Medical Technician

Overview

As a member of the military, Medical Technicians 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 Medical Technician has the following primary duties:

• Provide initial care for patients;
• Provide basic to advanced 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 a medical facility by wheeled or tracked ambulance, or by air;
• Participate in rescues from crashed vehicles, tanks, ships, aircraft 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.

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 Reserves—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 Québec (some jobs need higher levels of education).

Work Environment

Medical Technicians spend most of their careers working directly with the Canadian Armed Forces within Canada, on ships at sea, and deployed on international missions. In the field, overseas and on ship, 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.

Basic Military Qualification

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, Québec, or through various training establishments across Canada from Esquimalt, British Columbia, to Halifax, Nova Scotia. This training provides the basic core skills and knowledge common to all trades. One main goal of this course is to ensure all recruits maintain the CAF physical fitness standard; as a result, the training is physically demanding but achievable.

Basic Occupational Qualification Training

Medical Technicians complete their basic occupation training at the Canadian Forces Health Services Training Center in Borden, Ontario as well as an off-site civilian training institution. The course which consists of three modules is completed over 47-48 weeks 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

At the off-site civilian training institution Medical Technicians complete a Primary Care Paramedic Course to obtain paramedic training. This course is tailored to military requirements while meeting performance standards set by the Paramedic Association of Canada and approved by the Canadian Medical Association. Medical Technicians receive the professional credential of Primary Care Paramedic Level I.

Available Specialty Training

Medical Technicians may be offered the opportunity to develop specialized skills through formal courses and on-the-job training, including training to work in specialized operational units. They may also apply for an Occupational Transfer and receive training in one of the following occupations:

• Operating Room Technician;
• Preventive Medicine Technician;
• Biomedical Electronic Technician;
• Aviation Physiology Technician; and
• Physician Assistant

Required Education

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.

Foreign education may be accepted.

Direct Entry Options

The ideal candidate will already have a college diploma and a Primary Care Paramedic Level I certificate, the Forces may place you directly into an on-the-job training program following basic training.

Join the CAF

To learn more about becoming a Medical Technician, visit www.forces.ca, talk to a recruiter at a centre near you or call 1-800-856-8488.

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