Frequently Asked Questions about being an Aviation Medical Examiner
What are the FAA training requirements to become an AME?
FAA Order 8520.2E, entitled Aviation Medical Examiner System, describes the policies and procedures for the designation of AMEs. As a requirement for designation, an AME applicant must first complete a 4 1/2-day Basic AME Seminar. The Basic AME seminars are conducted four times a year at the FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Attendance at a seminar has the following objectives:
- recognize the importance of the AME's role in the overall goal of achieving aviation safety,
- develop a clear understanding and recognize the importance of the medical certification process and the AME's responsibilities in that process,
- learn the airman medical certification standards and FAA policies and regulations,
- review the latest medical and technical information and clinical examination techniques in the various medical speciality fields that an AME will need to use to assure that airmen meet the medical certification standards for the class of airman medical certificate applied for,
- recognize the basis for disqualification of the airman with a medical problem and the conditions necessitating deferral or denial as outlined in the Federal Aviation Regulations, and
- understand, and be able to explain to an airman, the denial process to include steps necessary for certification appeal rights.
