healthcare careers in canadian armed forces offer subsidized education and job guarantees
"when you're looking after people who have made a decision to serve their country, to potentially put themselves in harm's way, that adds an extra layer"
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tina lipcsey had just finished her first year of nursing at dalhousie university in halifax when her education and career trajectory took a major turn. she joined the canadian armed forces (caf), ready to challenge herself in new ways. in return, the next three years of her nursing degree were subsidized by the government, and she had a guaranteed job after graduating—a great foundation to set her up for success.
“i’ve always had a passion for helping people; that’s what drew me to the nursing occupation. when you’re looking after people who have made a decision to serve their country, to potentially put themselves in harm’s way, that adds an extra layer,” she says of her first role as a nursing officer in a military hospital in the 1990s.
career development in healthcare in the canadian armed forces
over the years, she’s had the opportunity to train for different jobs—one of the many perks of joining caf—first as a medical surgical nurse, then ambulatory care nursing for things like clinic immunizations and allergy treatment. she was posted at the training centre in borden, ontario, for operations and monitoring classes for standards compliance.
she also served at the air base in trenton, ontario, and later went to ottawa, where she’s stayed (and plans to retire down the road). now lipcsey is an attraction coordinator at canadian health services headquarters, managing a team to recruit new talent to healthcare positions in caf.
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her personal experience has shaped her messaging in many ways to draw young students and experienced civilians to the opportunities.
“i remember as a young nurse in halifax, getting folks ready to go on deployment, so they needed to receive a number of vaccines before they could proceed. you get to meet lots of people, you get to see really brave, dedicated folks who are going to places that are not always safe,” she says of officers leaving to serve in east timor to restore peace and security, repair facilities and construct camps. the mission was one of canada’s largest peacekeeping operations in asia since the early 1950s.
“it was very fulfilling looking after folks who made the decision to serve.”
making the commitment to serve your country
she readily acknowledges that joining the caf comes with a serious commitment to serve in situations that have risks, much like becoming a police officer or firefighter. members are called into assist in situations such as natural disasters like tsunamis or earthquakes, helping out here in canada with floods and wildfires, or serving in combat missions.
“people lean on the training that they’ve received and the camaraderie in terms of, you know, the person to your left and to your right, you’re looking out for your buddy.”
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she worked with air medical evacuation in trenton as a healthcare administrator during the afghanistan war, where nurses, medical technicians and physician assistants were flying over to lanzhou in germany and flying injured soldiers back to canada. teams at the time were also going into haiti for earthquake relief work in 2010.
“that was a very unique opportunity for a healthcare administrator,” she says of the variety and intensity of her responsibilities.
she also talks about her youth in newfoundland and how her service career offered the chance to become more adventurous and see a lot of canada, which broadened her horizons. for people who are ambitious and like to travel, there are also posts in germany, belgium and washington, where caf covers relocation expenses for service members and their families.
the adventure can be beneficial for children as well, she adds, “to be able to live in different places, see different parts of canada and the world. i think it can definitely set children up to be more resilient, so when they go off to college or university, they’re better prepared.”
military couples and their families can thrive in different posts, while civilian partners and spouses are supported in their search for employment.
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injection of funds for canada’s defence and security
now, with recent federal announcements of increased pay for military service members and an injection of funds that will see canada’s defence and security budget climb to $62.7 billion by next year, recruitment is in a growth stage. healthcare roles across the board are in demand, from the fields of nursing to physiotherapy, pharmacy, social work, dentistry, medical radiation, operating room technicians, paramedics and combat medics.
most critical are medical officers, the equivalent in caf to family physicians, with the same training and credentials. this reflects the need for family doctors throughout canada, making the pull for talent a key focus.
“it definitely is a competitive environment as provinces are offering higher salaries and medical school loan forgiveness and finding bonuses and so on,” lipcsey says.
the advantages of enrolling in caf to pursue a medical school include things like paid tuition, pension contribution, further training opportunities and a job after graduation in exchange for required service time. but it’s flexible and not a life-long commitment. people can leave to pursue civilian positions and later return to service.
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caf also enrolls physicians who have additional training in emergency medicine or sports and exercise medicine, as well as medical specialist officers who are doctors in specialties such as anesthesiology, orthopedics, internal medicine, radiology, psychiatry, and physical medicine and rehabilitation.
“the canadian armed forces is in a period of major transformation and modernization, which is very exciting. it’s actively growing to meet new challenges and it’s definitely become a more inclusive and a more modern force,” she says of employment equity for women, first nations and visible minorities across all ranks and occupations. “that’s opening doors for people who may never have considered the caf before.”
with her team going into colleges and universities, and attending career fairs and conferences, lipcsey wants to encourage canadians to find out more about caf and service. for herself and many people she’s seen advance in their military career, it’s a rewarding journey to work in healthcare that supports canada’s defence and leadership.
“if people are screened successfully for enrollment, they’re given an offer and enrolled in the canadian armed forces. depending on if it’s an occupation that they need to go to college or university for they’ll be subsidized by the canadian armed forces,” she explains of the process. “if it’s an occupation where they’re going to be trained by the canadian armed forces, such as combat medic, they’ll receive that training and then they have a guaranteed job at the end. so it’s an amazing way to get an education.”
