Overview

As a member of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), Orthopedic Surgeons belong to the Medical Specialist occupation and provide trauma‑focused orthopedic surgical care to CAF members at Canadian Forces Health Services Clinics, operating theatres, or overseas during peacekeeping or humanitarian missions. They have the prospect to lead within the CAF Health Services and mentor other Health Services personnel, including Medical Officers, Nursing Officers, Physician Assistants, and Medical, Operating Room, and Diagnostic Technicians.

Responsibilities

- Provide orthopedic consultation and care for CAF members in Canada.
- Lead a surgical or emergent care team in the management of injured and ill patients in Canada and in deployed settings, internationally.
- Educate and advise multidisciplinary teams on trauma and orthopedic care.
- Maintain a high level of clinical currency by holding a position within a civilian health care facility.
- Contribute to the development and application of health care policies within the CAF.

Work Environment

Orthopedic Surgeons are embedded as staff in tertiary care civilian hospitals across Canada, working alongside their civilian colleagues. Time is also spent providing consultative services to support primary care clinicians at CAF Health Services Clinics in Canada. Participation in education, training and research occurs nationally and internationally. They belong to a Canadian Field Hospital and maintain operational readiness through annual military skills training and field exercises. When required, they deploy to unique and challenging clinical environments as part of a Health Services team on domestic and international operations.

Entry Plans

If you are a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and have an unrestricted licence to practise orthopaedic surgery in a Canadian province or territory,



you may be eligible for enrolment and to commence basic training.

Training

At the first available opportunity, they complete Basic Military Officer Qualification training at the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in Saint‑Jean‑sur‑Richelieu, Quebec. The Condensed Health Services Basic Military Officer Qualification Training consists of two weeks of distance learning and four weeks of in‑house training, covering general military knowledge, leadership principles, regulations, basic weapons handling, first aid, and physical fitness. Successful completion is a prerequisite for further training.

All physicians, including orthopaedic surgeons, attend the Basic Medical Officer Course (BMOC) at the Canadian Forces Health Services Training Centre in Borden, Ontario. The six‑week course is offered twice per year and includes blended delivery modalities with online and residential components.

Environmental training, an operational requirement, includes field exercises that may take place anywhere in the world. Orthopaedic surgeons may be eligible to apply for specialty training and, when applicable, receive subsidy for additional years of service. Supported training typically consists of a sub‑specialty fellowship program at a Canadian university.

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

- Mobile Surgical Resuscitation Team




- Forward Acute Care Resuscitation Team Training
- War Surgery Courses
- Definitive Surgical Trauma Care Course
- Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma
- Medical Education and Simulation
- Military and health care leadership

Part Time Options

The Canadian Forces Health Services Reserves provide trained personnel to support, augment and sustain CAF Health Services organisations. Health care professionals in the Reserves must maintain an unrestricted licence to practise in their clinical field and uphold clinical currency within their civilian workplace. Positions may be available for part‑time employment with the Primary Reserve at certain locations across Canada. Members of the Primary Reserve are paid during training and are not posted or required to relocate. They may volunteer to move closer to another unit and for deployment on a military mission.

Medical Specialists serve in the Primary Reserve by maintaining clinical roles in tertiary care hospitals across Canada. They belong to a Canadian Field Hospital Detachment in Ottawa, completing a minimum annual commitment of 14 days of service and/or training and providing health care services, teaching, and participating in field exercises.

Specialties Available in Part‑Time Reserves

- Anesthesiology
- Emergency Medicine
- General Surgery
- Internal Medicine (General, Infectious Diseases, Critical Care)
- Orthopaedic Surgery
- Radiology
- Neurosurgery
- Plastic Surgery
- Thoracic Surgery
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Pediatrics
- Otolaryngology
- Urology
- Ophthalmology
- Cardiology
- Gastroenterology
- Pathology
- Dermatology

Related Careers

- Radiologist (Medical Specialist)
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Medical Specialist)
- Internal Medicine Specialist (Medical Specialist)

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📌 Orthopedic Surgeon (Medical Specialist) (Surrey)
🏢 Canadian Armed Forces | Forces armées canadiennes
📍 Surrey