(Updated May 2026)
Requirements for candidates
For the Diploma of Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine (Dip DHM) to be awarded by the Society, the candidate must:
1. be medically qualified;
2. remain a current financial member of the Society for the duration of their candidacy for the Diploma;
3. pay such administrative fees and charges (e.g., candidate registration fee) as may, from time-to-time, be approved by the Society’s Executive;
4. supply evidence of satisfactory completion of an examined twoweek fulltime course in Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine at an approved facility. The list of such facilities may be found on the SPUMS website;
5. have completed the equivalent (as determined by the Education Officer) of at least six months’ fulltime clinical training in an approved Hyperbaric Medicine Unit;
6. submit a written proposal for research in an area of relevance to underwater or hyperbaric medicine, in a standard format, for approval before commencing their research project;
7. produce, to the satisfaction of the Academic Board, a written report on the approved research project, in the form of a scientific paper suitable for publication. Accompanying this written report should be a request to be considered for the SPUMS Diploma and supporting documentation for 1–5 above.
In the absence of documentation otherwise, it will be assumed that the paper is to be submitted for publication in Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine. As such, the structure of the paper should broadly comply with the ‘Instructions to Authors’ available on the SPUMS website (www.spums.org.au) or at (South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society - Submitting to DHM).
The paper may be submitted to journals other than Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine; however, even if published in another journal, the completed paper must be submitted to the Education Officer for assessment as a diploma paper. If the paper has been accepted for publication or published in another journal, then evidence of this should be provided.
The diploma paper will be assessed, and changes may be requested, before it is regarded to be of the standard required for award of the Diploma. Once completed to the reviewers’ satisfaction, papers not already submitted to, or accepted by, other journals should be forwarded to the Editor of Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine for consideration. At this point the Diploma will be awarded, provided all other requirements are satisfied. Diploma projects submitted to Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine for consideration of publication will be subject to the Journal’s own, independent peer review process.
Additional information – prospective approval of projects is required
The candidate must contact the Education Officer in writing (email is acceptable) to advise of their intended candidacy, and to discuss the proposed topic of their research. A written research proposal must be submitted before commencing the research project.
All research reports must clearly test a hypothesis. Original basic or clinical research is acceptable. Case series reports may be acceptable if thoroughly documented, subject to quantitative analysis, and the subject is extensively researched and discussed in detail. Reports of a single case are insufficient. Review articles may be acceptable if the international literature is thoroughly analysed and discussed, and the subject has not recently been similarly reviewed. Previously published material will not be considered. It is expected that the research project and the written report will be primarily the work of the candidate, and that the candidate is the first author where there are more than one. Evidence of each author’s specific contributions should be provided in the case of multi-author papers.
The preferred format for submission of the final project is as a single file (Word or unlocked pdf), 1.5-line spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font, unformatted, with all figures and tables embedded in the document at an appropriate location.
It is expected that all research will be conducted in accordance with the joint NHMRC/AVCC statement and guidelines on research practice, available at: (http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/publications/attachments/r39.pdf) or the equivalent requirement of the country in which the research is conducted. All research involving humans or animals must be accompanied by documentary evidence of approval by an appropriate research Ethics Committee. Human studies must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki (1975, revised 2013). Clinical trials commenced after 2011 must have been registered at a recognised trial registry site such as the Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (http://www.anzctr.org.au/) and details of the registration provided in the accompanying letter. Studies using animals must comply with National Health and Medical Research Council Guidelines or their equivalent in the country in which the work was conducted.
The SPUMS Diploma will not be awarded until all requirements are completed. The individual components do not necessarily need to be completed in the order outlined above. However, it is mandatory that the research project is approved prior to commencing research.
As of 01 July 2025, projects will be deemed to have lapsed if:
(1) The project is inactive for a period of three years, or
(2) The candidate fails to renew SPUMS Membership in any year after their Diploma project is registered (but not completed).
For unforeseen delays where the project will exceed three years, candidates must advise the Education Officer in writing if they wish their Diploma project to remain active, and a three-year extension may be approved. If there are extenuating circumstances why a candidate is unable to maintain financial membership, then these must be advised in writing to the Education Officer for consideration by the SPUMS Executive. If a project has lapsed, then the candidate must submit a new application as per these guidelines.
Fees and charges: From 1 January 2026 a one-off Initial Registration Fee of AUD $250.00 will be payable at the time of enrolment for the Diploma. A further AUD $100 annual Registration Maintenance Fee will be payable each subsequent year until completion of the Diploma. This is in addition to the annual Society Membership Fee.
The Academic Board reserves the right to modify any of these requirements from time to time.
As of April 2026, the SPUMS Academic Board consists of:
• Dr Xavier Vrijdag, Education Officer
• Professor Simon Mitchell.
• Associate Professor David Cooper.
All enquiries and applications should be sent to:
Dr Xavier Vrijdag
Email:
Key words
Qualifications, underwater medicine, hyperbaric oxygen, research, medical society