Job: Medical Officer, The Royal Air Force - Preston

The job:

Medical Officers are the doctors of the RAF.

In order to join as a Medical Officer, we’ll expect you to be an experienced medical professional already, looking for the greater challenges that life in the RAF offers.

We provide the modern facilities, training and back up to help you develop your GP or specialist skills. You can enter as a General Duties Medical Officer (GDMO) or as a specialist. You’ll receive postgraduate training in your specialism, as well as training in aviation medicine.

Opportunities:

Medical Officers can go on aeromedical evacuations, providing vital assistance on search-and-rescue missions or emergency relief flights worldwide. As a General Duties Medical Officer you’ll spend about 18 months in vocational hospital-based training posts, followed by another 18 months working in a Medical Centre on an RAF base approved for GP vocational training. Specialists will also start with a short tour to familiarise themselves with station life before joining a specialist environment.

Sponsorship:

If you want to join the RAF as a Medical Officer but aren’t yet qualified, we may be able to fund your studies until you’re ready to start training as a Medical Officer.

If you’re in the Sixth Form, you may qualify for a Sixth Form Scholarship of £2,000. Degree students can also apply for a University Bursary of £4,000 a year for the first two years of study, and a University Cadetship of £10,400–£14,600 per year for the last three years of their degree.

In return, we ask you to become a member of the University Air Squadron (UAS) (or Air Training Corps while you’re at school) and to join the RAF once you’re fully registered with the General Medical Council.

As well as financial support, UAS is an opportunity to get first-hand experience of the challenges you’ll face working with our people, technology and aircraft – and we’ll also give you free flying lessons.

To find out more about sponsorship for potential Medical Officers, please apply.

Qualifications you need: Qualified Medical Practitioner: professional and full GMC registered. Medical cadet: 2 GCSEs/SCEs at Grade C/3 minimum or equivalent in English language and maths

Qualifications you can gain: Relevant professional qualifications

Nationality: Citizen of the UK, the Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland since birth; or a naturalised British citizen.

Joining age: 19 – 55