This article reviews the evidence associated with the Royal College of Nursing (2017) Emergency Care Association National Curriculum and Competency Framework for Emergency Nursing to inform the process of implementation in an emergency department. The search for evidence was guided by questions designed to reveal implications relevant to implementation of the framework. Implications identified include a need to let stakeholders know the evidence base is mostly expert opinion, clarify the terms ‘competence’ and ‘competencies’ and address concerns about validity and reliability of competency-based assessment. These implications should enhance the progress of the implementation project.