Competency Levels

The following competency levels (CL) are approved and reflect the mature state of the proposed career structure.

Competency Level One CL1 – Directly Supervised

Competency Level Two CL2 – Remotely supervised/deployable

Competency Level Three CL3 – Unsupervised/Supervisor, Primary Health Care

Competency Level Four CL4 – Unsupervised/Supervisor, Force Protection (eg. Public health, occupational medicine, medical administration)

Competency Level Five CL5 – Unsupervised/Supervisor, Procedural Specialist

Competency Level One CL1 Directly Supervised

This level includes new entry MO who have not yet met all the requirements to be operational deployable. The bulk of these will be those MO who have been sponsored through the undergraduate or graduate medical training schemes, have just completed their hospital residency and are completing their Return of Service Obligation (ROSO). Some will be Direct Entry Officers (DEO).

MO at CL1 will be held in a training pool or training designated position and will not be posted to an actual MO position until all requirements of this CL are completed. This is expected to take 12 to 18 months.

To move to next CL must complete the following:

Military Training

• Service specific initial officer and predeployment training.

Military Medical Training

• MO introductory military health courses and some or all of the following (depending on Service and initial posting)
• Rotary Wing Aeromedical Evacuation
• Fixed Wing Aeromedical Evacuation
• Helicopter Underwater Escape Training
• Underwater Medicine
• Aviation Medicine

Medical Training:

• Emergency Management of Severe Trauma
• Minimum of three months supervised clinical practice (this could be a full time civilian general practice placement)

Additional Training

• Some additional military medical courses may be required as prerequisite for specific postings but will not delay completion of CL1 requirements.

Competency Level Two CL2 Remotely Supervised/Deployable

This level includes MO who are deployable and can practice/work remotely supervised. This level will contain the bulk of working level MO, who will be providing predominantly primary health care in the military environment. It is within this CL that MO will begin streaming into primarily clinical or management/staff/force protection streams.

Military Training

Those who intend to remain in the ADF and continue in the management & staff stream will also be required to complete any Service specific officer development courses. This will ensure that these MO are competitive for promotion and with other Health Service officers for particular command positions. These officer development courses are specifically not linked to competency, but remain mainly rank-based, and so are outside the scope of this structure.

Military Medical Training

MO in CL2 will be required to complete some or all of the following (depending on stream and position)

• MONBCD
• Joint Health Planning Course (JHPC)
• Major Incident Medical Management and Support (MIMMS)
• Maintain currency in EMST

Medical Training

All MO will be expected to enter an approved postgraduate training program, if they have not already done so. Medical Officers are expected to gain entry into these programs in the usual way (ie. The MO must make application and satisfy all entry criteria of the relevant College or Faculty).

The ADF will sponsor postgraduate medical training in

• Primary health care (RACGP or ACRRM)

And/or one of the following:

• Occupational Medicine (includes Aviation, Diving and Hyperbaric, NBC)
• Public Health (including Tropical Medicine)
• Medical Administration
• Sports Medicine
• Any other area of medicine deemed to be necessary for providing ADF health capability.

The requirement for procedural specialists in the full time force is yet to be agreed.

To proceed to CL3/4/5, MO must have completed all the relevant College’s postgraduate training requirements and have had fellowship conferred.

The expectation is that the preponderance will be to proceed in primary care at the beginning of an ADF career. There may be progression to force Protection specialties later in a career. A small number will go straight into Force Protection specialty training.

Competency Level 2A

This CL is specifically for a small number of positions that required the incumbent to hold a particular postgraduate qualification that is not at the CL3/4/5 level. For example, a DipAvmed is required and sufficient for CI AVMED or SMO Albatross. The CL2A positions are listed in the career charts.

CL3/4/5 – Unsupervised/Supervisor

Military Training

Those in the command and staff stream may be required to undergo officer development training/military courses appropriate to rank and position.

Military Medical Training

Currency is to be maintained in areas of military medicine relevant to rank and position.

Medical Training

To maintain CL3/4/5, MO must meet the relevant Specialist College requirements for continuing professional development. Annual certification of compliance with continuing medical education/maintenance of professional skills programs will be required.

23 September, 2008