How I Became an FAA Aviation Medical Examiner (AME)
When I finished my surgical training in 2020 and moved to Virginia for my first full-time job as an ophthalmologist, I was already a private pilot. I thought becoming an Aviation Medical Examiner would be a great way to combine two things I enjoyed—medicine and aviation—and serve the local pilot community.
So I applied to become an AME through the FAA’s Eastern Region Flight Surgeon’s office.
Then I waited.
And waited.
Almost a year went by. At one point, I was told that the FAA really didn’t need another AME in my area because there was already one nearby. To be fair, that was true.
Meanwhile, I was meeting pilots at the local airport and flight schools who kept telling me they would love to have another AME option. They encouraged me to keep trying.
So I did. I contacted my state senator's office for help.
In August 2021, I finally got the email from the FAA: I had a training date! It was a week of Zoom classes (normally the training is done in Oklahoma City, but I did it during COVID hence Zoom) where I would learn relevant aerospace medicine and meet the key players in the FAA's medical division.
So in November 2021, I became an AME. I started offering Second- and Third-Class FAA medical exams to local pilots and schools. In the first six months, I did 30 medical certifications mostly for student pilots from the local flight schools and general aviation pilots.
Since then, being an AME has followed me through several moves. I went from Virginia to Las Vegas, where I practiced as an AME for about a year, and eventually landed in Atlanta, Georgia.
Along the way, I became a Senior AME, which allows me to perform First-Class medical exams. I also became a HIMS AME, so now I work with pilots who have complicated medical histories, including issues involving substance/alcohol use, depression, and other mental health conditions. Now I have two offices in Georgia--in Atlanta and in Covington--to meet the demand.
What started with an application that I couldn't seem to get anyone to approve has turned into one of my favorite parts of practicing medicine.
There really aren't that many AMEs. The FAA currently manages a group of about 2,300 AMEs serving pilots in the United States. For context, the USA has about 1 millions physicians actively serving the population. So that means only about 0.2% of doctors are also AMEs.
As an AME, I get to give a student pilot their very first medical certificate so that she can start flight lessons. I also often guide professional pilots navigate a complicated medical issue so they can keep flying. As an AME, I can also help a general aviation pilot stay in the air and continue doing something they love. I recently certified a 13 year old aspiring pilot on the same day as an octogenerian pilot who retired from an airline decades ago and continues flying. I feel privileged to be able to do what I do as an AME.
Many thanks to the Virginia pilots told me to keep trying to become an AME and then became my first clients.
If you're a physician reading this because you're thinking about becoming an AME yourself: go for it. The process can take some persistence, as my story probably makes obvious, but I have found it incredibly rewarding. If you have questions about what it's actually like to become or work as an AME, you're welcome to reach out to me personally at ame@drjennakim.com.
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