To be an effective force the Navy needs all its personnel to be fit and healthy. Naval doctors are responsible for the general health of all personnel and may become involved in specialist areas like Underwater Medicine and Occupational Medicine.

The type of doctor the Navy is looking for is someone who can practice medicine for a sea going community. We are looking for people who can practise high standards of care under adverse conditions and with minimal support. This may exclude applicants who want an intense academic or hospital-based specialist career.

The Navy has modern, fully-equipped facilities with trained medical and clerical staff to support you both at sea and ashore. The largest in-patient facility, Balmoral Naval Hospital in Sydney, is fully accredited in accordance with Australian and New Zealand Standard ISO 9002:1994. Patients are treated by a number of Naval staff supported by visiting Specialists.

Navy doctors will be supported to specialise in primary care, occupational medicine, sports medicine, public health medicine or medical administration. 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 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 Graduate Medical Scheme allows persons who already hold an appropriate degree qualification to be sponsored to qualify as a medical practitioner and then serve in the Australian Defence Force as a Medical Officer. Successful applicants undertake a four year degree course at one of the Australian universities offering the graduate medical program. This is followed by two years residency (internship and RMO1 year) to be completed at a teaching hospital. It is the responsibility of the applicant to seek acceptance into graduate medical studies at the university of their choice. This includes sitting the Graduate Australian Medical Schools Admission Test.

In addition to an attractive student salary, applicants accepted for sponsorship in the Graduate Medical Scheme will be reimbursed all reasonable costs related to gaining admission to the course, including application fees and travel costs. Travel costs will be reimbursed at a rate commensurate with the scales applicable at the time of travel.

To be an effective force the Navy needs all its personnel to be fit and healthy. Medical Officers are responsible for the general health of all personnel and may become involved in specialist areas such as Emergency Management Severe Trauma, Underwater Medicine and Aviation Medicine.

Navy doctors serve in various locations and deal with a wide range of cases. The Navy offers up to date, fully equipped Medical Facilities ashore and afloat, including the two Primary Casualty Reception Facilities on board HMAS Kanimbla and Manoora which include high dependency beds and and an operating theatre. Doctors can serve with Underwater Medicine Units in HMAS Stirling (WA) or HMAS Penguin (NSW) in support of special forces training and submarine operations. Doctors may also be deployed with peace-keeping forces where the focus is primary health and humanitarian medicine.