Overview
As a member of the military, Operating Room Nursing Officers provide nursing care in the operating room domain of practice to ill and injured Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members and supported populations in tertiary care and in‑patient care environments in Canada and while on operation. They are employed in the Scrub and Circulating Nurse roles and have experience in the Medical Device Reprocessing Department.

Operating Room Nursing Officers work within a collaborative practice model with other members of the health care team and lead the nursing care delivery within their area of practice. They have opportunities to work in different domains of nursing practice including:

Patient care delivery

Policy and program management

Clinical leadership

Training and education

Work setting
Operating Room Nursing Officers usually work in civilian hospitals, Canadian Forces Health Services Centres, Operational CAF units, training and education establishments, and Headquarters. The work schedule may vary from shift work to a regular 40‑hour work week, depending on the environment. Operating Room Nursing Officers are called to contribute to exercises and domestic or international emergencies.

During field exercises and deployments to military operations abroad, Operating Room Nursing Officers live and work in the same environment as the CAF members they treat.

If you choose 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, accommodations can’t always be made, and therefore you can likely expect to move at some point in your career. 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
In‑Service Selection
Nursing Officers who joined the occupation through any entry plan have the opportunity, upon selection, to further specialise as an Operating Room Nursing Officer and progress in jobs and ranks of increasing responsibility.

Direct Entry
If you already have a university degree and licence to practice as a Registered Nurse in a Canadian province or territory and civilian nursing experience in an operating room environment, the CAF may place you directly into an Operating Room Nursing Officer job after evaluation of your experience. You may have to complete some education and certification to complement your civilian experience.

Training
After completing the Rank Qualification Lieutenant training, Nursing Officers selected for specialisation or who have civilian experience within an operating room environment are required to complete a formal operating room nursing course and a certification to ensure they have the clinical competencies required to deliver nursing care in an operating room setting. The certification is completed in a Canadian civilian tertiary care facility through completion of a designated curriculum. The course completion and length of the certification depends on each Nursing Officer’s level of previous clinical experience.

Operating Room Nursing Officers may be offered the opportunity to develop specialized skills through formal courses and certification, including:

Management

Policy and Program management

Part‑time options
Reserve Force Operating Room Nursing Officers are trained to the same level as their Regular Force counterparts. Your civilian experience will have to reflect a varied employment in an operating room environment.

Related Careers

Physician Assistant

Priority Application Processing

Critical Care Nursing Officer

Operating Room Technician

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📌 Operating Room Nursing Officer (Nova Scotia)
🏢 Canadian Armed Forces | Forces armées canadiennes
📍 Nova Scotia