The College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland > Exams > Pain Medicine

Pain Medicine

The Fellowship Examination of the Faculty of Pain Medicine, CAI (FFPMCAI) is based on the Clinical Components section of the Pain Medicine Curriculum and comprises of two parts:

 

  • Written examination which must be taken in one sitting and passed before undertaking the clinical examination.
  • Clinical examination which must be taken in one sitting and only undertaken on successful completion of the written examination.

Key Dates

Written examination

Application opens Application closes Trial date Exam date Location
09 February 2026 13 April 2026 21 April 2026 28 April 2026 Online

Clinical examination

Application opens Application closes Trial date Exam date Location
30 April 2026 07 May 2026 – 13 May 2026 Hospital based

Apply for Examination

Check if you are eligible to sit exam. You must:

  • Have or be eligible for full or limited registration with the Irish Medical Council, GMC or equivalent.
  • Have completed Fellowship examination in Anaesthesia or equivalent
  • Have completed the appropriate amount of training

Prepare for Examination

Structure of Examination

Fellowship in Pain Medicine

  • Multiple choice questions – comprising 60 SBAs
  • SOE 1 – Each will be conducted over a 25-minute period each with two examiners on clinical/audit/professionalism
  • SOE 2 – Each will be conducted over a 25-minute period each with two examiners on   equipment/procedures
  • Clinical case Following 30 minutes of assessment of a patient by the candidate, two examiners will examine the candidate for a further 30 minutes.

The examination may include some short minor cases at the discretion of the examiners.

Recommended Resources

Reading Materials Books

  • Evidence based interventional pain practice: According to Clinical Diagnoses (Van Zundert): easy to read and very accessible.
  • ANZCA Acute Pain Guidelines Pain Management (Waldman): More info but still easy to read.
  • Textbook of Pain (Wall and Melzack): Very heavy, more for reference.
  • Guidelines and Reviews (on the relevant websites) Cochrane (Pain and Palliative Care Section) NICE BPS (British Pain Society) International Headache Society guidelines Journals BJA Education ‐ reviews of pain topics Pain (IASP Biennial Reviews) ‐ most recent 2016 Neuromodulation ‐ journal guidelines and reviews on neurostimulation and intrathecal therapy
  • Websites IASP: good review articles, definitions, and guidelines: http://www.iasp‐pain.org/Pain:ClinicalUpdates?navItemNumber=571
  • British Pain Society: guidelines. https://www.britishpainsociety.org/british‐pain‐society‐publications/professional‐publications/ http://emcrit.org/

Examinations Contact:

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