Skip to Main Content
Photo credit: Lt(N) Tamara McBratney Henderson
Browse Careers
Army Air Force Navy

General Surgeon (Medical Specialist)

OFFICER | Full Time, Part Time

Apply Now

Skip to Section:

Overview Training Entry plans Part time options
  • Related Careers

    • Overview

    As a member of the military, General Surgeons belong to the Medical Specialist occupation in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and provide trauma and general surgical care for CAF members, whether at a Canadian Forces Health Services Clinics/operating theatres or overseas in support of peacekeeping or humanitarian missions. They have the opportunity to be a leader within the CAF Health Services, as well as mentor and educator to other Health Services personnel, including Medical Officers, Nursing Officers, Physician Assistants as well as Medical, Operating Room and Diagnostic Technicians.

    Their primary responsibilities are to:

    • Provide surgical consultation for Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Members in Canada and deployed internationally;
    • Lead a surgical or emergent care team caring for injured and ill patients in Canada and in deployed settings, internationally; 
    • Educate and advise multidisciplinary teams on trauma and general surgery care;
    • Maintain a high level of surgical skills, by holding a position within a civilian health care facility ; and
    • Contribute to the development and application of health care policies within the CAF.

    Work environment

    General Surgeons in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) maintain their clinical readiness by being embedded as staff in tertiary care civilian hospitals across Canada, working alongside their civilian colleagues. Part of their time may be spent providing consultative services to support Primary Care Clinicians at Canadian Forces Health Services Clinics in Canada. Participation in education and training tasks, as well as research opportunities, occur nationally and internationally.
    They belong to 1 Canadian Field Hospital and maintain their operational readiness by participating in annual military skills training and field exercises. When required, they will be called upon to deploy to unique and challenging clinical environments as part of a Health Services team on domestic and international operations.

    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.

    Career Overview

    Transcript

    TITLE:

    General Surgeon (Medical Specialist)

    My name is Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Beckett, I am the Chief of General Surgery for the Canadian Forces and the Trauma Advisor to the Surgeon General.

    I dropped out of high school when I was 18 years old, from Stouffville, Ontario, and I joined the Canadian Forces out of Toronto as a Medical Technician. I had no idea that I was going to become a physician, and then surgeon, then the Chief of General Surgery for the Canadian Forces – and the only person that’s more surprised than me is my dad.

    The most rewarding experience I had was looking after Canadian and allied casualties in Kandahar, Afghanistan. This was at the height of the Afghan involvement and we were seeing about 8 to 10 critically injured patients per afternoon. And these type of injuries, from high-explosive and high-velocity gunshot wounds were, you know, injuries that we never ever see in the civilian world, and I learned how to manage those injuries on a routine basis. 

    And that’s why, you know, I can see any trauma patient in a Canadian hospital and I know how to manage it, because I’ve seen war trauma. And that’s a rare skill that many civilians will never ever come in contact with.

    Many of the surgeons that were in Afghanistan, they’ve all gone on to being directors of trauma programs, or taking on leadership positions in the civilian world, so it’s a very elite group of people that you’ll be joining.

    You’re going to have the experience of a lifetime. You’re going to travel, you’re going to serve your country overseas, you’re going to be at the peak of your surgical training, and you’re going to be able to sell those skills in the civilian world and join a very elite group of Canadian Forces surgeons.

    You never know what the Canadian Forces can do for you. So if they can turn a high school dropout into a trauma surgeon working at a Level 1 trauma centre in Toronto and the Chief of General Surgery, just think about what it can do for you.

    Pay and Benefits

    A competitive compensation and benefits package is available for this medical specialization. Contact a Health Services Specialist Recruiter to learn more: 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. You will 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.

    Learn more about Basic Training here.

    All physicians, including General Surgeons, attend the Basic Medical Officer Course (BMOC) at the Canadian Health Services Training Centre (CFHSTC) in Borden, Ontario. Here they are introduced to the organizational structure and history of the Canadian Forces Medical Service and the unique circumstances of practicing military medicine. This training incorporates blended delivery modalities with on-line components and a residential component.  In its entirety, the training lasts six weeks and is usually available twice per year, in one-, two- or three-week sessions.

    Environmental training, an operational requirement, includes field exercises that may take place anywhere in the world.

    CAF General Surgeons may be eligible to apply for the opportunity to specialize their medical practice and, when applicable, can receive subsidy in exchange for additional years of service.  Supported training will normally consist of a sub-specialty fellowship program at a Canadian University, but may include other Post-graduate degrees and/or courses determined to be complimentary to military practice.  

    As they progress in their career, General Surgeons who demonstrate the required qualifications, ability and potential may be offered advanced training in the following areas:

    • Forward Acute Care Resuscitation Team Training;

    • Mobile Surgical Resuscitation Team Training;

    • War Surgery Courses;

    • Definitive Surgical Trauma Care Courses;

    • Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma Courses;

    • Medical Education and Simulation; and

    • Military and health care leadership

    Entry plans

    If you are a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and have an unrestricted licence to practise in General Surgery in a Canadian province or territory, you may be eligible for enrolment and to commence basic training. 

    Currently, the Canadian Armed Forces supports clinicians who practice in the following Surgical sub-specialties:

    • Trauma Surgery 

    • Critical Care Medicine 

    • Vascular Surgery

    To find out more information or to apply to the CAF as a General Surgeon  you can contact our recruiters at:

    HSRecruiting-RecrutementSS@forces.gc.ca 

    Please indicate in the subject line of your e-mail: MEDICAL SPECIALIST

    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 (CAF) operations and training activities, while building and maintaining links between the CAF and the local community.

    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 (CAF) operations and training activities, while building and maintaining links between the CAF and the local community.

    Medical Specialists can broaden the medical support capability of the Health Services by joining 1 Canadian Field Hospital Detachment Ottawa. Members of this Primary Reserve unit complete a minimum annual commitment of 14 days of service and/or training at any time during the year, doing any or all of the following: providing health care services to Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members, teaching and monitoring clinical skills of personnel, attending field exercises to practice and/or provide medical care in a military field environment. 

    Medical Specialists serving in the Primary Reserve may live and work across Canada, as long as they are within a 100 km of a CAF Health Services unit. There is a small headquarters and administration section located in Ottawa, Ontario to assist them. All members of the Canadian Forces Health Services Reserves may have an opportunity to work internationally as members of a deployed Canadian Forces Health Services Team.

    Part-time opportunities within the CAF may exist for specialties and sub-specialties, depending on the requirements and position availability. These include:

    Anesthesiology

    Emergency Medicine

    General Surgery

    Internal Medicine (General, Infectious Diseases, Critical Care)

    Orthopedic Surgery 

    Radiology

    Neurosurgery

    Plastic Surgery

    Thoracic Surgery

    Obstetrics and Gynecology

    Pediatrics

    Otolaryngology

    Urology

    Opthamology

    Cardiology

    Gastroenterology

    Pathology

    Dermatology

    To find out more information or to apply please contact a Health Services Specialist Recruiter: HSRecruiting-RecrutementSS@forces.gc.ca

    Find a Recruiting Centre

    Reserve Force members are trained to the same level as their Regular Force counterparts. All members complete Basic Military Officer Qualification Training (BMOQ), at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. Topics covered include general military knowledge, the principles of leadership, regulations and customs of the Forces, basic weapons handling, field training, navigation and first aid.  This training varies in length and is usually available in two-week sessions or on weekends. You must also complete basic occupational training (Basic Medical Officer Course, BMOC), which teaches you how to employ your clinical skill/profession within the military environment. This training incorporates both on-line and on-site training over six weeks and is usually available twice a year, in one-, two- or three-week sessions held at the Canadian Forces Health Services Training Centre (CFHSTC), in Borden, Ontario.

    Medical Specialists in the Primary Reserve maintain their civilian positions in tertiary care hospitals across Canada. They belong to 1 Canadian Field Hospital Detachment Ottawa and stay operationally ready by participating in required military skills training and field exercises. Primary Reserve Medical Specialists will be able to contribute to development and delivery of clinical teaching and training tasks delivered across Canada, as well as to deploy to unique and challenging clinical environments as part of a Health Services team on domestic and international operations. In some cases, they may be able to provide medical care in a Canadian military health care clinic or operating theatre. Reserve Force members are paid 92.8% of Regular Force rates of pay, have the opportunity to receive a reasonable benefits package and may qualify to contribute to a pension plan.