MEDICAL OFFICER (DOCTOR)

The Job

You’ll lead a small but highly trained team of soldiers, providing medical services to Army personnel and possibly their families in times of war and peace. Along with all the medical complaints you would see in a civilian practice, you will also become experienced in dealing with the specialist health problems encountered in the course of military duty and will deploy alongside the unit to which you are attached. You will have the choice of general practice, hospital specialisation and public health/occupational medicine. As an officer you will also be the person your soldiers turn to for advice – and not just about medical matters.

The Right Job For Me?

To apply for this role you must either be a fully registered doctor or be preparing to enrol as a medical student, in which case you can apply to be sponsored through your training. All officer jobs will call on your ability to lead and motivate the troops under your command, and you will need the maturity and sense of responsibility necessary for a role in which soldiers’ wellbeing can depend on the decisions you make. An ability to take orders is essential in any disciplined unit, but you must also be able to act on your own initiative if the situation calls for it.

What Skills Will I Learn?

Officers are expected to master the same basic military skills and tactics as soldiers. This will include drill, basic fieldcraft, map reading, first aid and how and when to fire your personal weapon. (The RAMC is not a fighting arm, and its officers and soldiers may only use their weapons in self-defence).In addition to your soldiering skills you will also learn the skills required to become an officer, and how to exercise command.As well as all the skills you would learn as a civilian medical practitioner you will gain experience in a wide range of military-specific medicine.

What Training Will I Do?

Initial Training: The first four months of your service are spent attending the Entry Officers Course, which begins with a two-week introduction at the Defence Medical Services Training Centre in Ash Vale, Hampshire, followed by the four-week Professionally Qualified Officers Course, which takes place at the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. The course has a large practical element in preparation for your career. You will learn about the standards of behaviour and self-discipline required of an officer, and will be expected to act with integrity at all times. Immediately after commissioning you will take part in a specialist Defence Medical Services training course back at Ash Vale. In preparation for your first appointment, you will be trained in such subjects as disaster relief and planning humanitarian aid. You then move on to the Royal Defence Medical College in Gosport, Hampshire, for an intensive course in conflict surgery, military psychology and other Army-specific medical disciplines. Further Training: What happens next will depend on whether you choose to specialise in general practice, public health/occupational medicine or a hospital specialisation.

What Qualifications Could I Get?

The Army prides itself on its continuing professional development and you will attend courses throughout your career, many of which translate directly into civilian life. Your specific medical qualifications will depend on what you choose to specialise in. The Army is able to offer doctors commissioned in the RAMC a vocational training scheme in general practice (as a GP registrar) approved by the Joint Committee of Postgraduate Training in General Practice and the RAMC pass rate for the membership examination of the Royal College of General Practitioners is consistently high. Should you become a consultant, your qualifications, experience and expertise will rival those of your NHS colleagues.

Future Prospects

Whatever you decide to do, your training and experience as an officer will stand you in good stead. If you choose to make a career in the Army, then the RAMC will support you in your career choices and offer you a variety of work that civilian medicine cannot rival. Equally, should you decide to return to civilian life, the reputation of the general practice scheme in the Army is very high and anyone who has successfully completed the necessary training will be highly valued in a similar senior medical role.