IAASM-SAA Postgraduate Certificate in Aviation Medicine for Medical Examiners and Assessors

Curriculum & Course Overview

Goal Parts 1 and 2 (e-learning) equip participants with foundational knowledge of ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices in relation to medical fitness assessment of pilots and air traffic controllers, and basic aviation physiology topics relevant to an aviation medical examiner and assessor. Parts 3, 4 and 5 (classroom learning) provide an immersive environment for participants to acquire practical skills to function as an aviation medical examiner and assessor, gaining experience and insight into the operating environment of pilots and air traffic controllers to appreciate the functional demands of their work. The curriculum of this course is designed based on the competency-based training framework published in the ICAO Manual of Civil Aviation Medicine (Doc 8984). Following the course, participants will be able to effectively perform medical examinations and evaluate medical fitness for Classes 1, 2 and 3 Medical Assessments. Learning Objectives • Part 1: Regulatory Medicine (e-learning) • Participants will be able to appreciate the principles and intent of the medical provisions within Annex 1 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, the objectives of conducting licensing medical examinations, and the application of standards when determining the medical fitness of licence applicants. • Part 2: Foundational Aviation Medicine (e-learning) • Participants will be able to appreciate the physiological effects of altitude changes and flight environment on aircrew so that the aeromedical considerations will be taken into account when conducting medical examination and fitness evaluation of pilots. • Part 3: Conducting Medical Examination (classroom) • Participants will be able to apply the correct techniques and strategies to communicate and build trust to facilitate voluntary declaration of medical issues by applicants; perform systematic and targeted clinical examination competently; and, determine adequacies of mental health, visual, hearing, balance and speech functions which are essential to the applicants’ duties. • Part 4: Risk-based Aeromedical Evaluation (classroom) • Participants will be able to justify the approach and conclusion in the medical evaluation of an applicant’s aeromedical fitness for certification, given a set of ophthalmological, cardiovascular, pulmonary, neurological, metabolic / endocrine, hematological and urological conditions. • Part 5: Operational Aviation Medicine (classroom) • Participants will be able to conduct functional assessments for pilots and air traffic controllers, in the cockpit or air traffic control centre environment respectively, to evaluate their fitness to safely exercise the privileges of their licence and analyse the impact of the environment on their health. Primary Target Population Physicians who aspire to be appointed as an aviation medical examiner or medical assessor responsible for the conduct of medical examinations and assessments for pilots and air traffic controllers. Secondary Audience: Existing Aviation Medical Examiners and Medical Assessors; Medical officers of civil aviation authorities and airline health departments; General practitioners, doctors in hospital practice and related health professionals with an interest in applied Aviation Medicine. Entry Requirements • Participants should have a medical degree such as the MBBS, MBBCh, MD or equivalent and are fully registered physicians to practise medicine in their country. • Proficiency in spoken and written English language is required for the activities and assessments in this course. These include the group discussions and individual mastery tests.

Training Specifications