# Doctor / Medical Officer Recruiting Questions



## Kelvin C (19 Sep 2007)

Hi all,

I'm a medical doctor graduated in Malta (EU).  I will be applying to train as a family doctor in Canada soon and would like to know some furthur info about the conditions faced by family doctors who work with the CF, since I would be interested to joing the CF after I complete my training.

1. What are the amount of hours that I will be expected to work?

2. Can one be deployed for more than 6 months for each 4 years of service?

3. Is the salary taxable?

4. Is there a good chance for a licensed family practitioner of being accepted in the CF?

Thanks for your patience and for you help.

Kelvin Cortis


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## sigtech (19 Sep 2007)

Kelvin C said:
			
		

> Hi all,
> 
> I'm a medical doctor graduated in Malta (EU).  I will be applying to train as a family doctor in Canada soon and would like to know some furthur info about the conditions faced by family doctors who work with the CF, since I would be interested to joing the CF after I complete my training.
> 
> ...


Now I don't work in the Medical Field but....
1) That depends on where you are posted but we are all considered to be 24 and 7 so we can be called in at anytime and work extended hours. Such is the life of service.
2) you bet your bippy, you could be deployed a lot more then that once you do a tour you are suppose to stay home for 365 days but at the end of that time you can be deployed again.
3) yes we all get taxed like everyone else
4) I can't see why not , the military is still looking for doctors as far as I know


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## medaid (19 Sep 2007)

Kelvin C said:
			
		

> Hi all,
> 
> I'm a medical doctor graduated in Malta (EU).  I will be applying to train as a family doctor in Canada soon and would like to know some furthur info about the conditions faced by family doctors who work with the CF, since I would be interested to joing the CF after I complete my training.
> 
> ...



Kelvin,

1. Normally, you would be expected to work your normal 9-5 on a base hospital or a unit's MIR. However, when you deploy into the field either on exercise or in a theater of operations then your hours could be considerably extended. 

2. Yes, and a doctor is usually deployed around 7-8 months in a tour, just because you have to get there early to familiarize yourself with everything, do the proper hand over procedures and then do the same for the guy/gal relieving you.

3. The salary is taxable when you're in Canada, however a portion of your salary when you're overseas is not.

4. We need GPs. However, those with an Emerg background, orthos, and gas passers are also looked upon highly and needed by the Force.

Why wait till you finish your residency? Apply now and get paid through your residency, get a signing bonus of $250,000 and kick start your career early? Contact your local CFRC, and the best of luck to you!


Cheers,

MT.


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## Kelvin C (20 Sep 2007)

Thanks for your replies.

I have asked you about the period of deployment because this is what's written in the brochure:

*It is highly likely that you will be deployed on a six-month tour during your period of obligatory service.*

This is why I thought that you cannot be deployed for a period longer than 6 months.  Since I'm not Canadian, I'm not sure about wheter I can apply to join the CF before I begin a residency program in Canada.  I have been working the the local A&E department for a while, so that would probably help - at least I hope  .  I would like to work in Canada since its a nice place and since I agree with a lot of the current political stands taken by your gov.

Another 2 questions - is a pension scheme issued only for those who have retired from the CF after 25 years of service?  And what about parental leave?


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## BC Old Guy (20 Sep 2007)

On deployment - you can expect to be deployed for the 6 months.  The brochure was written to ensure doctors who were considering joining were fully aware of the possibility of deployment.

Subsidization is possible while going to med school/internship/residency programs.  You are right - normally it does require Canadian Citizenship.  The subsidization programs are popular, so you may not be able to get into one. 

Pension - New plan has pension contributions locked in after 2 years.  It is possible to get those out after that, but only into a locked-in registered retirement plan.  Otherwise you would get a deferred pension  - I think that kicks in at age 60.

Parental / maternity leave is available.  There are some difference between Parental and Maternity Leave, and entitlement is based on gender.  Maternity leave entitlement is up to a year, and you are on restricted release for a year following that - otherwise you incur obligations to the Employment Insurance plan.

Please note these are generalities - details can be found at:
  http://www.admfincs.forces.gc.ca/admfincs/subjects/DAOD/5001/2_e.asp


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## david_wright (21 Sep 2007)

Kelvin C said:
			
		

> Hi all,
> 
> I'm a medical doctor graduated in Malta (EU).  I will be applying to train as a family doctor in Canada soon and would like to know some furthur info about the conditions faced by family doctors who work with the CF, since I would be interested to joing the CF after I complete my training.
> 
> ...



I'll base my response to the knowledge I have gained through years of investigating a possible career in the CF. As an aside, I am an anaesthetic trainee in Australia, I am in the Australian Army Reserve and I am married to a Canadian. I have one major reason for moving to Canada, and several ancillary reasons to join the CF as a doctor.

Firstly, you can join the CF as a landed immigrant, I have been told that the citizenship requirement is not mandatory for high-demand roles.
The hours of work have been mentioned before.
Salary is taxed.
Military doctors are in short supply throughout the world. Canada is as desperate as Australia in this regard. There are excellent prospects for military physicians, and you would be unlucky to not be accepted if you fulfilled the minimum requirements, such as health, fitness, immigration and licencing.
One more thing, and the rate-limiting-step in my application to the CF: you need to be in a Canadian program or have your Canadian licence to practice before all this can occur. The CF will not provide assistance in obtaining your LMCC (Licenciate of the Medical Council of Canada). In order to do this you need to pass the Medical Council of Canada exams. Unfortunately, unless you already have a fellowship, you may start back at square one. That, for me, is a big disincentive although each speciality is different.
A useful site is http://www.mcc.ca.
Bon chance, maybe I'll see you in 10 years, which is as long as I have to go, given my desire to pursue a fellowship in anaesthesia and in intensive care, and the forecast duration for studying to pass the MCC exams.
David


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## Kelvin C (21 Sep 2007)

BC Old Guy said:
			
		

> On deployment - you can expect to be deployed for the 6 months.  The brochure was written to ensure doctors who were considering joining were fully aware of the possibility of deployment.



I do not mind being deployed for 6 months...but is it 6 or 8 months?  



> Pension - New plan has pension contributions locked in after 2 years.  It is possible to get those out after that, but only into a locked-in registered retirement plan.  Otherwise you would get a deferred pension  - I think that kicks in at age 60.



Does that mean that anybody working for more than 2 years with the CF receives some kind of pension?



> Parental / maternity leave is available.  There are some difference between Parental and Maternity Leave, and entitlement is based on gender.  Maternity leave entitlement is up to a year, and you are on restricted release for a year following that - otherwise you incur obligations to the Employment Insurance plan.
> 
> Please note these are generalities - details can be found at:
> http://www.admfincs.forces.gc.ca/admfincs/subjects/DAOD/5001/2_e.asp


[/quote]

Thanks for the link .

On the brochure it says that 'CF members who are fathers can receive 7 months off work, and mothers can receive 12 months off work to stay home with their baby on close to full-pay', but on the link that you provided paternal/maternal leave means a period of leave without pay  ???.


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## Kelvin C (21 Sep 2007)

david_wright said:
			
		

> I'll base my response to the knowledge I have gained through years of investigating a possible career in the CF. As an aside, I am an anaesthetic trainee in Australia, I am in the Australian Army Reserve and I am married to a Canadian. I have one major reason for moving to Canada, and several ancillary reasons to join the CF as a doctor.
> 
> Firstly, you can join the CF as a landed immigrant, I have been told that the citizenship requirement is not mandatory for high-demand roles.



I have checked about the possible requirement of Canadian citizenship for medics joining the CF, but there is none.  As long as one has secured his position into a residence program, one can apply with the CF.



> Military doctors are in short supply throughout the world. Canada is as desperate as Australia in this regard. There are excellent prospects for military physicians, and you would be unlucky to not be accepted if you fulfilled the minimum requirements, such as health, fitness, immigration and licencing.
> One more thing, and the rate-limiting-step in my application to the CF: you need to be in a Canadian program or have your Canadian licence to practice before all this can occur. The CF will not provide assistance in obtaining your LMCC (Licenciate of the Medical Council of Canada). In order to do this you need to pass the Medical Council of Canada exams. Unfortunately, unless you already have a fellowship, you may start back at square one. That, for me, is a big disincentive although each speciality is different.
> A useful site is http://www.mcc.ca.



I'm not into any speciality yet, since I've been a doctor for only one year and a half - and we have to do two years of rotations between Medicine, Surgery and specialities here in Malta before getting into a speciality or into general practice.  I will probably do the MCCEE in the UK in the begining of next year, since its too late to apply for the Janruary exams.



> Bon chance, maybe I'll see you in 10 years, which is as long as I have to go, given my desire to pursue a fellowship in anaesthesia and in intensive care, and the forecast duration for studying to pass the MCC exams.
> David



Meet you there and thanks for your help


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## old medic (21 Sep 2007)

I have removed 3 messages from this thread, in hopes of keeping it on track and open 
for those who may seek this information in the future.

Basic information about Foreign Trained Medical Graduates (FTMG) joining can be 
found at:
http://64.254.158.112/pdf/FTMG_en.pdf
http://www.forces.gc.ca/health/physician/engraph/international_medical_graduates_e.asp


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## Kelvin C (21 Sep 2007)

Thanks old medic.

I'm asking all these questions since emigration is a tough decision to make, and all factors must be taken into consideration.


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## aesop081 (21 Sep 2007)

Kelvin C said:
			
		

> I do not mind being deployed for 6 months...but is it 6 or 8 months?



Could be 6 ( the usual lenght), could be 8, 9, a year.......


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## BC Old Guy (21 Sep 2007)

> I do not mind being deployed for 6 months...but is it 6 or 8 months?



 The decision on how long to send an individual on deployment changes from time to time.  The current deployment messages I've seen have the standard at 6 months for those outside the wire, and up to 9 months inside the wire.  The brochure notes the requirement for 6 months, because that is the normal standard we have been using for some time.  If/when you are a Medical Officer, and about to deploy, the rules may have changed totally, and perhaps with little notice.



> the link that you provided paternal/maternal leave means a period of leave without pay  .



The individual on Maternity / Parental leave receives benefits from the Employment Insurance agency, and the CF tops up the pay of the individual.  However, for record keeping purposes the individual is on LWOP.



> Does that mean that anybody working for more than 2 years with the CF receives some kind of pension?



If a person has more than 2 years of service, they receive a pension, unless specific actions are taken by the individual to change that - such as asking that the pension benefit be transferred to a locked-in registered retirement plan, or into another compatible pension plan, such as the public service pension plan or the RCMP pension plan.  Remember, the pension would be deferred until age 60.  This is a new set of rules, so it will take some time until people get some experience with how this plan works.


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## Kelvin C (22 Sep 2007)

CDN Aviator said:
			
		

> Could be 6 ( the usual lenght), could be 8, 9, a year.......



Somebody said that once you're deployed, you stay one year in Canada...so is it deployment-one year in Canada-deployment-one year in Canada, so on so forth?


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## aesop081 (22 Sep 2007)

Kelvin C said:
			
		

> Somebody said that once you're deployed, you stay one year in Canada...so is it deployment-one year in Canada-deployment-one year in Canada, so on so forth?



There is no set in stone time periods.....thats what i was getting at

Myself, i am gone 3 weeks, home 2 weeks...gone 1 week, back 1 week, gone 2 weeks, back 3 days......never the same but i'm always gone.....

No person here can tell you what YOUR deployement times will be like, simple as that.


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## Kelvin C (27 Sep 2007)

BC Old Guy said:
			
		

> If a person has more than 2 years of service, they receive a pension, unless specific actions are taken by the individual to change that - such as asking that the pension benefit be transferred to a locked-in registered retirement plan, or into another compatible pension plan, such as the public service pension plan or the RCMP pension plan.  Remember, the pension would be deferred until age 60.  This is a new set of rules, so it will take some time until people get some experience with how this plan works.



I'm trying to find more info about this pension...does anybody have the link to the 'rules' or any hints of how this works?

Thanks again.  I will do the MCCEE next May, and hopefully the QE1 soon after.


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## sigtech (27 Sep 2007)

CDN Aviator said:
			
		

> There is no set in stone time periods.....thats what i was getting at
> 
> Myself, i am gone 3 weeks, home 2 weeks...gone 1 week, back 1 week, gone 2 weeks, back 3 days......never the same but i'm always gone.....
> 
> No person here can tell you what YOUR deployement times will be like, simple as that.



Unless you go on a tour I.E. Afghanistan etc etc if you deploy on tour when you return you are RED 365 and will not be deployed on another tour until that time has passed or you choose to sign a waver


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## EMER DOC SPEC (25 Nov 2007)

If you like real medicine do not join the CF as a MO.  Join as a specialist.  You are treated like crap as a MO.


(Offensive content removed by Moderator.)


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## aesop081 (25 Nov 2007)

EMER DOC SPEC said:
			
		

> If you like real medicine do not join the CF as a MO.  Join as a specialist.  You are treated like crap as a MO.



Thats more than enough out of you.......

Milnet.ca staff


(Offensive content removed from quoted text by Moderator)


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