Skip to main content
What types of page to search?

Popular pages: Undergraduate Postgraduate PhD Accommodation Research International students

Alternatively use our A-Z index.

Student Doctor lands prestigious RAF Cadetship

Published on

woman student hiking in the hills
Student Doctor Anna Clarke

Not even a global pandemic could stop Student Doctor Anna Clarke reaching her goal of securing an RAF cadetship. Here she shares how her passion, determination, and support from the School of Medicine helped her land this incredible opportunity.

After hearing about a career in the Royal Air Force through family and friends, I was immediately attracted to their ethos and core values of respect, integrity, service and excellence. The School of Medicine also helped deepen my knowledge through the provision of careers fairs and a variety of careers videos - all featuring the RAF.

still of a video RAF officerThe RAF feature in Careers Videos ceated exclusively for the School of Medicine

Hoping to gain even more knowledge and exposure to the RAF I joined Liverpool University Air Squadron (LUAS), which allowed me to learn more about the RAF as a whole and offered me opportunities unparalleled in other university organisations such as flying, sport and travel.

Being a member of LUAS gave me the opportunity to speak to people from across the RAF about their experiences of military life, which helped to confirm my desire to pursue a career as a Medical Officer in the RAF.

Instead of waiting until I graduated, I decided to apply for a sponsorship programme known as a Cadetship.

The RAF (and sister services) offer Medical Cadetships which cover tuition and registration fees, as well as providing a generous salary from the point of being accepted. In return you join your University Air Squadron and subsequently enter the RAF (after full registration with the General Medical Council) on a 12-year commission.

Following successful completion of Foundation Year 1 and Foundation Year 2, either through the Military Foundation Programme or an NHS Deanery, and the RAF’s Specialist Officer Initial Training Course, Junior Medical Officers are posted to a GP Training Practice on an RAF Station until their professional training begins where you can become immersed in military life.

woman student on bike in front of Scotland markerAnna enjoys the great outdoors

In terms of the application process, following an eligibility check, to begin with I attended a briefing day at RAF College Cranwell on the roles and responsibilities of an RAF Medical Officer followed by a Specialist Filter Interview. This interview lasted almost two hours and involved answering an array of questions on my achievements and motivations, as well as the wider RAF, the role I was applying for, current affairs in both the UK and overseas and in-depth discussions on Medical Ethics.

Having been successful at this stage I had to complete a further medical assessment and RAF fitness test.

Passing both of these components meant I was invited to the final stage of the application process, which was a day at the Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre.

Here they assessed my potential officer qualities, including communication skills, determination, teamwork and leadership skills. The Specialist Board then reviewed all applicants who passed all components and reached the required standard and decided who they were going to award Cadetships to.

After working so hard throughout the application process I was absolutely delighted when I received the news that I had been awarded a Cadetship. I originally applied for a Cadetship in my third year of studies but due to the COVID-19 pandemic my application was unable to be processed and was later cancelled, which left me devastated. However, I was invited to apply again in my fourth year to make up for this unfortunate situation.

It was therefore incredibly rewarding to see that having the dedication and perseverance to go through the application again was worth it.

Almost every aspect of a career in the RAF I have come across so far excites me, from the exposure to different aspects of medicine, such as aviation medicine, to the travel opportunities and opportunities afforded to few others, there is no other career I can imagine myself doing. The RAF not only fulfils my short-term ambitions but also provides various opportunities that I would not have exposure to elsewhere, such as working in military environments, at home, on aircraft and abroad, all of which support my long-term goal of working in Emergency or Pre-Hospital Medicine.

woman student walking in the snowBraving all weather fronts

If I could give one piece of advice to others thinking about their career it would be to take every opportunity that comes your way and push yourself to try new things even if they’re outside your comfort zone. Don’t panic if you don’t have a plan.

The RAF was not always my plan but joining LUAS and becoming immersed in what they had to offer opened my eyes to a career I previously didn’t even know was available to me but quickly became the only one I wanted. If, on the other hand you have a career or plan in mind but don’t know where to start, my advice would be to get stuck in at the earliest opportunity, put yourself out there and talk to people currently in that career and gain as much exposure as you can, it can only be a positive step!

Huge congratulations to Anna on this prestigious achievement! We'll leave the final word to Anna's Academic Advisor Dr Jamie Fanning.

“It has been wonderful to see Anna grow over the years through the Academic Advisor (AA) Programme and witness the synergistic effect that this application, alongside her studies, has had on her academic progress. Her success in securing one of these soughtafter RAF Cadetships is testimony to her dedication and hard work."

As an inspirational role model to her fellow students, she clearly demonstrates that with focus and determination it is possible to achieve great things, even in these early stages of a lifelong career in medicine.

Discover more