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Overview of EDIC

• November 26, 2019

The European Diploma in Intensive Care Medicine (EDIC), is a two-part examination which tests a doctor’s theoretical understanding, competencies and professional conduct in the area of intensive care medicine. It has only been recognised by the GMC since June 2019, and only if it was awarded after January 2015.

Having completed both parts of EDIC and obtained a pass in IELTS or OET, you will be eligible to take up an ST3+ post or higher.
 

Eligibility

To be eligible to sit EDIC, you must have completed a year’s internship, and either be enrolled in or have completed a national training programme in one of the following primary specialties:

• Anaesthesiology
• General/Internal Medicine (and other medicine specialties)
• General Surgery (and other surgical specialties)
• Accident & Emergency Medicine
• Paediatrics
• Intensive Care Medicine (if it is a primary specialty)

Or, have completed 18 months’ training in Intensive Care Medicine.

To be eligible for EDIC Part 2, you must have completed EDIC Part 1 and have 24 months of training in Intensive Care Medicine.

It is important to note that both exams will be in English, so whilst neither IELTS nor OET are required to be eligible for the exam, we would advise that you only attempt it once you have a good level and understanding of English.

Cost of EDIC

EDIC Part 1 for ESICM Members	€360
EDIC Part 1 for Non-Members	€510
EDIC Part 1 for ESICM Members in Non-EU Centres	€460
EDIC Part 1 for Non-Members in Non-EU Centres	€610
EDIC Part 2 for ESICM Members	€480
EDIC Part 2 for Non-Members	€680

Modules Tested

Both EDIC Part 1 and Part 2 will cover the following competencies:

• Disease Management
  • Cardiovascular Disorders
  • Neurological Disorders
  • Renal and Genito-Urinary Disorders
  • Gastrointestinal Disorders
  • Respiratory Disorders
  • Infections
  • Other Disorders (Haemo-Oncologic; Metabolic-Toxic; Peri-Partum)
• Therapeutic Interventions / Organ System Support
  • Medical Treatment
  • Organ System Support
  • Peri-Operative Care
• Practical Procedures
  • Respiratory System
  • Cardiovascular System
  • Central Nervous System
• Patient General Care
  • Resuscitation & Initials Management of Critically Ill Patients
  • Comfort and Recovery
  • End-of-Life Care
  • Patient Safety and Health Management System
• Pathophysiology
• Assessment, Diagnosis and Monitoring
• Treatment
• ICU-Management
• General Knowledge
• Adult Patients
• Paediatric Patients

EDIC Part 1

Part 1 of the EDIC Examination is a multiple-choice questionnaire lasting three hours with 100 questions.

The exam itself consists of Type A questions where there will be a number of answers labelled A-E, and you must choose the answer that you feel is the most accurate.

There will also be some Type K questions where you will be expected to say whether a statement is true or false.

Questions may be about any area of intensive care medicine, from basic medical science and physiology to ethics, so preparation is key.

You can find a full list of EDIC Part 1 test centres here.

EDIC Part 2

Part 2 of the examination is in the format of an OSCE, an objectively structured clinical exam. It lasts a minimum of two hours altogether and consists of six skill stations. Three of these stations will be clinical scenarios, lasting thirty minutes each, and the final three stations will be computer based and last between thirteen and fifteen minutes each.

There is no set format in terms of which part of the exam you will sit first, so you can sit the computer-based portion or the clinical scenarios first.

Before undertaking the clinical scenario section of the exam, you will first enter a preparation room in which you will receive any relevant information you will need to help you get ready for the scenarios ahead. You will generally spend thirty minutes in this room, so we would recommend taking the time to really analyse any reading materials offered to you to fully prepare. The clinical scenarios in particular will test your professionalism and communication skills when dealing with patients.

The computer-based part of the examination consists of assessing data interpretation such as radiological images, ECGs and biochemical scenarios. Some doctors say that they find this part of the examination more challenging, so it may be worth spending some extra time preparing for this section, though it is equally important to study for both parts. There will be between eight and twelve scenarios or pictures that you will have to assess.

You can find a full list of EDIC Part 2 test centres here.

Revision Resources
 

Books

• Multiple Choice Questions in Intensive Care Medicine by Steve Benington MB ChB MRCP FRCA, Peter Nightingale and Maire Shelly MB ChB FRCA
• Critical Care MCQS – A Companion for Intensive Care Exams by Steven Lobaz, Mika Hamilton, Alastair J. Glossop and Ajay H. Raithatha
• Objective Structured Clinical Examination in Intensive Care by Jeyasankar Jeyanathan and Daniel Owens

Websites

• ESICM Academy

Relocation to the UK

If you are an international doctor planning to relocate to the UK and join the NHS, email your CV to [email protected] and we will be happy to help you.

Are you a member of our Facebook group? When you join IMG Advisor, you will join a community of doctors all looking to relocate to the UK and join the NHS. We post a series of blogs and vlogs into the group every single day. We will also always be on hand to answer all your relocation queries.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel! We have over 45 videos on everything you need to know about relocating to the UK and joining the NHS!

Listen to BDI Resourcing on the go with our podcast, IMG Advisor, You can find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher and Buzzsprout. We have several episodes with tips and advice about relocating to the UK and the routes you can take to achieve this.

References

ESICM. (2019). EDIC - ESICM. [online] Available at: https://www.esicm.org/education/edic2-2/ [Accessed 25 Nov. 2019].