Head injury
Assess the injury, recognise deterioration and use the appropriate investigation pathway with supervision.
Clinical learning outcomes: Awaiting named clinical review.
What you should learn
- Describe consciousness, neurological findings and relevant risk factors.
- Explain the need for observation, imaging or escalation using current guidance.
Recognise and explain
- Age, anticoagulants, mechanism and symptoms affect assessment; cervical-spine protection is risk based.
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.
- Take the injury and witness history.
- Record and discuss a GCS and focused neurological examination.
- Review imaging criteria and discharge advice with the responsible clinician.
Start here
NICE: assessing a patient with head injury
Read the emergency-department assessment and age-appropriate CT criteria; then discuss observation and discharge advice for one patient.
Current guidance
NICE: possible spinal injury
Use this when spinal injury is suspected; discuss the assessment and appropriate protection with the supervising clinician.
On your next shift
State the warning symptoms and supervision arrangements included in one discharge plan.
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.
MLA: trauma priorities and current guidance
Locate the current head/spinal-injury guidance and discuss the initial assessment with a supervisor.
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: Head injury.
Clinical and professional capabilities: Assessment and clinical reasoning; Recognising limits and seeking help.
Practical skills: Consciousness assessment; Focused neurological examination.
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.