Hello,

This is a common misconception when it comes to being a doctor in the army. Our duty is to our patients, and this is recognised by the military, it is why they employ us after all. Therefore there is no conflict between principle and duty, and you receive lots of training on this when you join. While we may carry and be trained on how to use a weapon, we only have one so that we can protect ourselves and our patients when they cannot defend themselves - it is very rare that a clinician would ever actually need to use a weapon. The Geneva Convention has outlined the role of military clinicians if you are interested in this topic.

The GMC have also recently provided lots of military specific guidance on what is an appropriate role for a clinician.

Personally I have never experienced any pressure to take part in training or activities that are in conflict with the principles of being a clinician.

I hope this helps.

11 November, 2020 11:23