Chief medical officer
Chief Medical Officer
Billet Description
The chief medical officer is a senior staff-level position, typically held by a lieutenant commander or commander who is a Doctor of Medicine with surgical skills.
Typical ranks
Chief medical officers have been seen with a variety of ranks. They can hold any rank in the lieutenant grades, but are quite often seen as lieutenant commanders. Chief medical officers are eligible to take the Bridge Officer's Test for promotion to full commander. At this point, they are considered capable of assuming command of a starship. (Template:TNG)
Specific duties
CMOs aboard a starship or starbase are directly in charge of the sickbay or infirmary, commanding medical department personnel and activities. The CMOs' primary duties are the oversight and maintenance of the overall health and physical fitness of crew and passengers.
Officers likely to be assigned as the CMO over long-duration missions of exploration, have scientific training in disciplines outside of medicine, allowing them to take on major, extended research projects; or to better participate in a wider variety of encounters.
Medical authority
In addition to the normal duties of an officer, the CMO also has the power to relieve an officer or crewman, including a superior one, of their duties if in the officer's professional judgment, he or she is medically unfit. Typically, the CMO is expected to have the support of a senior command officer or detailed medical documentation to justify this course of action.
The CMO does also seem to have the authority to order officers to do things that would be beneficent to their health, like sleeping.
Current CMO Billets/Postings
Gold Fleet
None listed here yet
Blue Fleet
Lieutenant Commander Dr. Jonathan Asher, M.D., chief medical officer, U.S.S. Valhalla (NCC-18000)- Lieutenant Commander Dr. Dugan Dohan, M.D., chief medical officer, U.S.S. Nova (NCC-1776-A)
Lieutenant Dr. Zor Kon, M.D., chief medical officer, U.S.S. Excalibur (NCC-1844-B)- Lieutenant Dr. Kael Aravek, M.D., chief medical officer, U.S.S. Fearless (NX - 56000)
- Lieutenant Dr. Ekatarina Morozov, M.D., chief medical officer, U.S.S. Yorktown (NCC-1717-F)
Silver Fleet
None listed here yet