Aerospace medicine specializes in preventive care and medical treatment for those who fly in airplanes or spacecraft. Flight surgeons and aviation medical examiners conduct physical screenings to certify pilots are fit to fly, and treat any condition associated with air travel. Aerospace medical professionals include physicians, surgeons, psychologists, nurses, and more.
Aerospace medicine is a branch of medical science that specializes in preventive care and medical treatment for anyone who flies in an airplane or spacecraft. The area that expands from the earth’s atmosphere into outer space is generally considered to be aerospace. Military doctors who specialize in aerospace medicine are called flight surgeons, while civilian doctors in the specialty are known as aviation medical examiners. A key preventative care responsibility of these medical professionals is to conduct physical screenings for pilots to certify that they do not have any medical conditions that could compromise their ability to safely operate a flight vehicle. The medical services of aerospace medical doctors range from treating minor problems, such as blockage of the ear in an infant caused by flying at high altitudes on a commercial aircraft, to handling extreme medical emergencies of astronauts aboard a spacecraft in the space.
Physical screenings that certify pilots are fit to fly are generally essential for safe airspace everywhere. Aerospace medical physicists screen pilots for medical conditions, such as epilepsy and color blindness, that could seriously hamper safe flight. Because flight crews are at high risk for some serious illnesses due to inconsistent work schedules, irregular sleep patterns, unhealthy diets, and high stress, examining doctors are also looking for symptoms of heart disease and diabetes: the effects of these diseases can cause extreme medical emergencies in flight.
Aerospace medicine doctors treat virtually any type of condition associated with air travel. They are uniquely qualified, however, to provide medical assistance to crew members who routinely undergo the most extreme flight conditions while aboard military jets and spacecraft. Such flight crew members are particularly susceptible to ailments resulting from exposure to extreme temperatures and noise, severe vibration during takeoffs and landings, low air pressure levels, radiation, high g-forces during acceleration or deceleration, weightlessness and disruption of sleep cycles due to inconsistent intervals between day and night.
Aerospace medicine professionals include physicians, surgeons, psychologists, nurses, human factors engineers, biomedical specialists, environmental health professionals, and industrial hygienists. Patients include everyday aircraft passengers, flight crews and their families, astronauts, air traffic controllers, and patients transported by air rescue responders. Because deep-sea and high-altitude conditions are often quite similar to the extreme stresses of aerospace, aerospace medical specialists are sometimes called upon to handle medical emergencies for mountain climbers and submarine workers as well. Aerospace medicine professionals are typically employed by military services, aerospace companies, space flight centers, flight regulatory agencies, commercial airlines, and academic institutions.
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