Operating Room Nursing Officer

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. Operating Room Nursing Officers have opportunities to work in different domains of nursing practice including:

• Patient care delivery;
• Policy and program management;
• Clinical leadership; and
• Training and education
  
  
  

Work environment


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 form 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 chose 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 (relocations), accommodations can’t always be made, and therefore, you can likely expect to move at some point in your career. However, 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

• Direct Entry Options
  
  

In-Service Selection

Nursing Officers who joined the occupation through any entry plan have the opportunity, upon selection, to further specialize 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 license 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.

For further information, please contact a Canadian Forces Health Services Recruiter: [email protected] .

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; and
• 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. If you are unsure about your civilian experience matching the job requirements, please contact a Canadian Forces Health Services Recruiter: [email protected].

Related Careers

Nursing Officer

Critical Care Nursing Officer

Physiotherapy Officer