This study-guide was written to help medical students learn the clinical skills necessary to manage confidently, in their early years after graduation, patients with acute abdominal pain. It aims to outline: what needs to be learned, how this can best be achieved and how to assess that the required standards have been achieved. The necessary anatomical, physiological and pathological prerequisite knowledge is highlighted for review. The student is given advice concerning how to access the multiplicity of learning resources available in the teaching hospital environment. An educational strategy combining structured teaching and clinical clerkship is presented. Structured teaching by the SCORPIO method concentrates on developing decision-making skills in a systematic and supervised manner. The clinical clerkship provides the opportunity for the student to develop self-directed learning and self-assessment skills in a less supervised environment.