Medics take first steps up the promotion ladder

From infantry attacks to leadership theory, medics have been put through their paces as they take the first steps up the Army’s promotion ladder.

16 Medical Regiment (16 Med Regt) ran a 10-day-long leadership course for 30 medics from across 16 Air Assault Brigade’s units to give them the required skills as they promote from Private to Lance Corporal, and on from there.

Good leadership is not about shouting at people and asserting yourself, you have to be approachable and inspire people to do their best.

Acting Lance Corporal Eleanor Charlesworth, 16 Medical Regiment

The training started with a week in the classroom learning about the leadership role of a Lance Corporal, who is second-in-command of a section of eight soldiers. The troops then moved out into Friday Woods Training Area in Colchester to apply what they have learnt.

After five years as a combat medical technician with 16 Med Regt, Acting Lance Corporal Eleanor Charlesworth is currently studying on an Army-funded degree at Birmingham City University to retrain as an operating department practitioner. 

“This course is teaching what the Army expects of us as leaders,” the 24-year-old said. “It’s important for my career, but the transition from being a student back to soldiering has been a challenge!

“Being a soldier puts you in very serious and stressful situations and, from my experience, a leader needs a lot of emotional intelligence. Good leadership is not about shouting at people and asserting yourself, you have to be approachable and inspire people to do their best.” 

During the course’s practical phase, the soldiers took turns at commanding each other while living in the field and practising drills such as section attacks and casualty evacuations. These infantry skills are taught to all soldiers during their basic training, and used as a benchmark regardless of a soldiers’ trade. 

We’ve been learning about how the chain of command works and how to get the best out of people. For me, I look up to leaders who get involved and set an example – doing that gains respect and gets people to follow you.

Acting Lance Corporal Michael Crowhurst, 2nd Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles

Acting Lance Corporal Michael Crowhurst is a combat medical technician with Folkestone-based 2nd Battalion The Royal Gurkha Rifles.

“This course is about stepping up from being one of the team to one of the bosses,” the 25-year-old said. “We’ve been learning about how the chain of command works and how to get the best out of people. For me, I look up to leaders who get involved and set an example – doing that gains respect and gets people to follow you.”

The course is part of the Army Leadership Development Programme, a progressive system of training to give soldiers the leadership and management skills and wider military knowledge they need as they rise up the ranks.

16 Med Regt’s Sergeant Miles Wilson-Bent, who ran the course, said: “A soldier’s first promotion is a big moment in their career. The soldiers on this course have been selected for promotion by showing that they have leadership qualities, and we are giving them the skills they will need to go on and lead other soldiers.”

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