How Canadian Armed Forces occupations evolve: Inside the creation of new medical roles

May 20, 2026 - Defence Stories

Estimated read time - 1:50

Change is nothing new in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Important changes to medical occupations were announced in June 2025. The Paramedic (PMD) and Combat Medic (CMD) occupations were created while the Medical Technician (Med Tech) and Medical Assistant (Med A) was retired.

Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class (CPO 2) Shellie Poole has been a key enabler in this remodeling. She explains that occupations typically go under review every ten years. These reviews support operational relevance and address structural gaps or overlaps. For example, the Med Tech and Med A occupations had various employment structure problems such as inefficient training, and misalignment between paramedic competencies and job requirements.

To have a successful occupational change, CPO 2 Poole and a dedicated analysis team gathered information directly from those in the Med Tech occupation.

Since 2019, "the team worked tirelessly, reaching out to members of the occupation and key stakeholders to gather information to conduct a proper analysis."

She also noted that "it's key for people who design the changes to return back into their organizations to assist with the roll out of implementation."

Splitting an occupation doesn't happen often, especially for smaller ones. But in this case, CPO 2 Poole's team demonstrated that the existing occupation was large and diverse enough to justify two distinct roles. A similar split occurred in 2016. The Resource Management Support Clerk occupation was then separated into Human Resources Administrator and Financial Services Administrator. These two occupations still exist today. Combining occupations is possible, but it can be challenging, especially when it comes to training and career management.

The occupational review process is extensive. The time needed to complete this process depends on many factors, such as the scope of the changes and the size of the occupation. Since the implementation phase alone can take from two to five years, gap training is used to maintain operational readiness. Staggering training helps teams remain mission-capable while others are upskilled.

A Med Tech by trade, CPO 2 Poole helped lead the CAF through this occupation split, using her experience as the military occupational structure identification (MOSID) advisor for Med Techs. Now a CMD, she served as the MOSID advisor for CMDs for 18 months. She now serves in Canadian Joint Forces Command as the Interim Headquarters Sergeant Major.

"I appreciate all the attention on the occupations as we move through this change," said CPO 2 Poole. "It's a great opportunity for the members to be showcased in the spotlight they deserve."

Read more about the creation of PMD and CMD occupations.