Page 42 - RADC Bulletin 2022

Life on the Staff
Maj Fiona Cottrell RADC
Many RADC personnel will wonder at some point in their career whether it is worth applying for a non-clinical role. Whether you are a Dental Officer thinking of doing
a staff job, or a Dental Nurse looking to become a Phase 1 instructor, it can be a daunting prospect. However, there are some fantastic possibilities out there if you look for them. I hope that my experience will inspire you to step outside your comfort zone!
My journey started with completing the Intermediate Command and Staff Course (Land) from January to July 2021. I was fortunate to be on the same course as Maj Sophie Gregory RADC, and we regularly compared notes (mostly over coffee). For anyone who thinks that ICSC(L) is all about long trips to America and glamorous staff rides, you may be disappointed to learn
that the COVID version had none of this. Although we did have a socially distanced field trip to the RMP museum in Portsmouth so I suppose I shouldn’t complain!
ICSC(L) is split into two terms. The first focusses on leadership and learning about Army and Defence structures in broad terms. The second addresses the Combat Estimate process (the so-called “7 Questions”). The trope is that PQO’s are supposed to find the first term easier as many other cap badges have far greater experience of planning cycles on various exercises. However, my experience was the opposite. The Combat Estimate training was paced in such a
way that it didn’t assume too much prior knowledge and it built on what I already knew. Another ICSC(L) myth is that PQOs are at a disadvantage compared with other Officers for whom planning is their bread- and-butter. I was surprised that lots of Officers from other cap badges felt the same way, and many had spent large parts of their career in specific niches. Our syndicate had a fantastic spread of experience, and it was often helpful in the syndicate discussions to have a different perspective that dentistry had given me. I made some fantastic friends in my syndicates, and it is great to have a network I can rely on in the future.
After ICSC(L), I started as SO2 Medical Plans at the Army Recruiting and Initial Training Centre (ARITC). This role primarily involves checking and assuring the medical plans that other people have written for training activity, and also providing medical advice to the Chain of Command. Medical planners in the Army come from a range
of AMS backgrounds: not just MSOs but 40 RADC BULLETIN 2022
Critical Care nurses, physios, civilian C2 medical planners and so on. The diversity of experience really enriches some of our medical planning discussions, and because of this I feel that my dental background has always enhanced my work.
One of the highlights of this role was a trip to Bavaria to complete assurance visits to Ex DYNAMIC VICTORY and AT delivery in the Harz mountains. Returning to Germany was hugely enjoyable and seeing how one of our medical plans was enacted on the ground was highly instructive. This was one of the occasions where I was able to combine my clinical knowledge with my medical planning and staff ability and it felt like a culmination of my experience. I would also recommend the Harz Mountains for any dental teams who fancy a spot of AT, as they deliver standalone one-week packages. Search “Army Adventure Training” on Defence Connect.
I am sometimes asked whether it is worth completing ICSC(L) after doing ICSC(LR). After all, it is a 6-month course followed by
a 2-year assignment away from dentistry, so it is not a small commitment. Furthermore, there are several highly competent RADC Officers who have come to a staff role without doing the “long” ICSC(L), so
there are a few ways you can access this experience. I have found life on the staff
to be helpful in two ways: it gives you the ability to “speak the language” of the wider Army, and the confidence to make yourself heard. Because of our professional skills,
the RADC attracts high calibre personnel, and we can easily hold our own outside of the surgery. However, cap badge biases
and a sole focus on clinical skills at the expense of fieldcraft and staff exposure sometimes mean that this talented cadre is overlooked. As a Corps, we have repeatedly demonstrated that we can do more than just “teeth” – one only needs to take a look at the pages of this journal to see that. I would encourage anyone reading this to be bold and step outside the surgery once in a while. You will find that you are more than capable.
Breastfeeding – a word for Commanders
I started ICSC(L) straight after maternity leave and I breastfed my daughter throughout. It was suggested to me before attending that ICSC(L) was a “nice thing to do” for
new mothers – not so! Coordinating my studies around the needs of my family was challenging, particularly when you consider that there is a competitive element
to the course and most officers choose not to simply “coast” through. Regarding breastfeeding, although my syndicate was locally supportive, Army structures made this difficult at times. For example, short-notice COVID restrictions meant that there wasn’t a private place to express when I arrived, and the course breaks were not long enough to express without missing vital work. For any senior officers reading this, I would encourage you to enact the staff mantra of “thinking through to the finish” regarding diversity issues, as the problems I had largely arose from staff officers failing to do this. For any potential or new parents, support is out there. For breastfeeding specifically, the Defence Breastfeeding Network can be contacted via Defence Connect and through Facebook. Some of the best support I had was from friends and colleagues, so do reach out.
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