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Want to join the reserves

jamalvirani

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Hey guys,

My name is Jamal and I am a 19 year old, healthy, male nursing student at McMaster and I was wondering about the process to join the reserves as a part-time soldier and the various opportunities there are.

I have some questions that hopefully you guys can help me with:
Since I am a nursing student can I apply to become an officer, or what am I eligible to be?
Should I go into an army unit, or a health science unit? And can I use my future nursing degree in the army unit or just the health one?
Should I apply to a regiment near my home in Toronto, or my school in Hamilton?
What is the process to join the reserves, and should I look into a regiment first or go through the recruiting agency?
How rewarding is it, in the sense, to what extent much can I serve Canada?
Is there anything I should know before applying?

Thanks alot,

Jamal
 
Hello Jamal,

Your best bet is to go to a nearby Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre and speak to someone face-to-face.  There, you can determine which positions you would be eligible for.  The website lethalLemon posted is the recruiting section of our website.  By going to 'Browse Jobs', you can fill in your qualifications and requirements and see what is listed for you.  These can be unavailable in many places for the reserves.  As you are working towards a degree you can join as an officer.  You can read on the forums with respect to how rewarding it is.  A Reserve Force nurse may not feel as vital to the defence of the nation as an infantry soldier, but we all have a job to do, and the job is there for a reason, support or frontline, and you can't have one without the other.  Research carefully.
 
Thanks for the info guys!

I'll head down to the recruiting center in Toronto on Friday.

- Jamal
 
Just so you know, there's also the recruiting centre near your school on Bay St.
 
jamalvirani said:
Should I go into an army unit, or a health science unit? And can I use my future nursing degree in the army unit or just the health one?
Should I apply to a regiment near my home in Toronto, or my school in Hamilton?

It's unlikely that you'll be able to use your nursing degree in a unit other than a Health Services (not Science) unit; if you go on exercises/operations, the CF will use you for what your role is, not what your degree is/was.  If you want to use your nursing degree in the military, become a military nurse. 

That being said, in the Reserves there are many people who join something totally different from their civilian job so that it doesn't feel like they're just "at work." 

As for what Regiment you are looking to apply in, I'd suggest a Hamilton-based one.  You'll be there during the week (which is when the parade nights are) and in the summers, you'll likely be off doing training somewhere else in Canada anyway.  There's no point in driving all the way to TO just for a few hours a week. 
 
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