Meet a Military Medical Officer

I completed GP training on the South East GP Training Scheme in July 2014 and was commissioned as a Medical Officer in the Defence Forces that September. 

Joining the Defence Forces had always been an ambition of mine. At that time, higher specialist training in Military Medicine was not available to direct-entry Medical Officers, so I joined as an already qualified GP. The role proved to be everything I had expected: atypical, challenging, surprising and exciting. It has allowed me to remain a GP while working in places and circumstances that very few doctors outside Ireland's defence and security organisations would ordinarily encounter. 

I joined for the opportunity to practise medicine differently. I stayed because of the people I work alongside and care for, the variety of the role, and the knowledge that my work matters: to individual patients across the Defence Forces; to Irish society through emergency preparedness and national resilience; to our EU partners through greater interoperability; and to the international community through Ireland's contribution to United Nations operations. 

The foundations of the role are those of general practice. Earlier in my career, a typical day began with morning clinic, followed by further clinical work, physical training and an afternoon clinic or occupational medical assessments. 

The patients and presentations broadly reflect civilian general practice, although Defence Forces personnel are predominantly male and are generally an active and healthy population. Musculoskeletal conditions therefore form a significant part of the clinical workload. Medical Officers also manage acute illness, mental health concerns, preventive healthcare, rehabilitation and the full range of everyday general practice presentations. 

A substantial part of the workload is occupational medicine. This includes assessing whether personnel are medically suitable for overseas deployment, career progression, specialist training or courses within Ireland. The Medical Officer must consider the welfare of the individual patient while understanding the physical and operational requirements of the proposed role. 

The setting in which care is delivered can change considerably. During military exercises, I have provided medical support in locations such as the Glen of Imaal. Depending on the activity, a Medical Officer might work from a medical centre, a car, the back of an ambulance, a tent or close to an artillery firing line. The role provides opportunities to work in increasingly challenging environments as experience and confidence develop. 

My early appointments included serving as a Medical Officer at St Bricin's Military Hospital and at the Defence Forces Training Centre in the Curragh Camp. I also supported Ireland's participation in European Union Battlegroups on two occasions. 

I deployed to the UN Peacekeeping Missions in Golan Heights in 2016 and 2018 and to Lebanon in 2017 and 2023. Each deployment required me to combine general practice with occupational, preventive and operational medicine while working as part of a wider military team. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I served for three years as Commandant of the Defence Forces Medical School. Following the pandemic, I was appointed Deputy Medical Director. 

My current responsibilities include medical policy, clinical governance, audit and education. A significant part of my role involves liaison with government departments, professional bodies and international partners. In my current senior role, I typically spend four to six weeks outside Ireland each year on international work and collaboration. 

I am also the Military Medicine GP Trainer. I supervise trainees during their six-month military general practice placement and remain in contact with them throughout their training programme. Alongside my Defence Forces role, I serve as a clinical lead in the Irish College of GPs. 

The achievement of which I am most proud was deploying to Sierra Leone during Operation GRITROCK, the joint British, Canadian and Irish response to the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak. 

I initially served as the GP to the staff of the Ebola treatment facility. I was responsible for their primary care, emergency response and preventive healthcare in an exceptionally demanding environment. During the latter part of the mission, I became Operations Officer at the Joint Interagency Task Force Headquarters in Freetown. That appointment took me beyond direct clinical care and into operational planning, coordination and decision-making across organisations and national contingents. 

My background in sports medicine has led to opportunities to travel as doctor to Defence Forces sports teams, including the men's football team in Oman and the women's team in the United States. I completed a Master's in Sports Medicine at Trinity College Dublin in 2010 and worked at the 2004 and 2012 Summer Olympic Games. 

During the pandemic, Medical Officers helped protect the continuity of important State functions. As part of this work, we regularly attended Áras an Uachtaráin to test staff working in the residence and reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. 

Other experiences have included working at the United Nations in New York, participating in high-level international medical and security briefings in Brussels and completing an offshore sailing and leadership course along Ireland's west coast. The sailing course combined practical seamanship with communication, timing, teamwork, leadership and camaraderie.

Above: DF Offshore Leadership (Sailing) Course – Back to the Boat.

My Defence Forces career has allowed me to develop qualifications and competencies beyond routine general practice. These include: 

In deployed and emergency settings, waiting for perfect information can mean losing the opportunity to act effectively. Military training teaches you to assess what is known, identify what matters most and make a timely, defensible decision. 

I have faced overseas accidents and emergencies where clinical and operational decisions had to be made with limited information. The underlying process is not entirely different from general practice: use your training, common sense and judgement; remain comfortable with a degree of uncertainty; and make the best decision possible at that moment. 

This ability to act thoughtfully without waiting for absolute certainty is one of the most valuable and transferable skills developed through Military Medicine. 

A Military Medical Officer has responsibilities both as a registered doctor and as a commissioned officer. These roles are not inherently in conflict. Both require integrity, sound judgement, ethical conduct and a commitment to the welfare of others. 

Military Medical Officers remain professionally accountable doctors while also serving as commissioned officers. The role requires them to understand individual patient needs, occupational requirements and operational risk, and to provide clear, ethically grounded medical advice within the military command structure. 

My military colleagues have taught me what genuine commitment to a shared mission looks like. They are loyal to the Defence Forces, to the people of Ireland and to the values Ireland represents internationally. 

I have consistently been impressed by colleagues who are intelligent, capable, enthusiastic and determined to succeed, often in challenging and resource-limited settings. They support one another and rise to the occasion when circumstances become difficult.  

Camaraderie extends beyond the working day. There are many people in my phone whom I could call morning, noon or night and know they would help. Within the Defence Forces, someone usually has the skill, equipment or practical knowledge needed to solve an unexpected problem. In return, when they need medical advice, they know a person for that too.