Medical Officer

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Overview

Medical Officers provide primary health care services for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members, whether at a Canadian Forces Health Services Clinic or overseas in support of peace support, combat or humanitarian missions.

The primary responsibilities of a Medical Officer are to:

• Lead a clinical team of highly trained professionals;
• Promote health protection and education;
• Provide primary health care;
• Promote occupational health and safety;
• Provide medical support to operations; and
• Practice environmental medicine, including aviation and hyperbaric medicine (following additional training).

Work environment

Medical Officers may serve anywhere that CAF members are based. They work in fully equipped medical clinics, whether at a base or garrison, or in a temporary clinic while supporting operations. Their first four years following training is usually spent working in one location, within Canada. Office space and support services are provided by the CAF.

Entry plans

• Direct Entry Options
• Paid Education Options
  

If you already have a medical degree and an unrestricted licence to practice family medicine in a Canadian province or territory, the CAF may place you directly into one of the military clinics following basic training. Basic training and military officer qualification training are required before being assigned.

Medical Officer Training Plan (MOTP)

Because this position requires a Doctor of Medicine, the CAF will pay successful recruits to complete a recognized Canadian University Medical program. This program covers tuition fees and educational expenses, including books, instruments, supplies, student fees, and registration costs. Family medicine residents and students already enrolled in a recognized Canadian University Medical program may also be eligible for this training plan.

For the duration of your studies and residency, you receive full-time salary including medical and dental care, as well as vacation time with full-pay in exchange for working with the CAF for a period of time. Typically, candidates selected for this program attend university during the regular academic year and participate in additional military training during the summer months. If you choose to apply to this program, you must apply both to the CAF and to a recognized Canadian University Medical program (Medical School).

For further information, please contact a Canadian Forces Health Services Recruiter in your area.

Canadian Forces Health Services Specialist Recruiter (Western)

Captain Jack MacFarlane

Canadian Forces Health Services Specialist Recruiter (Central)

Sub-Lieutenant Laen Hanson

Canadian Forces Health Services Specialist Recruiter (Eastern)

Health Services Recruiting (Please include province of residence)

For further information, please contact a Canadian Forces Health Services Recruiter: HSRecruiting-RecrutementSS@forces.gc.ca

Training

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, and first aid. Opportunities will also be provided to apply such newly acquired military skills in training exercises involving force protection, field training, navigation and leadership. A rigorous physical fitness program is also a vital part of basic training. Basic Military Officer Qualification training is provided in English or French and successful completion is a prerequisite for further training.

Medical Officers must complete the Common Health Services Officer (CHSO) course which is an eight-day e-learning course available on the Defence Learning Network (DLN). The CHSO course introduces Medical Officers to Canadian Armed Forces policies and procedures as well as HR management of military members and civilian personnel.

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

Medical Officers may apply for the opportunity to specialize their medical practice in exchange for additional years of service. The CAF will subsidize the following medical specializations:

• Emergency medicine;
• General Surgery;
• Orthopaedic surgery;
• Anaesthesiology;
• Internal medicine;
• Psychiatry;
• Radiology; and
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
  

As they progress in their career, Medical Officers who demonstrate the required ability and potential may be offered advanced training. Available training includes:

• Public Health medicine;
• Occupational medicine;
• Aerospace medicine;
• Hyperbaric medicine;
• Tropical medicine;
• Epidemiology; and
• Health care administration.
  

Part time options

The role of the Canadian Forces Health Services Reserves is to provide trained personnel to support, augment and sustain Canadian Forces Health Services organizations for CAF operations and training activities, while building and maintaining links between the CAF and the local community.

As a health care professional in the Health Service Reserves, you must have an unrestricted licence to practise in your clinical field (including certification in your specific specialty) and have the ability to maintain clinical currency within your civilian workplace.

This position is available for part-time employment with the Primary Reserve at certain locations across Canada. Reserve Force members usually serve part time with a military unit in their community, and may serve while going to school or working at a civilian job. They are paid during their training. They are not posted or required to do a military move. However, they can volunteer to move to another base. They may also volunteer for deployment on a military mission within or outside Canada.

Medical Officers may serve with the Royal Canadian Navy, the Canadian Army or the Royal Canadian Air Force as part of the Canadian Forces Health Services Group. They are employed to provide primary health care services for CAF members. Those employed on a part-time or casual full-time basis usually serve at a military medical unit at a location within Canada.

Opportunities in the Reserve Force are available to physicians already licensed to practice medicine in the following areas (not all positions are open to recruiting at all times):

Anesthesiology

Emergency Medicine

General Surgery

Orthopedic Surgery

Internal Medicine

Pediatrics

Obstetrics and Gynecology

Radiology

Plastic Surgery

Thoracic Surgery

Neurosurgery

Reserve Medical Officers are required to complete a minimum of 14 days of service and/or training each year doing any of the following: acquiring and maintaining military skills, providing health care to military members, teaching, or attending field exercises to practice and/or provide medical care in a military operational environment. Medical Officers have opportunities to serve as part of a deployed Canadian Forces Health Services team in Canada and internationally on a voluntary basis.

Reserve Force members are trained to the same level as their Regular Force counterparts. All members complete Basic Military Training, which covers topics such as rank structure, wearing a uniform, marching, firing a weapon for self-defence or defence of your patients (as per the Geneva Convention), and surviving in a field environment. This training varies in length and is usually available in a modularized format. You must also complete basic occupational training, which teaches you how to employ your clinical skill/profession within the military environment. This training lasts six weeks and is usually available twice a year, in one-, two- or three-week sessions held at the Canadian Forces Medical Services School in Borden, Ontario. Applicants must have a medical degree and an unrestricted licence to practise family medicine in a Canadian province or territory.

Reserve Force members usually serve part-time with their home unit for scheduled evenings and weekends, although they may also serve in full-time positions at some units for fixed terms, depending on the type of work that they do. They are paid 92.8% of Regular Force rates of pay, receive a reasonable benefits package and may qualify to contribute to a pension plan.

Related Careers

Physiotherapy Officer

Dental Officer

Nursing Officer

Related Civilian Occupations

• Family Physician