Hi everyone,
I’m an Advanced Care Paramedic currently working in Alberta and am planning on joining the reserves. My civilian career is staying put— for now. The reserves would be something I’d like to build alongside my career as a long-term commitment.
I’ve already reached out to 15 Field Ambulance in Calgary with a number of questions regarding the application process, direct entry, training, and commitments, and I’m currently waiting to hear back. In the meantime, I was hoping to get some perspective from people with firsthand experience.
My reasons for joining are twofold.
First, I want to challenge myself in an environment that’s different from civilian EMS. I’m looking to develop military skills, field experience, leadership, resilience, and camaraderie while being part of a close-knit team.
Second, I’ll be completely honest: one of my long-term aspirations is to pursue opportunities with CANSOFCOM. I know that’s a distant objective requiring years of service, strong performance, experience, and preparation. I have no illusions that it’s something you simply sign up for or that there’s any guarantee of getting there. Whether that opportunity ever comes or not, my immediate goal is to become a good reservist, contribute to my unit, and build myself into the strongest candidate I can over time.
My questions are:
- Given my background as an ACP, would you recommend doubling down on my existing strengths by pursuing a medical trade (Combat Medic / Paramedic, depending on availability), or would there be an advantage to joining a Combat Arms trade if my long-term goal is to be as competitive as possible for CANSOFCOM?
- Looking back, is there anything you wish you had known before choosing your reserve trade?
- The CAF website mentions a $50,000 signing bonus for certain medical occupations. Does that incentive also apply to reserve Paramedics or Combat Medics or is it Regular Force only?
Thanks in advance.
