Technician Preventive Medicine belongs to the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps (RAAMC). The RAAMC, along with the Royal Australian Army Dental Corps (RAADC) and the Royal Australian Nursing Corps (RAANC) are responsible to provide every aspect of health care to support and maintain the health and well-being of Army personnel. The Corps is made up of highly trained professionals who are often called upon to work in a variety of operational and non-operational conditions, which their civilian counterparts would find daunting.

Throughout the history of armed conflict, disease and non-battle injury also called Non-Battle Casualties, (DNBI) traditionally accounts for the highest proportion of casualties in military operations. This has been validated in recent Australian Defence Force operations (ADF). ADF personnel must achieve and maintain a high level of health and fitness to enable them to carry out their duties with the drive, determination and efficiency to allow the ADF to fight more effectively than the enemy. The principal causes of personnel loss during military operations are in order:

• Disease.
• Accidental injury.
• Wounds received in combat activities

In the area of operations, preventable disease and non-battle injury is the main cause for the loss of personnel, even though, in individual operations battle casualties may predominate. The problem is aggravated in the tropics by the increased prevalence of communicable diseases and heat casualties. Through realistic training and command-enforced health discipline, personnel loss caused by DNBI can be minimised.

The Technician Preventive Medicine is a soldier who supports commanders in defeating environmental and occupational health threats and preventing disease and non-battle injury casualties in field and barracks environment. The main role of the Technician Preventive Medicine is to conserve manpower through the study, assessment and control of environmental and occupational health threats.

Duties

The Technician Preventive Medicine seeks to assist commander in defeating environmental and occupational health threats preventing disease and non-battle injury casualties by performing the following duties:

• Assess environmental and occupational health threats by gathering and evaluating information obtained through health intelligence sources, on-site surveys, health surveillance and by considering the impact of the mission and friendly situation.
• Determine counter measures to minimise the environmental and occupational health threats including a consideration of sanitation.
• Assist in conducting health surveillance and use health surveillance data to assess effectiveness of counter measures and to plan investigations and survey; develop plans for the implementation of counter measures.
• Conduct surveys and perform testing to continue to assess environmental and occupational health threats and counter measures implementation during deployment.
• Provide advice on the full range of preventive medicine issues to medical and non-medical personnel to foster the promotion of health and the prevention casualties.

Employment Training

Technician Preventive Medicine Basic Course: Approx 8 Weeks

Basic Technician Preventive Medicine Training for the Australian Defence Force and selected foreign forces is conducted at the Army Logistics Training Centre, Bonegilla (near Wodonga VIC). The Technician Preventive Medicine Basic Course provides approx 8 weeks of theory and practical training in occupational health and safety, water quality, food safety, vector control and control of communicable disease. The course also includes a field component that consolidates knowledge and skills in a field environment.

Employment Location

Technician Preventive Medicine are employed in major medical units within Land Command but may be required to provide support to a wide range of Defence and civil activities. Locations include Townsville, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, Darwin, Hobart and Melbourne.

Pay

The pay groups for this employment are:

• Technician Preventative Medicine Grade 1 PTE - CPL Pay Group 2.
• Technician Preventative Medicine Grade 2 PTE - CPL Pay Group 3.
• Supervisor Preventative Medicine CPL - SSGT Pay Group 4.
• Manager Preventative Medicine WO2 Pay Group 4.
• Manager Preventative Medicine WO1 Pay Grade 2

Civil Accreditation

This category's courses meet the requirements for both civilian and military authorities and will make you eligible for:

• Certificate III in Population Health is granted to personnel who have completed the Basic Technician Preventive Medicine Course.