Designated
Aviation Medicine Examiner/Designated Aviation Ophthalmologist
DAME
Newsletter
February 2004
Temporary Medical Certificates
Principal Medical Officer's column
DAMEs and DAOs - new and resigned
Acknowledgement
DAMEs/DAOs should confirm receipt of this Newsletter, noting their stamp number, per return email to jeanette.glasson@casa.gov.au. Alternatively, for those without email, please fax confirmation of its receipt to CASA AvMed on (02) 6217 1640.
DAMEs Must Not Issue Tear-Off Temporary Medical Certificates
DAMEs were advised in the October 2003 Newsletter that the tear off "Temporary Medical Certificate for Original Issue" must no longer be issued to applicants. With the implementation of Part 67 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations, DAMEs have been given explicit functions in the regulations themselves, which eliminated the need to grant DAMEs a delegation to perform certain regulatory functions. Where CASA alone is given specified powers and functions under the new regulations, DAMEs may not exercise those powers or perform those functions.
We have been receiving medical examination reports that indicate that some DAMEs may still be issuing temporary 'tear-off' medical certificates. We have been contacting those DAMEs and the individuals who were given such certificates to advise them that those certificates are not valid and cannot lawfully be used as a medical certificate, or as evidence that a certificate has been issued.
If you have any queries regarding this please contact your DAME liaison officer (Tara or Netty).Distribution
DAMEs/DAOs/DAEEs should read and digest the contents of this Newsletter, retain it for future reference, and make relevant sections of it available to other staff members who have dealings with CASA on behalf of practice principals.
Changes to AvMed Section at CASA
There have been a number of key changes in the Aviation Medicine Section at CASA. Following the resignations of Dr Peter Wilkins in January and Dr Dave Emonson in February, Dr Sham Tak Sum has been appointed as Acting PMO. Dr John Putland and Dr James Ross are both providing valuable assistance to Tak.
The role of the PMO has been changed to focus on those aspects of the section's functions that require medical expertise. All the other functions have been allocated to a new position of Manager Aviation Medicine Section.
Roger Crosthwaite has been appointed to the Manager position. Since joining CASA, Roger has been working in the Regulatory Reform Program and the CASA Improvement Program. Before that, Roger was the policy advisor at Civil Aviation Authority New Zealand.PMO's Column
This is SHAM Tak Sum with my first PMO, (really acting PMO) column, as the current occupier of the equivalent Martin Baker Mk 1 stationary on the ground with all safety pins out. As a subscriber of the KISS principle I will write only when there is something to say.
Some of you have been asked to fill in various forms and papers for all sorts of organisations and had expressed concern as to the legal status of the forms you fill in.
If you perform functions of a CASA Appointed Person as a DAME your actions are covered by the relevant regulations. In essence there are only 2 functions: revalidating certificates (CASR 67.220, 67.225) and return to flight duties (CASR 67.265). For certificates use the medical forms or MRS Online. For return to flight duties, use the stamp on your own stationery.
Cabin crew duties are not covered by CASR. If they hold a medical certificate return to flight duties refers to licence's held with privileges validated by the certificate i.e. as pilots, flight engineers or air traffic controllers, not as cabin flight attendants.
Your stamp should be used for 3 situations only:
- on medicals
- on your own stationery for "return to flight duties"
- on your own stationery when corresponding with CASA for matters relating to function as DAME.
Anything you do that is not covered by a regulation such as filling reports, forms or documents for any organisation other than CASA you are representing yourself as a medical practitioner with experience in aviation medicine, not as a CASA Appointed Person.
I am always available to discuss matters by phone.Administrative Matters
'Email from a DAME'
Subject: MRS Online update
Do you want us to start using actual patients for the testing of MRS Online or just the dummy patients? (I realise that we still send the paper application, and that on-line medicals will not be assessed). The difficulty I have with MRS Online is that it seems that ANY and EVERY question I answer "Yes" to, and fill in one of the pop-up boxes, means that the form has to go to CASA for the medical (certificate) to be issued. Is this correct? Whereas previously, for example, if an applicant disclosed a history of asthma, I would question him/her about the severity: ever hospitalised, when last used inhalants etc and if I find that it was "mild" childhood asthma, never hospitalised, last used inhalants 16 years ago, I would use my judgement and still issue the certificate. [I know we no longer issue a temporary 2-month medical (certificate) for new applicants.] Similarly if an applicant is using an OTC medication, say a non-sedating antihistamine or nose spray, or a naturopathic product like ginger tablets, not known to have any side effects, I would issue the renewal. If the applicant has had a skin lesion cauterised, no pathology available, is this still a Yes answer? I think it would be difficult to get any applicant who does not answer "Yes" to at least one of the questions, and this is going to produce many many pilots who will not get their 2-month renewal. Most of them come in just as their medical is due, and this will throw the system into chaos, if they're scheduled for duty the following day. I know using MRS Online it now takes me over an hour to do a renewal medical as opposed to about 20 minutes before. I am making these comments to be helpful, not to be difficult, and if I am misunderstanding the system, please let me know.
Cheers, XXXXXXXX
Email From : KARPFEN, ELENORE
Subject : MRS Online update
I am expecting to have MRS Online ready to accept actual medicals within a fortnight.
With regards to your query, yes every time that you answer Yes to a question, you will get a follow-up question, and it will result in a delay being raised on assessment. However, this is no different to the current system, except that now you get immediate feedback on the results of the assessment once if has been undertaken.
With the online system, you will continue to exercise your professional judgement in providing the two-month extension. If you consider that there is no matter you have raised that warrants not issuing this extension, you should go ahead as you have done in the past.
I hope this is of assistance.
Kind regards
Elenore
Applications for Re-appointment
CASA has received a large number of applications for re-appointment and is processing them as quickly as possible. The process is time consuming so we appreciate your patience while we work through the applications. If you have any concerns about your reappointment please refer to CASR 67.035 Continuation of appointment until application decided, and CAS 67.040 When decision must be made.
Please note not all DAMEs and DAOs were required to apply for re-appointment. DAMEs and DAOs are appointed for a period of 4 years, so if you have been appointed within the last 4 years we will contact you in writing requesting that you apply for re-appointment.
We have written to all DAMEs and DAOs who need to apply for re-appointment. Please note that receiving the email explaining the reasons that CASA is required to appoint medical delegates for 4 years does not mean you have to apply for re-appointment. The email was sent out o all DAMEs, DOAs and DAEEs as information only.
Aviation Medicine Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire
The Aviation Medicine Customer Satisfaction Questionnaire has been distributed to 100 recently medically certified pilots. The survey was conducted as part of Aviation Medicine activity, as part of Operational and Flight Crew Licensing Section, to obtain quality management system accreditation and gauge customer satisfaction levels.
The results have been compiled with pilots rating the service provided by DAMEs between good and very good in terms of:
- waiting time for appointment
- perceived quality of examination
- distance required to travel to location of DAME
- flexibility required to make appointment for medical examination and
- DAME knowledge of medical examination requirements.
Pilots also rated the waiting time for medical certification as between good and very good.
The information provided was used for quality management purposes only and will not be reflected on individual DAME records or files. A follow up survey is planned.Questions from DAMEs at aviation medicine seminars
A number of questions were asked at the AMSANZ AGM at Mudgee. I consulted Elenore Karpfen, MRS Online Project Manager, and her answers are as follows.
Q. What format can attachments be submitted in electronically to CASA using MRS Online?
A. Attachments can be in most common file formats for graphics and documents. We will not accept executable files. Do not use lossy (a technical computer term - not lousy) compression for graphics. It implies incomplete and modified medical information. If you are unsure of the difference between lossy and non-lossy compression, do not send graphic files as medical reports.
Q. Will there be any problems submitting spirometry test results as electronic attachments to medicals?
A. Providing this is not a proprietary file format it will be okay to send this as an attachment, within the constraints of the above response. However, it should be noted that DAMEs will still need to provide a response to the specific medical question in relation to lung function.
Q. How does the I Key work with Windows NT which does include USB port acknowledgement? I had mentioned this question to you previously.
A. DAMEs may need to discuss this with HeSA, but our advice from them was that, providing all the updates have been applied, it is possible to successfully install the I Key on a Windows NT box
Q. How long does it take for the confirmation of receipt and confirmation of result email to come through?
A. Confirmation of receipt should occur within 1 minute of submitting the medical. 95% of the time, results will be notified in less than 5 minutes of submitting the medical.Applicants need to have an ARN
Aviation Reference Numbers (ARN) will be required prior to booking an Original medical examination when MRS Online is implemented.
An ARN can be obtained using CASAs ARN Application Form, (form number 1162), which is available from the CASA website at http://casa.gov.au/manuals/regulate/fcl/form1162.pdf and which can be submitted to a CASA area office in person or by post to:
CASA
GPO Box 1544
Canberra City ACT 2601.
Please note supporting documentation, copies of which must be certified by an appropriate person, is required for the ARN application. DAMEs are able to certify identification documents. Eligible documents are listed on the Application Form.
Applications based on an overseas licence may take up to 60 days to be processed.MRS Online - Project Manager's Update
I am delighted to announce that CASA has now begun the long anticipated Pilot of the MRS Online system.
The first online medicals were submitted to CASA on 5 February, and the first certificates from online medicals were posted out on 11 February. On 11 February 25 medical exam forms had been requested by DAMEs, and 15 completed exam forms had been submitted. So we are well underway.
As reported in previous updates, the Pilot will run for 3-4 months, as follows:
- Initially the Online system will be restricted to a limited number
of DAMEs. This will allow us to monitor the system performance under
load, and make adjustments as necessary.
During this time, DAMEs will be able to conduct paper-based aviation medical and ophthalmic examinations. - After we have successfully received and processed 50 online medicals,
we will increase the number of DAMEs with access to the system. After
we have successfully processed 200 medicals the system will be opened up
further, and after we have processed 500 medicals, it will be opened to every
DAME who wishes to use it.
Again, throughout this time, you will be able to continue using the existing forms to conduct aviation medical and ophthalmic examinations. - After we have processed 500 medicals, and the system has been
in use for at least 3 months, we will evaluate the success of otherwise of
the Pilot, including all feedback from DAMEs who have used the system. As
a result of the evaluation, we may decide to:
- Withdraw the system until problems can be rectified
- Continue the Pilot for a longer period
- Proceed to full use of the system, and withdraw the paper-based examination option.
My expectation is that we will be in a position to announce the outcome of the Pilot in May or June 2004.
Once the system is opened up to all DAMEs, I strongly recommend that everyone take the opportunity to conduct at least some examinations using the MRS Online system, so that you can provide input to the evaluation
Two points to note:
- if you have not yet applied for your healthcare individual certificate (I-Key) from HeSA ( http://www.hesa.com.au/apply.htm ), now would be a very good time to do so. This applies to international as well as Australian DAMEs.
- you can NOT use the test system on the CASA website for real medical examinations. This system is provided to allow you to try out the system before using it in earnest. We will shortly be updating it to make it clear that it is a Test system only. Any medicals submitted via this system will NOT result in a certificate being issued. You will need to wait until you receive an installation CD, to install the Production system and begin using the system to complete medical examination forms.
Greetings from Netty and Tara
Welcome to the October 2003 Newsletter.
Tara
It has been a busy few months at Aviation Medicine, with December being the busiest month of the year by 30%. As a result of the Christmas break, some pilots may have had to wait until January for their medical certificates.
However, with uncomplicated medicals being assessed in an average of 3.4 days from the date the medical is received by Aviation Medicine, the wait should have been relatively short.
I am looking forward to another pleasant and productive year and would like to thank the DAMEs, DAOs and Aviation Medicine staff for their patience, cooperation and commitment to providing quality customer service.Netty
CASA will accept completion of the following aviation medicine courses as meeting the CASA standards for medical examiners aviation medicine education:
- Australian Certificate of Civil Aviation Medicine, Monash University, VIC
- Certificate in Aerospace Medicine, Griffith University, QLD
- Basic Aviation Medicine, RAAF Institute of Aviation Medicine
- General Certificate in Aviation Medicine, Farnborough
- Flight Surgeon Primary, USAF, San Antonio
- Post Graduate Certificate in Aviation Medicine, Edith Cowan University, WA
- Diploma in Aviation Medicine, Otago University, New Zealand
- Diploma of Aviation Medicine
- Master of Aviation Medicine
- PhD in Aviation Medicine.
An aviation medicine qualification is required for an appointment as a DAME in accordance with CASA standards. If you were previously appointed without and aviation medicine qualification, this will be considered in the assessment when your reappointment is due.
However, recently we have appointed DAMEs on the condition that they will complete an aviation medicine qualification by the end of 2004. Including a copy of confirmation of enrolment in an aviation medicine course with your application form will assist in assessing your application.
If you have been asked to reapply for appointment as a DAME or DAO and you do not wish to reapply please inform us in writing by fax, post or email at jeanette.glasson@casa.gov.au or tara.powell@casa.gov.au stating what date you would like your resignation to take effect. This is in accordance with the requirements of the Conditions of Appointment.
If you are resigning as a DAME or DAO, you are required to return your stamp and any examination forms you have left.DAMEs and DAOs - new and resigned
Resigned DAMEs and DAOs
Dr John Latham of Naracoorte, SA, Dr Curtis Deland of Gawler, SA, and Dr Kendall McClelland of Biggera Waters, QLD, have resigned after 32, 36 and 38 years as DAMEs respectively.
DAOs Dr David Kitchen of Mackay, QLD, Dr David Lawson of Caloundra, QLD, Dr Alec Jordan of North Adelaide, SA, Dr Trevor Hodson of Mount Gambier, SA, Dr Roger Wilson, United Kingdom and Dr Hendrik Punt of the Netherlands have resigned.
DAMEs Dr Gillian Warren of Ainslie, ACT, Dr Leslie Osen of Condell Park, NSW, Dr Ronald Sutherland of Sandy Bay, TAS, Dr John Stone of Eltham, VIC, Dr Graeme Bertuch of Ararat, VIC, and Dr John Monkman of Mooroolbark, VIC, have retired.
DAMEs Dr Herbert Chee of Mollymook, NSW, Dr James Blackwood of Bathurst, NSW, Dr Geoffrey Bayliss of Bungendore, NSW, Dr Donald Ramsey of Weipa, QLD, Dr Trezise, Ayr, QLD, Dr Paul Temme of Kensington Park, SA and Dr Vince Galtieri of Essendon, VIC have resigned.
DAMEs Dr Jag Singh of Maddington, WA, Dr Graham Pinn of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Dr Simon James of Alberta, Canada, Dr Halford Conwell of Texas, USA, Dr Alan Fair of Tokyo, Japan, Dr Dewi Morgan of Salisbury, United Kingdom and Dr Allan Kulunga of Mount Hagen, Papua New Guinea have also resigned. Dr Anantvoranich of Songkla, Thailand, died following 10 years service as a DAME. CASA acknowledges their contributions over many years.Newly appointed DAMEs and DAOs
Dr Wicky Wong of Singapore, has been appointed as a DAME.
Dr Richard Batt of Auckland, New Zealand, has been appointed as a DAME.
Dr Anoma Jayasinghe has been appointed as a DAME in Katunayake, Sri Lanka.
Dr Punita Masrani has been appointed as a DAME in Mumbai, India.
Dr Johanna Pruis of Schiphol-Oost, Netherlands, has been appointed as a Designated Aviation Eye Examiner.
Dr Robert Lewin of Erskineville, NSW, has been appointed as a DAME.
Dr Michael Thomas of Corowa, NSW, has been appointed as a DAME.
Dr George Abraham of Westmead, NSW, has been appointed as a DAME.
Dr Shawn Perera has been appointed as a DAME in Cairns, QLD.
Dr Alfred Talbot has been appointed as a DAO in Townsville, QLD.
Dr Peter Longmore has been appointed as a DAME in Brighton, VIC.
Dr Justin O'Day has been appointed as a DAO in Fitzroy, VIC.
Dr Robert Liddell of Bedfordale, WA, has been appointed as a DAME.
DAMEs and DAOs who have moved
Dr Jeni Saunders has moved from Blakehurst to Kogarah, NSW as a DAME.
Dr Alan Reitsma has moved from Broadbeach, QLD, to Griffith, NSW as a DAME.
Dr Rajeev Sharma has moved from Eltham to Heidelberg, VIC as a DAME.
Dr Michael Ryan and Dr Laurence Sullivan have moved from Melbourne to Fitzroy, VIC, as DAOs.
Dr Erika Nishimoto has moved from Singapore to Sydney and ceased performing aviation medical examinations.
Dr John Merritt has moved from Hong Kong to Longford, United Kingdom.
Dr Sally Edmonds of Broome, WA, is now working at Port Hedland Royal Flying Doctor Service.DAME and DAO Applications
There is a shortage of DAMEs and DAOs in several parts of Australia. If you know of a doctor or ophthalmologist who is interested in performing aviation medical examinations, and is prepared to meet CASA's training and other requirements for appointment, please refer any such practitioners to CASA Av Med for ACT, NSW, VIC, Overseas and Defence on (02) 6217 1642 or tara.powell@casa.gov.au or for NT, WA, TAS, QLD, SA and RFDS on jeanette.glasson@casa.gov.au or (02) 6217 1624.