citation needed] Emergency physicians who tend to work in more community-based settings complete a residency specializing in Family Medicine and then proceed to obtain an additional year of training in emergency medicine to obtain a Certificate of Special Competence in Emergency Medicine from the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CCFP-EM).

Physicians wanting to practice in major urban/tertiary care hospitals will often pursue a 5 year specialist residency in Emergency Medicine, certified by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. These members typically spend more time in academic and leadership roles within emergency medicine, EMS, research, and other avenues. There is no significant difference in remuneration or clinical practice type between physicians certified via either route.

United States:

In the United States, there are many member organizations for emergency physicians:
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) is the oldest and largest professional organization. Originally founded in 1968, it now has over 25,000 members.

The American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians (ACOEP) was founded in 1975 and is open only to D.O. emergency physicians. The Association of Emergency Physicians (AEP) offers membership to any practicing emergency physician regardless of training. The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) is focused on the "corporate practice of medicine" and the negative consequences related to patient care. There are three ways to become board certified:
The American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) is the oldest and largest. The Board of Certification in Emergency Medicine (BCEM) is the second-largest. It is the only board that still certifies doctors trained in other types of primary care. The American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine (AOBEM) certifies only emergency physicians with a D.O. degree.

Education:

In the U.S., Emergency Medicine is a moderately competitive specialty for medical graduates to enter, ranking 7 of 16 specialties in terms of percentage of U.S. graduates whose applications are successful. However, over 90% of applicants from U.S. medical schools to U.S. Emergency Medicine residencies are successful. [9] Emergency medicine residencies (M.D., D.O., M.B.B.S.,MBChB) can be three or four years in length, depending on the training institution. In addition to the didactic exposure, much of an emergency medicine residency involves rotating through other specialties with a majority of such rotations through the emergency department itself. By the end of their training, emergency physicians are expected to handle a vast field of medical, surgical, and psychiatric emergencies, and are considered specialists in the stabilization and treatment of emergent condition. Emergency physicians are therefore both clinical generalists and well-rounded diagnosticians.

A number of fellowships are available for emergency medicine graduates including prehospital medicine (emergency medical services), research, toxicology, hyperbaric medicine, sports medicine, ultrasound, and pediatric emergency medicine.

In the United Kingdom, emergency medical trainees enter training after five years of medical school and two-years of the Foundation Programme. During the three year core training programme (Acute Care Common Stem), doctors will complete training in anaesthesia, acute medicine, intensive care, emergency medicine, emergency medicine (paediatric focus) and musculo-skeletal emergency medicine. They must also pass the Membership of the College of Emergency Medicine (MCEM) examination. Trainees will then go onto Higher Training, lasting a further 3 years. Before the end of higher training, the final examination—the FCEM must be passed. Upon completion of training the doctor will be eligible for entry on the GMC Specialist Register and allowed to apply for a post as a Consultant in Emergency Medicine. Emergency Medicine training in the UK is emerging.

Traditionally emergency medics have been drawn from anaesthesia, medicine and surgery. The majority of A&E consultants are surgically trained; some hold the Fellowship of Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in Accident and Emergency—FRCSEd(A&E). Some of these consultants will be referred to as 'Mister' whilst others choose either not to change from 'Doctor' or to change back to 'Doctor' after passing the FCEM exam. Medical consultants will be holders of the MRCP and anaesthetic trained consultants will hold the FRCA and some may hold both FRCA and MRCP. A&E Consultants may dual accredit in Intensive Care Medicine.

Working:

The employment arrangement of emergency physician practices are either private (a democratic group of EPs staff an ED under contract), institutional (EPs with an independent contractor relationship with the hospital), corporate (EPs with an independent contractor relationship with a third party staffing company that services multiple emergency departments) or governmental (employed by the US armed forces, the US public health service, the Veteran's Administration or other government agency).

Most emergency physicians staff hospital emergency departments in shifts, a job structure necessitated by the 24/7 nature of the emergency department. By its very nature, emergency medicine is considered one of the most grueling and intensive fields to train and practice in. 100-hour work weeks for residents are not uncommon. As emergency medicine practitioners often act as primary care providers for those who are uninsured, they are expected to be competent in treating, diagnosing, and managing a wide array of illnesses and conditions, both chronic and acute. Emergency department physicians experience a high rate of patient death, more than any other group except oncologists. As a result, burn-out and depression are not uncommon.

In the United Kingdom all Consultants in Emergency Medicine work in the NHS. There is little scope for private emergency practice.