What They Do
Medical Technicians belong to the Canadian Forces Medical Service, and are integral members of the military health-care team. They work with Physicians, Physician Assistants and Nurses to treat the sick and injured in all kinds of Canadian Forces operations and units.
A Medical Technician has the following primary duties:
- Provide initial care for ill / injured patients;
- In trauma cases, provide basic life support treatments;
- Prescribe 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 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 (ECGs) and audiograms (hearing tests)
- Initiate, maintain and distribute medical records, documents, reports and returns; and
- Maintain, replenish and account for general and medical supplies
Qualification Requirements
Applicants wanting to apply as Medical Technicians must have completed their secondary schooling (grade 12, Sec V or GED) and have an academic profile including grade 12 (Sec V) Biology, grade 12 Chemistry or Physics, and grade 11 (Sec IV) Math. Additionally, applicants must hold a valid provincial drivers licence. This occupation requires dedication, a great capacity for hard work, and both the desire and the ability to perform detailed tasks for long periods under pressure without making mistakes. Above all, Medical Technicians must actively enjoy helping people.
Initial Employment
Newly qualified Medical Technicians are typically posted to a Canadian Forces health care unit in Canada. Within their first 18 months of work, they must complete the Maintenance of Clinical Skills Program (MCSP), which includes a significant on-the-job training component.
On completion of MCSP, Medical Technicians are eligible to be selected for intermediate MOC training, which is given at CFMSS. On completion of intermediate MOC training, a Medical Technician is ready for a remarkable range of employment opportunities: a posting to a Combat Arms unit (e.g., Infantry battalion, Armoured or Artillery regiment), or one of Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships, or perhaps occupational transfer to one of the medical specialist trades, such as Operating Room Technician, Preventive Medicine Technician, Biomedical Electronic Technician or Aero-Medical Technician.
Specialty Training
As they progress in their careers, Medical Technicians who demonstrate ability and ambition will be offered Advanced MOC training delivered through both formal courses and on-the-job training. At the supervisor (Sergeant) level, a Medical Technician is eligible to be selected for training as a Physician Assistant.
The following specialty courses may also be available:
- Medical Supply
- Diving Medicine Technician
- Aero-Medical Evacuation
Working Environment
Medical Technicians spend most of their careers working directly with the members of operational Army, Navy and Air Force units, on Canadian Forces Bases and Wings across Canada, at sea in HMC Ships, and deployed overseas. When on exercise and deployed on operations, Medical Technicians are exposed to the same discomforts, threats and risks as the fighting forces they support.
Medical Technicians are expected to work long hours in physically demanding circumstances, including severe weather conditions, and to endure significant mental stress. Shift work and on-call status are normal. Medical Technicians are always required to be alert, to pay close attention to detail, to exercise initiative, and to use excellent judgment.
Appropriate training, environmental clothing and equipment are provided, and Medical Technicians’ health, safety and morale are closely monitored.
Basic Military Qualification
The first stage of training for everyone is the 13-week Basic Military Qualification (BMQ) course 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 CF physical fitness standard, as a result, the training is physically demanding. BMQ covers the following topics:
- Policies and regulations of the Canadian Forces;
- CF drill, dress and deportment (the “three D’s”);
- Basic safety;
- First aid;
- Personal survival in nuclear, biological and chemical conditions;
- Handling and firing personal weapons;
- Cross-country navigation; and
- Personal survival in field conditions.
Soldier Qualification
On successful completion of BMQ, Medical Technicians may go to one of the Army’s Military Training Centres for the 10-week Soldier Qualification (SQ) course, which covers the following topics:
- Army physical fitness;
- Dismounted offensive and defensive operations;
- Reconnaissance patrolling;
- Advanced weapons-handling (working with grenades, machine-guns and anti-tank weapons); and
- Individual field-craft.
*Note: Although they are non-combatants under the Geneva Conventions, Medical Technicians deployed on operations bear arms to defend both their patients and themselves.
Basic Military Occupational Training
After completing BMQ or SQ, Medical Technicians go on to Basic Military Occupational (MOC) Training. The first portion of this course takes 16 weeks and is given at the Canadian Forces Medical Service School (CFMSS) in CFB Borden, Ontario. It covers the following material:
- Delivering health care in the field
- Nursing medical and surgical patients in field conditions
- Use of therapeutic drugs
- Preventive medicine and
- Medical documentation
The second portion of the Medical Technicians’ Basic MOC Training is given at the Paramedic Academy of the Justice Institute of British Columbia in Chilliwack (for Anglophone candidates), and at Ahuntsic College in Montréal, Quebec (for Francophone candidates). These courses are tailored to military requirements while meeting performance standards set by the Paramedic Association of Canada and approved by the Canadian Medical Association.
On completion of this stage of training, Medical Technicians receive the professional credential of Primary Care Paramedic Level I.
