Medical Officer

Once you’ve confirmed your eligibility, the joining process is as follows:

• Submit an application

  Once you’ve registered your interest and have satisfied the basic eligibility criteria, you will be sent an online application form

• Defence Aptitude Assessment (DAA)

  You’ll be tested on: Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Work Rate, Spatial Reasoning, Electrical Comprehension and Mechanical Comprehension.
  To prepare, you can practise the DAA

• Interview

  A formal interview to talk through your suitability for the role

• Medical and eye tests

  These are quite comprehensive and must be completed by one of our Ministry of Defence-approved doctors

• Pre-Joining Fitness Test (PJFT)

  This involves completing a 2.4km run on a treadmill within a certain time, at a fitness centre near you

• Interview

  You’ll have a short interview to assess your suitability for a career in the Royal Navy, and to ensure you’re ready for the Admiralty Interview Board (AIB)

• Admiralty Interview Board

  This stage is unique to officers and takes place in two parts. A Pre Recorded Interview (PRI) is an online assessment which assesses your motivation to join the Royal Navy as an officer and your awareness of the Royal Navy. The Group Planning Exercise (GPE) is the second stage of the AIB and is an online competency based assessment which will take place on a separate day to the PRI. It will be conducted in a virtual group environment and you will be assessed on your contribution to the team based on your individual performance

• Medical Officer Selection Board 

  We want to select the very best candidates so a selection board allows the Medical Branch Managers to select the highest performing candidates from the AIB to join the Royal Navy as a Medical Officer

   

Following your foundation years you will go to Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC) in Dartmouth for 15 weeks, completing the militarisation phase of training and skills including weapon handling, leadership, teamwork, Naval history and physical fitness. You’ll then complete a six-month New Entry Medical Officer course in Portsmouth. On completion of this, you will be ready to work as a General Duties Medical Officer (GDMO) and could find yourself on a ship, submarine or working with the Royal Marines.

Between deployments at sea, you’ll work in shore establishments, providing primary care to all personnel or in secondary care within a Joint Hospital Group Unit in acute and trauma based clinical areas.  

If you join the Submarine Service, you’ll carry out further medical training in radiation medicine and atmosphere control, before spending four months at the Submarine School at HMS Raleigh to learn about all aspects of submarine operation, warfare, weapons, nuclear propulsion and escape training. You’ll then go to sea for the first time in a submarine and win your ‘Dolphins’ – the coveted badge of a fully qualified Submariner.

There's also a swimming test, so if you can't swim, make sure you learn by the time you join us.

Following your GDMO time you'll have the opportunity to specialise as you would in civilian medicine.  You will return to mainstream clinical practice, where you can focus on a specialist area, this area will depend on service needs, so your career manager will work with you to make choices that meet your own ambitions and our needs. 

Throughout your career you will undertake various courses including clinical training such as ILS and ALS as well as military training and leadership development courses and gain qualifications to reflect this.