Acute pain
Assess pain, suggest a safe treatment plan and return to check whether it helped.
Clinical learning outcomes: Awaiting named clinical review.
What you should learn
- Assess pain and its effect on the patient.
- Discuss analgesia with appropriate contraindication, dose and monitoring checks.
Recognise and explain
- Use pharmacological and non-drug measures appropriate to the cause and patient; a ladder is not a universal ED protocol.
On your placement
Agree the activity and supervision with the clinical team. For patient-facing learning, seek permission and respect the patient’s comfort and care needs.
- Ask about pain in the patient’s own words and agree a suitable measure.
- Check allergies, medicines and relevant risks with a clinician.
- Reassess pain and adverse effects after treatment.
Observe and understand
- Observe regional analgesia or procedural sedation when clinically indicated.
Observation does not establish competence to perform these activities.
Start here
MLA: assessing pain in the history
Use pain questions to understand the problem and its effect on the person.
MLA: a safe prescribing method
Work through medicine checks, explanation, monitoring and review with a supervisor.
Current guidance
RCEM acute pain guidance for adults
Focus on adult ED pain assessment, safe analgesia and reassessment; discuss patient-specific treatment choices with your supervisor.
Discuss
Assessing and treating acute pain
Choose a proportionate analgesic plan, check contraindications and make reassessment part of the prescription.
On your next shift
Return to one patient after analgesia and compare their comfort and function.
Go deeper
Optional material. Advanced resources extend discussion; they do not define independent student practice. Check the publication date and compare clinical advice with current guidance.
RCEMLearning: pain assessment
Read the pain-assessment and reassessment sections, then compare how pain and function are recorded on your placement.
How this relates to GMC graduate outcomes and the MLA
These are St Emlyn’s learning connections, not a claim that this page covers every national requirement.
Presentations and conditions: Pain.
Clinical and professional capabilities: Assessment and clinical reasoning; Recognising limits and seeking help.
St Emlyn’s interpretation of relevant GMC graduate outcomes and MLA themes; these are summary labels, not official topic codes or a complete curriculum.
Explore the student placement programme
Student practice and graduate expectations
About this resource and its review
A St Emlyn’s guide to learning Emergency Medicine during undergraduate placements. It is not an official medical-school or GMC curriculum. Your medical school’s curriculum and assessment requirements take precedence.
National foundations: GMC Outcomes for Graduates, the practical-skills supplement and the MLA content map applying from September 2026.
Framework checked: 8 October 2026. This is a source check, not clinical sign-off.
Clinical learning outcomes: awaiting named clinical review.
The four learning routes are St Emlyn’s groupings. The six interconnected MLA domains remain part of the official content map.