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DAvMed – Regulations & Guidance

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DAvMed – Regulations [1]

DAvMed – Guidance [2]

DAvMed – Syllabus [3]

DAvMed – Regulations

The Faculty of Occupational Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of London was established “to develop and maintain the good practice of occupational medicine with a view to providing for the protection of people at work by ensuring the highest professional standards of competence and ethical integrity”.

The Diploma in Aviation Medicine is designed for medical practitioners who wish to specialise in the practice of aviation medicine.

It is established to demonstrate that the holder has achieved a level of competence appropriate to the specialist working in aviation medicine. It is quite separate from other qualifications of the Faculty and is not part of the formal training route to Membership or entry onto the specialist register of the General Medical Council of the UK.

D1. Candidates for the Diploma are required EITHER

(a) to provide evidence of full or limited registration with the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom

OR

(b) to possess a medical qualification acceptable to the Director of Assessment of the Faculty. These candidates must produce their original medical registration certificates, or diplomas of medical qualification, and official translations thereof if not in English.

D2. Candidates are also required to have EITHER

(a) completed a Faculty approved Diploma Training Course by the date of the examination. Candidates must provide a copy of their certificate of successful completion of such a course

OR

(b) demonstrate experience in the practice or teaching of aviation medicine. The examination entry form must be accompanied by evidence of the candidate’s experience in aviation medicine.

EXAMINATION FORMAT

D3. The examination is in two parts, part one is in aviation physiology and psychology, and part two is in clinical aviation medicine. Candidates are required to pass both parts. Each part consists of two examination papers; a multiple-choice question paper and a modified essay question paper.

AWARD OF THE DIPLOMA

D4. Candidates who have successfully completed the requirements specified in D3 will be awarded the Diploma in Aviation Medicine and may use the postnominals DAvMed. This qualification is not registerable with the General Medical Council.  Upon payment of a fee, successful candidates may then become an affiliate member of the Faculty.

ADVICE

D5. Any further advice on the Regulations may be obtained by writing to the Academic Dean.

 

DAvMed Guidance

INTRODUCTION

1. The Faculty of Occupational Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of London took over the administration of this qualification in 1982 for doctors who wish to demonstrate a level of proficiency in aviation medicine appropriate to the practice of a specialist.

2. Regulations governing the Diploma in Aviation Medicine (DAvMed) have been published by the Faculty. It is the responsibility of candidates to ensure that they obtain the latest edition of the Regulations. These notes do not form part of the Regulations but are intended to provide guidance for candidates and those running courses to prepare candidates for this qualification.

DIPLOMA

3. This qualification is intended to meet the needs of registered medical practitioners who wish to demonstrate by a combination of training and examination, a level of knowledge and competence in aviation medicine consistent with the practice of a specialist.

TRAINING

4. A number of institutions may offer Diploma Training Courses covering the core syllabus [3]. These courses may be full time, part time or by distance learning. The core syllabus covers the basic topics necessary to understand the principles and practice of aviation medicine.

5. Diploma courses are approved on behalf of the Faculty by the Director of Assessment to whom applications must be made in writing at least six weeks before the course is due to start. Approval is valid for one year only and it is the responsibility of Training Centres to reapply for approval.

6. The Diploma core syllabus requires a minimum of 300 hours direct training. To reach the required standard, candidates need to undertake further private study. This study includes reading appropriate books and journals, attendance at professional meetings such as those arranged by the Aviation Medicine Group of the Royal Aeronautical Society and other organisations, and visits to workplaces. Such private study is likely to require a minimum of 2-3 hours per week over six months. Those providing Diploma Training Courses should include advice about further study in their teaching.

EXAMINATION

7. Application for admission to the examination must be made by the advertised closing date and submitted via the Faculty’s online application system [4]. All applications must be accompanied by the fee (see General Faculty Examination Regulations) and either a copy of the certificate of successful completion of a Diploma Training Course or evidence of the candidate’s experience in aviation medicine. The examination is generally held once a year in either March or April.

8. The examination is in two parts. Part one is in aviation physiology and psychology, and part two is in clinical aviation medicine. Each part consists of a two-hour modified essay paper and a one-hour multiple choice paper. It is designed to assess not only the factual knowledge of the candidates but also their understanding of the principles involved and their capacity to apply this knowledge to specific problems or scenarios.

9. For each of the two parts (physiology and psychology, and clinical aviation medicine) 50 marks are awarded for the multiple-choice question paper, and 75 marks are awarded for the modified essay question paper. Candidates are required to pass both part one and part two to be awarded the DAvMed. The multiple-choice questions are machine marked and the results are statistically analysed to ensure standardisation with previous DAvMed examinations and to exclude unsatisfactory questions. The modified essay questions will be marked independently by two Faculty trained examiners. A candidate’s performance in each paper will be assessed relative to a standard set by the examiners. Raw marks may be adjusted to preserve a common standard between examinations. The pass mark may therefore vary between sittings of the examination.

10. Examiners are appointed by the Assessment Subcommittee and are required to participate in training.

 

DAvMed – Syllabus

The aim of the syllabus is to provide medical practitioners with an outline of the knowledge base in advanced Aviation Medicine so as to prepare them for the examination for the Diploma in Aviation Medicine (DAvMed) of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians of London. Details of the examination requirements and regulations can be found above.

Syllabus Summary

Physiology. General human physiology in the environment of flight with particular emphasis on the respiratory, circulatory and nervous systems, the special senses, the control of body temperature and the dynamic response of the body to forces.

Psychology. The scientific study of human behaviour with particular regard to perceptual processes, the making and implementation of decisions, and factors which affect skill, performance and learning.

Applied Aviation Physiology and Psychology. The application of physiology and psychology to the flight task and environment. The topics include characteristics of the work-space, personal equipment and survival equipment, environmental control and life-support systems, the safety of flying personnel, the assessment of skilled performance and fatigue, acquisition and interpretation of biological data, theory and practice of teaching, training design, the training of aircrew, emergencies, the conduct and management of field studies, the investigation of accidents, space biology.

Selection. The selection of flying personnel, their medical examination, medical standards, aptitude and personality tests, anthropometry, selection for special duties, standards for air traffic controllers and other ground staff, the carriage of the sick or injured, re-categorisation and disposal of aircrew, and the effects of ageing.

Clinical care. Duties of the flight medical officer, aeromedical examiner and aspects of the practice of clinical medicine and surgery of special significance in aviation.

Public Health. National and international regulations and their implementation, actuarial statistics, hours of work, circadian rhythms, sanitation and hygiene including the handling of food, immunisation, climatic factors, radiobiology, bacteriology and parasitology, and accident statistics.

SYLLABUS – CORE AVIATION AND SPACE MEDICINE KNOWLEDGE

The Earth’s atmosphere

Cardiovascular and respiratory physiology

Hypoxia and Hyperventilation

Prevention of hypoxia

Oxygen equipment and pressure clothing

Principles of the pressure cabin and the effects of pressure change on body cavities containing gas

Sub-atmospheric decompression sickness

Effects of long-duration acceleration

Protection against long-duration acceleration

Short duration acceleration

Head injury and protection

Aircraft assisted escape systems

Restraint systems and aircraft crashworthiness

Accident Investigation

Human physiology and the thermal environment 

Thermal stress and survival

Vibration Principles of vibration

Anthropometry and aircrew equipment integration

Sleep and wakefulness

Vision

Spatial orientation and disorientation

Motion sickness

Noise and communication

Aviation psychology: aircrew selection and training 

Aviation psychology: crew resource management

Human Factors:error and accidents

Aircraft hygiene

Medical standards and international regulation

Incapacitation risk

Medication and aircrew

Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems

Clinical Aviation Medicine

Candidates should have an understanding of the following clinical conditions. They should be able to understand how these clinical presentations can influence licensing decisions, future/continued employment, and passenger travel. Candidates should be able to formulate and implement an aeromedical management plan.

Aviation and cardiovascular disease 

Aviation and respiratory disease

Aviation and Gastrointestinal disease

Aviation and metabolic and endocrine disorders

Aviation and renal disease

Aviation and haematology

Infectious diseases

Aviation and malignant disease

Aviation and neurological disease

Aviation and ophthalmology 

Aviation and otorhinolaryngology 

Aviation psychiatry

Aviation and orthopaedic disease

Aviation and obstetrics, gynaecology and sexual health

Aeromedical evacuation

Aircrew and radiation

Space medicine

Aircrew roles,  responsibilities and aeromedical requirements

Passenger health

Pilots with disabilities

Aviation epidemiology

 

Date last modified: 29/06/20

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