General Duties Medical Officer Role 1 remote supervision in the era of Army Contingency Operations

Introduction

The concept of a General Duties Medical Officer (GDMO) has existed in the British Army for many years, aiming to introduce junior doctors to military medical practice. GDMOs have been deployed throughout recent conflicts, providing medical support across the echelons of care, supervised by senior military doctors within the area of operation. This afforded a local governance and supervision structure. The return to Contingency Operations 1 and the need to maintain clinical supervision in an ' approved practice setting ' make future GDMO deployments a challenge. 2 We, therefore, must look forward and ask, 'Can GDMO remote supervision allow suitable and safe future deployments during Contingency Operations in the Role 1 environment? '

A GDMO currently refers to a doctor who has completed a medical degree and Foundation Years (FY) 1 and 2. GDMOs are recruited either before completing a medical degree via cadetships or bursaries or during FY as Direct Entrants (DE). GDMOs may have prior military exposure, such as University Officer Training Corps or the British Army Reserve, and during their FY placements should have completed a General Practice (GP) and Emergency Medicine rotation, equipping them with necessary skills for their first GDMO posting. DE's prior experience may vary, as their medical training is dependent on their Foundation School, not the Defence Deanery.

Subsequently, military training is provided by the Professionally Qualified Officer (PQO) course at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and military medical training during the Army Medical Services (AMS) Entry Officers Course (EOC) and the Post Graduate Medical Officer (PGMO) course. GDMOs are then usually posted to Medical Regiments or occasionally to combat or combat support units in the UK, British Forces Germany or British Forces Cyprus as an assistant Regimental Medical Officer (aRMO). GDMO tour lengths of 27 months are typical before entering speciality training. Following training, the British Army uses GDMOs in ' firm base ' medical centres, during Overseas Training Exercises and deployment in support of front-line operations. With variations in military and medical experience, supervision plans need to be individualised to person and task.

GDMO clinical supervision

By definition, GDMOs do not hold a Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) in a speciality, and therefore, are not deemed to be independent medical practitioners by the...