Going Through A Medical Appeal during your adf application

When it comes to a medical appeal, you are generally given a timeframe that you can expect to wait. It is imperative to note that you are one of thousands of applicants who have put in a medical appeal and that you should find a way to use this time wisely. If this is you, then read on... 

The application process is a super exciting time in anyone's life. The decision to apply for the Military and become a serving member of the Australian Defence Force is huge and is a wonderful step forward in your career.

The process has several components to it and all of these must be met to a specific standard in order to progress onto the next stage. If you’re already in the thick of this process then this won’t be news to you.

As a Defence applicant, you need to meet a strict set of standards in order to be considered for the job. When starting your application, there is a chance that you may not meet the medical or psychological standards. If this is the case then you will be deemed medically unfit to proceed with your application. Depending on the conditions, injuries or set of circumstances that have caused this to happen, you may have the chance to appeal the decision. Whilst we are not qualified to guide you through any medical decisions that have been made, we can give you plenty of motivation to stay focussed during the time you’ll spend waiting for a decision.

If you have been deemed medically unfit then you could look at it one of two ways:

1. You can be upset and angry and make a decision that your career in defence is over

OR

2. You can see this as an opportunity to improve on some facets of your life that will give you a more grounded outlook for your future as a Defence member.

If you decide to go ahead with a medical appeal, then you may find yourself waiting for a long period of time before a final decision is made. We like to call this ‘gifted time’ that you can spend working on your fitness. If your application had of gone through without any road blocks then you may have pushed forward to the PFA without being ready. Now that you have decided to put in an appeal, you will be able to spend the time working on improving your running ability, strength and all other components of your fitness that need work.

MANAGE YOUR EXPECTATIONS

When it comes to a medical appeal, you are generally given a timeframe that you can expect to wait. It is imperative to note that you are one of thousands of ADF applicants who have put in a medical appeal. Sometimes the staff will be inundated with appeals and this timeframe could extend out beyond what you were originally told. Stay patient. Know that they are working on it and that you’ll be notified as soon as any decisions have been made.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

Collect Feedback
Whatever feedback you are given on Assessment Day regarding the decision around your medical class should be noted and taken on board. This will help you form the basis of your medical appeal and decide what direction to take and what documentation you need to collect. If you don’t take on this feedback then you will have trouble making any decisions on where to start. If you are not given feedback, then ask. Take ownership of your application and your career and ask the questions you need to ask so that you understand where to go from here.

Make a Plan

• Decide on how you will construct your medical appeal and make a decision as to what steps you will take to gather all of the relevant documentation and evidence.
• Write a ‘to do’ list. Your brain is likely rolling around in your skull, trying to figure out how to prioritise all the things you need to do. Write a to do list and get it all out of your mind and onto paper.
• Formulate a plan to start getting your fitness sorted. If your appeal goes through successfully then it’s very likely you could process through to the next stages of your application quite fast. You don’t want to get to your PFA and still feel unprepared. When you get a phone call about your PFA you want to answer with confidence and say ‘Lock it in, I’m ready’. Don’t wait until ‘closer to the time’ because you have no way of knowing how long all of this will take. The last thing you want is to wish you had of spent the last few months working on your fitness and to realise it’s too late. As always, The Barracks Gym can help you. Click here
• Start working on your fitness now and use this ‘gifted time’ to improve your performance and be a complete badass by the time your PFA rolls around.
  
  

 Listen to Oscars podcast to learn how he used his 'gifted time' to improve his fitness whilst undergoing a medical appeal.  

HOW TO GET STARTED ON YOUR FITNESS
The most important thing to recognise here is that you just need to start! Get up and go for a walk, join a gym, invest in a gym or online training that is specific to Defence preparation, go for a jog, get some decent running shoes. Anything. Just start!

If you make sure that the training you are conducting is relevant to Defence than you’ll be in a good position to make some awesome progress in the time that you’re waiting. Incorporate some interval style training to improve your running. Conduct some basic strength training to get your body moving and to create a good foundation for your fitness.

You want to be ready to pass that PFA as soon as your medical appeal comes back. You want to be ready to handle anything that comes to you at Basic Training. Use the time you’ve been gifted to work on your fitness and evolve into the most Badass version of yourself prior to enlisting.
 
You will never regret spending the time on fitness.
 
If you feel you need expert help to you get started, then come in for a 2 Week Trial at The Barracks Gym.