Navy
MEDICAL
Subspecialty

Officer Subspecialty

AVIAMED

Aviation Medicine

An officer subspecialty earned alongside a primary designator, marking advanced education or experience in this field.

Description

<p>Aerospace medicine focuses on the clinical care, research, and operational support of the health, safety, and performance of crewmembers and passengers of air and space vehicles, together with aviation support personnel. Naval Flight Surgeons undergo limited training in aviation practices, aerospace medicine, and military medicine. Aerospace medicine physicians are qualified Naval Flight Surgeons who have undergone additional residency training in Aerospace Medicine and are adept at dealing with both normal and abnormal physiology in the abnormal environment found in aviation. This abnormal environment includes significant challenges including hypoxic (low oxygen) or hypobaric (low pressure) injuries, spatial disorientation, toxic exposures, microgravity, radiation exposure, G-forces, and emergency ejection injuries. Naval Flight Surgeons’ duties range from primary, urgent, administrative, and occupational care aviation unit members to caring for patients and crews in flight, including airborne casualty evacuation.</p>

Core Skills

  • aerospace physiology
  • aviation medical evaluation
  • occupational medicine
  • flight safety consultation
  • hypoxia management
  • barotrauma assessment
  • aeromedical evacuation
  • aviation human factors
  • toxic exposure management
  • operational patient care

Common Certifications

  • FAA Aviation Medical Examiner Designation
  • American Board of Preventive Medicine Aerospace Medicine Certification
  • Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
  • Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)
  • Board Certified in Occupational Medicine
  • Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)

Civilian Career Paths

  • EMERGENCY MEDICINE
  • PUBLIC HEALTH
  • CLINICAL TECHNICIAN
  • TRAINING AND EDUCATION

Training & Development

Getting Started

  • Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
  • Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS)
  • FAA Aviation Medical Examiner Training
  • Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)

Career Growth

  • American Board of Preventive Medicine Aerospace Medicine Certification
  • Board Certified in Occupational Medicine
  • Certified Medical Review Officer (MRO)

Data sourced from official Navy publications and public military occupational references. Descriptions may be summarized for clarity. Verify all information with your branch career counselor or official military documentation before making career decisions.