Assessment by Medical Examiner

Primary Legislation:	Civil Aviation Act 2023, Sch 2, cl 2, 3, 5 and 6
Secondary Legislation:	CAR Part 67.59 - 67.61
Form:	Medical Assessment Report [PDF 1.6 MB]
Conducted by:	The Medical Examiner with delegation to issue certificates

Reports

Reports to be considered

The CA Act 2023 Schedule 2, clause 6, requires the Director to consider the report of the Medical Examiner (ME) for certification assessment purposes. This report consists of:

• Completed and signed:
  Application for a Medical Certificate [PDF 2.2 MB]
• Completed and signed:
  Medical Examination Report [PDF 83 KB]
• All ancillary results and reports whether required by legislation or likely to be helpful to the decision.

Requirement for further medical information

An ME with delegation to conduct the assessment can require, under Schedule 2, clause 3, other tests, examinations, re-examinations, or the provision of further medical information as reasonably considered necessary. For instance, to routinely require a PSA in a healthy young male applicant may be unreasonable, but the same requirement in an older male applicant with symptoms suggestive of prostate problems may be reasonable.

Assessment of Medical Report by Medical Examiner

Once the Director or ME has received the report he must assess whether:

• The applicant is eligible for certification; or
• The application should be considered under the flexibility process; or
• The issue of a medical certificate should be declined outright.

The Medical Manual Part 3, Clinical Aviation Medicine, offers guidance towards making the assessment.

This decision-making process must be documented and reported on the Medical Assessment Report (MAR):

Medical assessment report [PDF 1.6 MB]

Medical Assessment Report (MAR)

Completion of the MAR is the assessing ME’s responsibility and contains the following:

• Dates of tests and documents seen;
• Medical conditions that have been considered during the assessment. This is important for medico-legal reasons and to inform any ME assessing the applicant in the future;
• Required surveillance during the validity period of the medical certificate;
• Recommended surveillance at the time of a future application;
• Expiry dates if certificates are issued;
• Decision concerning any imposed restrictions or endorsements;
• Decision concerning eligibility: The options provided are eligible (for certification), ineligible (for certification), and deferred (assessment);
• Any relevant additional information;
• Signature, date and stamp of assessing ME.

Key points

• Start the assessment as soon as practicable, considering the complete report and accompanying documentation;
• Ensure that any information missing on the application form or the medical examination report is obtained;
• Assess eligibility for issue of a medical certificate;
• Complete the MAR inclusive of any restrictions or conditions to be imposed on the medical certificate.