Combat Medic

Overview

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

A Combat Medic has the following primary duties:

• 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;
• Assist patients in accessing various health services resources such as Mental Health services and physiotherapy;
• 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.
  
  
  

Work environment


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.

Entry plans

• Direct Entry Options
  
  

The minimum required education to apply for this position is the completion of the provincial requirements for Grade 12 or Secondary 5 in Quebec with Grade 11 applied math or Math 426 in Quebec and any Biology and Chemistry course at the Grade 12 or Secondary 5 level.

The ideal candidate will already have an Emergency Medical Responder Course. Foreign education may be accepted.

Training

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 Canadian Forces Health Services Training Center in Borden, Ontario. The course, which consists of three modules, is completed over 90 training days and covers the following:

• Maintaining medical supplies and equipment
• Screening patients and implementing patient care plans
• Treating medical conditions
• Administering diagnostic procedures, medications and continuous infusions
• Managing airways and assisting with minor surgical procedures
• Setting up deployed medical facilities
• Treating casualties in an operational and CBRNE environment
  
  

Combat Medics receive the professional credential of Emergency Medical Responder.

Combat Medics may be offered the opportunity to develop specialized skills through formal courses and on-the-job training.

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 Canadian Armed Forces operations and training activities, while building and maintaining links between the Forces and the local community.

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.

Combat Medics 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 assist and support Medical Officers and Nursing Officers to treat the sick and injured in Canadian Armed Forces units and operations. When they are employed on a part-time or casual full-time basis they usually serve in a medical unit at a location within Canada.

Find a Recruiting Centre

Reserve Force members are trained to the same level as their Regular Force counterparts. Once enrolled, they usually begin training with their home unit to ensure that they meet the required basic professional military standards. Following basic military training, Combat Medics attend the Canadian Forces Health Services Training Center in Borden, Ontario to achieve the remainder of their military qualification.

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

Medical Officer

Paramedic

Emergency Medicine Specialist (Medical Specialist)