As you know Rob, the Armed Forces system was (is still?) different from the NHS. We were supposed to be trained to be able to work by ourselves, without support, a long way from home. The "Med and Dent" support chain (such as it was - "back then", at least) was quite different from the well-established "green kit" support chain (levels of repair, Field Workshops and all the rest).
On a personal skills level, we had already proved ourselves in a couple of postings to field units, and so, therefore, were already a "known quantity".
Much has been made on here over the years about the infamous "Arborfield course". As many will know it was based on what we might now regard as "traditional lines":- an introduction to the next bit of kit, then before we knew it, out came the circuit diagram. It was OK at the time, but I (for one) became critical of it later (later that is, after encountering so many types of equipment not even mentioned on the course). I once submitted a "paper" about possible ways of improving the course, but as is (or at least
was) the way of the army (back then, at least) I never heard anything more about it. But I probably earned myself a few "debit points" along the way for daring to challenge the Gods of Arborfield, no doubt.
Tech support in the NHS is a completely different kettle of fish - a Big Organisation, with lots of "management".
