Hi Julia, We don't yet have any MSOs on this platform, but one of my MSO colleagues has kindly answered your question and emailed it to me. If you have any further questions for her please let me know. " Post Sandhurst – I won’t talk about Sandhurst unless you would like me to answer any questions but it is what it is. Its an ever changing course and from when I was there 4 years ago I believe it has changed somewhat. The legacy exercises have not changed and its a pretty tough year, but needs must to get you in the direction you want to go. It definitely gives you an excellent foundation, but is very much an infantry course so is physically tough. So to begin with there is a fairly straight forward path at the start for an MSO. You will become a Troop Commander and depending on which Unit (1, 3, 4, 5 or 16 Medical Regiment) each have their qualities and differ in how they deliver their mission. You will end up with a Troop of around 20-30 Medics, Paramedics, Nurses, Health Care Assistants and in some cases Dental Nurses (Doctors, Nurse Practitioners, Physios and Dentists will get attached if required). Structure is normally in the form of an Evacuation Troop, Med Troop (2 x Pre Hospital Treatment Teams and 1 x Evac Section – held with Battlegroups up front in a conflict to provide that first stage of professional medical attention, otherwise known as Damage Control Resuscitation). You often, with experience, are placed in the Headquarters of a Battlegroup as the Medical Liaison officer, assisting them with the Combat Estimate Process which is a detailed analysis of producing a plan. After your 2-3 Years of a troop commander you should promote to Captain where you will go on as a Squadron 2IC (helping the Officer Commanding in managing the Sqn and then you go out when deployed and manage the current Operations of the Sqn, it can be a demanding role, but is rewarding). There are other jobs available as a first time Captain and in some places you get to go to Pirbright or Harrogate as a lieutenant as a Troop commander in Soldier phase 1 training. Beyond this you will have a multitude of options working within a Regiment Headquarters, Brigade or Division as a staff officer before promoting to Major where the jobs open up even further. There are also opportunities to deploy either in a Med role or as a liaison officer in a plethora of roles within the Army. This is all based on how well you work and build your variety of your jobs that are open to you. There are opportunities to do in-service Degrees and Masters in leadership management and courses that take you down the more humanitarian aid and disaster relief route (jobs within this role are rare and usually operational where the military is assisting the host nation and is normally at the rank of Major). In short there are many things that you can do and you essentially become a master of all rather than one single thing. I could go on and on, but if you have any more directed questions or questions that have arisen from what I have said then do please get in touch. Capt Rachel T. "

Thank you so much for replying so quickly and for asking your colleague. It all sounds great. Could I also ask how long the wait time currently is for the Medical Support Officer position- is it a popular one? I have just applied last week and am hoping to start training this September if all goes well and if this is possible! Could I also ask what the 2-3 years of being a troop commander specifically involves day-to-day? Is most time spent somewhere in the UK or are you deployed on operations frequently? Finally- if i could ask both of you what it is like to be a woman in a leadership role in the army? Thank you so much in advance!

Hi Julia, Rachel T. is going to kindly answer the MSO related queries for you. In regards to the leadership aspect, my experience may slightly differ to the norm as I primarily fill a clinical leadership role. Personally I haven't found that being female has added any challenges to that role. You will learn a huge amount about leadership while at Sandhurst, and you will have lots of opportunity to develop and find out what works for you. Best of luck.

Hi Julia, The wait to go through recruitment will rely very much on your own proactivity and getting through the test phases and gaining a place at Sandhurst. There is no waiting list. Once you are at Sandhurst you chose your role and capbadge that you would like to join and you then go through interviews to ensure you are suitable for the role, but if you do your research and are keen to join the RAMC as a MSO then I don't foresee any problems. 2-3 Years as a Tp Comd can vary. Due to my previous experience in the forces I was put into a role where I was planning and advising on Medical Plans to a Battlegroup headquarters on a large scale Exercise in Canada. I also was fortunate to do some Adventurous Training and went horseback riding in the Rockies. I went on many Exercises all over the UK, including deploying to Ukraine on a short term training team delivering Medical lessons to their Army. Day to day is very much manage your troops, their careers, run training packages, running exercise or ranges and report writing. At times you may have to deal with discipline, but all in all I find it very rewarding. I haven't found I have been treated differently in the Army with regards to being a woman. I've worked hard to be where I am and I always try to earn respect rather than command it. The RAMC also has a good ratio of men and women so it works well.

Hi, I'm currently serving as a regular snco soldier since 2001. I'm looking at late entry commission, as medical support officer MSO. I don't hold any med quals. I know I don't need any for this position. 1. Can I join as a LE officer for this job role. 2. Can I commission into RAMC from my current rank of Ssgt or do I need to be WO2. If yes, I assume my next step is inform the CofC of my intentions. If no, thank you for your time.