As an Air Force Medical Officer you will have dual roles. You will provide health services on Air Force bases to ensure the continued health and fitness of Air Force personnel, which in turn enables our nation's air defence capabilities to remain operational. In the deployed environment you will apply your acquired specialist skills in the areas of aeromedical evacuation and aerospace medicine to assist not only ADF members but civilian persons in need following major disasters such as the Bali bombings and the Asian Tsunami. In addition to primary care, you will be significantly involved in provision of aerospace, occupational and preventive medicine services, including the long-term monitoring of members' physical and mental fitness.

Opportunities exist for promotion and expansion of skills into health leadership and management.

On 31 July 2003 a competency based career and salary structure was introduced for Medical Officers in the ADF. Competency Level 1 is achieved after successful completion of a medical degree and two years hospital residency. Competency Level 2 is achieved after completion of a series of military and military medical courses and a further period of supervised clinical practice. From there, Medical Officers will specialise in primary care (Competency Level 3) or health protection areas, such as occupational medicine, public health medicine, sports medicine or medical administration (Competency Level 4). Occupational medicine training has a focus on aviation medicine, underwater medicine and chemical, biological and radiological defence. Other training may be approved subject to ADF requirements.

The health element of the Royal Australian Air Force Specialist Reserve (RAAFSR) is designed to provide a broad range of health services which complement and supplement those maintained in the Permanent Air Force (PAF).

As an Air Force medical officer you will be responsible for ensuring the continued health and fitness of Air Force personnel, which in turn enables our nations air defence capabilities to remain operational. As a specialist, you will be significantly involved in the provision of services in your specialty area in a variety of environments which may include Defence facilities here or abroad, on exercise or operational deployment.

Vacancies may exist within the specialities of :

• General Surgery;
• Orthopaedic Surgery;
• Pathology;
• Intensive Care/Emergency Medicine;
• Anaesthetics;
• Radiology;
• Psychiatry; or
• Internal medicine.

Medical Officers may be granted the worn rank of Squadron Leader (SQNLDR) in recognition of their speciality training.