Aviation medicals

Designated Aviation Medicine Examiner/Designated Aviation Ophthalmologist
 DAME Newsletter
March 2002

Acknowledgement

Distribution

Administrative matters

  1. 7 Deadly sins
  2. JS McMillans - change of location
  3. ARN (Aviation Reference Number)

Systems Manager

  1. MRS Online - Project Manager's Update
  2. Status and Schedule
  3. Tasks for DAMEs and DAOs to prepare for MRS Online
  4. Pregnant ATC

Problems and Suggestions (Steel Magnolias)

  1. Several cases of positive Stress ECG's
  2. Blood Glucose Report
  3. ATC Colour Vision
  4. Qantas Aircrew Clearance

Greetings from Netty

  1. A call up for Australian DAME's/DAO's Providers of Overseas Medicals

Feedback

Acknowledgment

DAMEs/DAOs should confirm receipt of this Newsletter, notating their DAME stamp number, per return e-mail to dame.liaison@casa.gov.au. Alternatively, please fax confirmation of its receipt to CASA AvMed at (02) 6217 1640.

Distribution

DAMEs/DAO should read and digest the contents of this Newsletter, retain it for future reference, and make relevant sections of it available to locums or to other staff members who have dealings with CASA on behalf of practice principals.

Administrative matters

The 7 deadly sins

  1. Not keeping your staff informed - pass the newsletter on
  2. Change of e-mail address, intentions to change address, intentions to resign - tell the world but don't forget to tell us
  3. Who are you - identify yourself by putting your stamp number on correspondence
  4. Using O and R forms inappropriately - don't run out of stock
  5. Hoarding medicals - consequences save a stamp but cause great stress to applicants and to CASA
  6. Scribbling - filling in boxes that are not relevant (DAOs notorious)
  7. Mounting ECGs - we are spending quite a lot of time mounting ECGs - please ensure your staff perform this task iaw notified requirements

JS McMillans - Report

J S McMillans, our stationery suppliers, recently moved to Granville and their phone/fax numbers changed. New details: Telephone (02) 9795 1200 Facsimile (02) 9795 1222. While they have diversions operating at the moment, these will soon be discontinued. CASA has arranged with the company's warehouse for requests for an Order Form they to be faxing out with the new numbers. They are concerned still to be receiving old Order Forms with the previous numbers crossed out and handwritten new numbers. Please use the CASA on-line store or download an order form.

ARN - Aviation Reference Number

CASA requires those few remaining DAMEs in approved group practices, locums and alternatives to have an individual ARN (Aviation Reference Number). To activate this, the applicant's full name, DOB and the date he/she commenced at your practice. This requirement is essential for performance of medicals on-line. Please respond by e-mail to hardy_r@casa.gov.au with the DAME stamp number as an identification.

You are advised to re-read the MRS online section, which will be regularly updated (notionally fortnightly) henceforth.

Systems Manager

MRS Online - Project Manager's Update

Request for information: Can all DAMEs please advise what operating system is installed on the computers you will use with MRS Online (eg Windows 95, 98 or 2000, Windows NT, or some other). Some of the older operating systems may not support the security features being developed, and we need to gauge how many people will be affected as soon as possible. We especially need to know if you are using Windows 95 or Windows NT, and do not have plans to upgrade this before the system is fully implemented later this year. Please email me with this information at karpfen_e@casa.gov.au.

Status and Schedule

The prototype is now available through the CASA website for your review and comments. Thank you to everyone who has already provided feedback: this has been passed on, and should be reflected in future updates to the prototype. Note that version 2 was published on 1 March 2002, and we aim for fortnightly updates.

Some technical issues have required us to review the schedule again, and the major milestones have been amended as follows:

  • late March 2002: full prototype finalised
  • May 2002: CASA acceptance testing of system
  • June 2002: DAME testing of system
  • July 2002: Restricted pilot of MRS Online
  • November 2002: Full implementation of MRS Online

Tasks for DAMEs and DAOs to prepare for MRS Online

The following are things that you can do, to ensure you are ready for the new system:

Apply for an individual healthcare certificate from the Health e-Signature Authority

  • this will ensure that the information you exchange with CASA in undertaking an aviation medical or ophthalmic exam is kept secure and private
  • if you have a Medicare provider number, the Health Insurance Commission will sponsor your certificate. If you do not have a provider number, the cost is in the order of $100
  • to apply for a certificate you will need to send HeSA:
    • a signed copy of the Gatekeeper Individual Healthcare Agreement
    • a completed Identification Reference form, including details of the Acceptable Referee (who can be another medical practitioner)
    • copies of identification documents adding up to at least 100 points (so that would be one from the primary identification documents group plus one from Group 1 or Group 2 of the secondary identification documents group OR 2 from Group 3 of the secondary identification documents group listed on the Identification Reference form)

These will be processed, and you will receive an I-key and a PIN separately.

You can download the forms from the HeSA web site, or I can email them to you if you prefer. We have advised HeSA to expect enquiries and applications, including some overseas requests. They have asked that you contact them via their email address (registration@hesa.com.au) so that they can ensure your queries are answered by the right people.

I will send out further details about using your certificate and I-Key in the next update. Meanwhile, if you have any queries, please contact me at the above email address.

Kind regards

Elenore Karpfen
MRS Project Manager

CASR Part 67

Pregnant ATC

Pending formal promulgation of the new regulation, CASA has agreed to permit pregnant ATC who meet the criteria to work until 38/40 gestation

67.185 Suspension of medical certificates - pregnancy

  1. A medical certificate held by a pregnant woman who holds, or is an applicant for, a licence is taken to be suspended:
    1. during the period beginning immediately after the end of the 30th week of gestation and ending when a DAME certifies that she is fully recovered following delivery or the termination of the pregnancy; or
    2. if in a particular case CASA directs in writing that a different period should apply - the period so directed by CASA; or
    3. if, before the start of the period mentioned in paragraph (a), the pregnancy ends in miscarriage or premature labour, or is terminated by medical intervention - from the time of the miscarriage, premature labour or intervention until a DAME certifies that she is fully recovered.
      Note This regulation does not preclude a pilot who is pregnant from undertaking or receiving instruction in a flight simulator at any stage of the pilot's pregnancy.
  2. Despite subregulation (1), a pregnant woman who holds an air traffic controller licence may continue to exercise the privileges of the licence until the end of the 38th week of gestation if:
    1. the medical practitioner who is attending the woman certifies her continued medical fitness to do so each week beginning at the 31st week of gestation; and
    2. a DAME certifies the woman's continuing aeromedical fitness to do so each week beginning at the 31st week of gestation; and
    3. another person who holds an air traffic controller licence, and is medically fit and able to take over responsibility for the function, is on duty and available at the times when she does so.

Problems and suggestions

Several cases of positive Stress ECG's

Several cases of positive Stress ECG were followed up by resting Echocardiograms. This is an inappropriate test. Some DAMEs evidently misinterpreted the required use of Stress Echocardiograms for follow up to positive Stress ECG, considering that the Stress ECG constituted the required "Stress" part of Stress Echocardiogram, and that only an Echocardiogram is required for the "Echo" part of the investigation. A closer reading of the DAME Handbook should clarify the actual requirement.

Blood Glucose report

A reminder - Fasting Blood Glucose reports for Class 1 and 3 applicants required at the same time as Serum Lipids estimations.

See the aide memoire chart of required periodic examinations in the DAME Handbook under Special Investigations 1.4. CASA suggests that you print it and have it as handy reference for age-driven requirements.

Colour Vision - Class 3 Air Traffic Controllers

Initial Medicals for ATC on page N6, section 5C, Question 25:
Does the applicant make more than 2 mistakes on colour vision-testing with the 24 plate Ishihara pseudo-isochromatic plates shown in a random order?

If the answer is YES to this, the applicant fails to meet Class 3 Standard and there is NO follow up testing available.

Qantas - Aircrew Medical Clearance

Qantas aircrew may seek clearance to return to work from you following illness or injury. The appropriate form is reproduced below and you can fax it to Qantas Aircrew Operations using the number at the top of the clearance form.

Please make copies of this form for future use.

Qantas Aircrew medical clearance form (13K Adobe Acrobat file)

Greetings from Netty

A call up for Australian DAMEs/DAOs who perform Overseas Medicals

CASA wishes to incorporate details of other Authorities for which DAMEs/Ophthalmologists are approved examiners (e.g. FAA USA, CAA UK, AME NZ, Transport CANADA, Papua New Guinea PNG, Japan JCAB, Hong Kong CAD, Solomon Islands and other authorities) in its DAME list, as a convenience for applpicants who require those examinations. If you wish to be appropriately recorded on the CASA website under the title Australian DAMEs/DAOs Providers of Overseas medicals, please email dame.liaison@casa.gov.au. A copy of your relevant Certificate of Authority to perform these medicals will be required.

NOTE: Your existing listing will still remain - this will be an additional listing.

Feedback

CASA is currently revamping its DAME Liaison standard letters, Conditions of Appointment, Application Forms etc. More news later, when the full requirements of CASR Part 67 have been addressed.

 
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