Combat Medic

As a member of the military, Combat Medics work with a variety of health care professionals including Medical Officers, Physician Assistants, Nursing Officers and Paramedics to treat the sick and injured in various Canadian Armed Forces' operations and units.

As a member of the military, Combat Medics work with a variety of health care professionals including Medical Officers, Physician Assistants, Nursing Officers and Paramedics to treat the sick and injured in various Canadian Armed Forces' operations and units.

• Provide initial care for patients;
• Provide basic and moderate life support care independently and as a part of a multidisciplinary team;
• Administer lifesaving interventions and treatments to trauma casualties;
• Interview and record patient medical histories;
• Instruct soldiers on Combat First Aid and Tactical Combat Casualty Care;
• Manage soldier’s medical readiness, supplies and equipment;
• Administer intravenous therapy;
• Take and monitor patients’ vital signs;
• Administer and dispense some medications in accordance with their scope of practice;
• Provide medical support during environmental operations;
• Recover casualties from the point of injury and transport them to the next level of care;
• Participate in rescues from crashed vehicles, tanks and damaged buildings;
• Give basic advice on disease prevention, hygiene and sanitation;
• Perform specific environmental health and preventive medicine duties;
• Collect specimens and perform basic laboratory procedures;
• Operate and maintain medical and life-support equipment;
• Perform electrocardiograms and audiograms;
• Initiate, maintain and distribute medical records, documents, reports and returns; and
• Maintain, replenish and account for general and medical supplies.

Combat Medics spend most of their careers working in Canadian Armed Forces medical units within Canada and deployed on international missions. In the field they usually work in shifts and, occasionally, on call. In Clinics, they generally work regular hours. If you chose a career in the 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. However, if you decide to join the Primary Reserve Force, you will do so 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 as a minimum with possibilities of full-time employment.

• Direct Entry Options

The minimum required education to apply for this position is the completion of the provincial requirements for Grade 10 or Secondary 4 in Quebec with Grade 10 applied Math and any Science course at the Grade 10 or Secondary 4 level.

The ideal candidate will already have completed the requirements for Grade 12 or Secondary 5 in Quebec with Grade 10 or Secondary 4 applied Math and a Biology or Chemistry course at the Grade 11 or Secondary 4 level. Foreign education may be accepted.

The first stage of training is the Basic Military Qualification course, or Basic Training, held at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. This training provides the basic core skills and knowledge common to all trades. A goal of this course is to ensure that all recruits maintain the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) physical fitness standard; as a result, the training is physically demanding.

Combat Medics complete their basic occupation training at the…