Medical Specialist

Opportunity

Interested in expanding your medical knowledge while practising your specialty in all new environments? As officers, clinicians and healers in a highly motivated healthcare team, Medical Specialists enjoy the unique opportunity to practice medicine and serve the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) with honour.

Overview
Medical Specialists provide care and clinical leadership at Canadian Forces Health Services facilities across Canada. They work closely with primary health care providers and multidisciplinary teams to optimize patient care for CAF members. Medical Specialists may also participate in military operations and training within Canada and internationally.

The primary responsibilities of a Medical Specialist depend on their area of specialty. Some of the main specialist groups employed by the CAF include:

• General Surgeons
• Anesthesiologists
• Internal Medicine Specialists
• Radiologists
• Psychiatrists
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialists
• Orthopedic Surgeons

To be eligible to apply to the CAF, you must:

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Canada
• Be at least 18 years old (17 years old with parental consent), except:
  • For the paid education programs you may be 16 years old (with parental consent)
  • For the Primary Reserve you may be 16 years old (with parental consent) and must be enrolled as a full-time student
• Have completed at least Grade 10 or Secondaire IV in Quebec (some jobs need higher levels of education)

Work Environment

Medical Specialists maintain their clinical readiness by being embedded as staff in tertiary care civilian hospitals across Canada, working alongside their civilian colleagues. Part of their time may be spent providing in-house or remote consultative services to support Primary Care Clinicians at Canadian Forces Health Services Clinics in Canada. Participation in education, training tasks and research opportunities may occur nationally or internationally.

When required, they will be called upon to deploy to unique and challenging clinical environments as part of a Health Services team on domestic and international operations.

Psychiatrists are typically co-located with Canadian Forces Health Services Clinics on Army, Air Force and Navy bases across Canada, providing outpatient-type care for military members.

Basic Military Officer Qualification

At the first available opportunity, you will complete Basic Military Officer Qualification training at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. Medical Officers take the Condensed Health Services Basic Military Officer Qualification Training, which consists of two weeks of Distance Learning and four weeks of in-house training in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. Topics covered include:

• General Military Knowledge
• The Principles of Leadership
• Regulations and Customs of the Forces
• Basic Weapons Handling
• First aid

Opportunities will also be provided to apply newly acquired military skills in training exercises involving force protection, field training, navigation and leadership. A rigorous physical fitness program is a vital part of basic training to ensure all recruits maintain the CAF physical fitness standard; as a result, the training is physically demanding but achievable.

Available Professional Training

All physicians attend the Basic Medical Officer Course at the Canadian Forces Health Services Training Centre in Borden, Ontario, where they are introduced to the organizational structure and history of the Canadian Forces Medical Service and the unique circumstances of practising military medicine.

This course incorporates blended delivery modalities with online and residential components. The training lasts six weeks and is usually available twice per year in one-, two- or three-week sessions. Environmental training includes field exercises that may take place anywhere in the world.

Available Specialty Training

Medical Specialists may put in a request to receive training to specialize in their medical practice and receive subsidy in exchange for additional years of service. Supported training will normally consist of a subspecialty fellowship program at a Canadian University but may include other post-graduate degrees or courses that contribute to military practice.

Available Advanced Training

As they progress in their career, Medical Specialists who demonstrate the required qualifications, ability and potential may be offered advanced medical, military and leadership training opportunities relevant to their specialty.

Direct Entry Plan

If you are a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and have an unrestricted license to practise your medical specialty in a Canadian province or territory, you may be eligible for direct enrolment. Basic training is required before being assigned.

Please note that, if successful in the application process, you will be entering service in either the Regular Force (full-time employment) or Primary Reserve Force (part-time employment) of the Canadian Armed Forces as a military member.

• Regular Force: Upon completion of all required training, you will be assigned to your first base. While there is some flexibility with regards to postings (relocations), accommodations can’t always be made, and therefore, you can likely expect to move at some point in your career.

• Primary Reserve Force: You will be joining the Primary Reserve Force through a specific Reserve unit. Outside of training, your chosen Reserve unit will be your workplace on a part time basis, and you will not be obligated to relocate to a different base. As part of the Primary Reserve Force, you typically work one night per week and some weekends with possibilities of full-time employment.

To learn more about the various ways to join the Canadian Armed Forces, visit: https://forces.ca/en/how-to-join/#wj

Join the CAF

To learn more about becoming a Medical Specialist, visit www.forces.ca, talk to a recruiter at a centre near you or call 1-800-856-8488 or contact our recruiters at HSRecruiting-RecrutementSS@forces.gc.ca and indicate “MEDICAL SPECIALIST” in the subject line of your email.

Explore over 100 different career opportunities at www.forces.ca/en/careers.