Topic: Aspiring to be in the Forces

[Mudshuvel]

Hey boys and girls,

Calling tomorrow (January 5th) to see when my interview and medical will take place. The recruiter initially told me the week of Jan 17th, now just need to work out which day so I can ensure I have time off work. Took a break from the gym for a few weeks. Muscle fatigue hit me hard and I had to move/have Christmas. Would have started back up yesterday, but Moncton got smoked by a storm and I live 20mins from town. As mentioned, I had 'depression' issues in the past, however my Doctor wrote a letter for me to provide the Med. Examiner at the RC with her own recommendation that I am no doubt fit for service. Its on her professional letterhead, and although I don't expect it to go into my file, I hope that it helps to prove that I am not a danger to myself nor anyone I will ever serve with. I understand that January is slow as far as progression of applications (or so I've heard), does anyone have any personal experience with when Credit Checks, References checks should be done?

[Lost1]

good job on the progress dude, its inspiring.

how are you doing with quitting smoking? I know it can be hell

oh and what kind checks/references  need to be done?  ( I have nothing to hide I'm just curious)

[89Sharp]

oh and what kind checks/references  need to be done?  ( I have nothing to hide I'm just curious)

They call your references to find out about your character, whether you're a reliable, generally good person.
Also, your credit history is checked (to make sure you're not running from $30000 of debt or a Mob loan shark) along with your criminal history, for the obvious reason.

[Lare]

good job on the progress dude, its inspiring.

how are you doing with quitting smoking? I know it can be hell

oh and what kind checks/references  need to be done?  ( I have nothing to hide I'm just curious)

What 89Sharp said, for most people. However if you've moved to Canada from elsewhere, or have lived outside the country for 6 months+ (i believe), then the background check section of your application can take quite a bit longer.

For me, after i did my CFAT/medical/interview, roughly 2weeks, they started in on the ERC, medical history stuffs. They only called my first reference, and since i have never lived outside BC, and haven't commited any crimes, the entire ERC went extremely quick. Ditto for the medical.

So if you have no medical problems, haven't lived outside the country, and don't have a criminal record, i really wouldn't worry about all the background stuff they check. Once you get the big three done its basically a hurry up and wait thing (the wise will tell you to use this time to get as physically fit as you can, don't simply aim for the minimum.)

Hope this was mildly helpful, and good luck to you guys!

PS: Ive officially-completely-for-real-this-time-quit smoking more times than i can count in the year or so since Ive applied, Ive given up until i get that call, and then probably again a week before basic, then possibly again once i get to basic..... Really regret not listening to that one... Everyone... That says smoking is bad for you!

Edit: Spellcheck fail.

[ArmouredHopeful]

Hey man, I gotta tell you, you're story has thrown one more gust under my wings. (As stated earlier, not trying to thread steal) I was roughly 300 lbs (over I believe) 12 months ago, currently at like 190-195, quit smoking cold turkey and have only had like 4 since, mostly at my best friends wedding ha! I go to write my CFAT tomorrow, working the graveyard right now, so I'm hoping it won't affect me. I had initially planned on getting this ball rolling in April, but an opportunity presented itself which ended in me signing up for the test tomorrow, will let you all know after it's done how it went, and I will be starting a "Progress Thread" as well. My choices are 1st:Armoured, 2nd: Artillery - Land, and 3rd: Infantry. Really hoping for Armoured though, went for a ride in a coyote when I was like 12 at an Airshow back home, and it was awesome!! I hope to hear more of your story, and look forward to having the opportunity to defend our great country beside you and the rest of our forces!

[Mudshuvel]

Hey everyone,

Thank you all for the kind words of encouragement and the like.

Went last week for my medical. Also spoke with the Sergeant concerning my Credit, which I passed.

As foreshadowed in my earlier posts, I got H-2 on my hearing, which is the minimum for my trades, and due to my 'background' with depression a decade ago, I need to present the form for my doctor to fill out. That was always my fear, my medical. Needless to say, my doctor will more than likely also write up a note saying I do not have ADHD, nor do I have recurrent depression which will help greatly, I hope. For my trades, I also need an eye exam plus tests for glaucoma and a blood test and urine test. I hope I don't have high cholesterol... any ideas anyone on what could fail me through my blood and pee?

I have to say as well, that I hope ALL of you who read my story and get inspired by it continue on. ArmouredHopeful, I hope you passed your CFAT, and if you don't get in shape prior to BMQ, they WILL get you in shape while there.

Tomorrow I go for my eye-exam and I need to get my hearing done again through civilian facets, I haven't had much time to troll recently, but I will definitely give you all an update once I see my doc on Monday!

Cheers all and good luck

[Mudshuvel]

So,

Eye exam went A OK. I also had my appointment with my Family Doctor who didn't get too too in depth on the form, but did mention that I am no threat to anything nor does she have a problem with me joining the forces or playing with grenades. However, since all the medications I was on were on a 'trial' basis, she put anxiety issues as diagnoses, treatment psychotherapy (not medications) with low chance of recurrence and no need for treatment as of 2005. Hopefully with that said and done, my medical will be complete.

Well, after my blood work and second audiogram. All in all it should be finalized by next Monday when I get my hearing done.

[Mudshuvel]

If anyone during the recruitment process went through something similar, in my case where I've been 'issue free' and medication-free for 5 years, won't they accept that? I'm just confused over the "1-year off meds".

[Sapperian]

If anyone during the recruitment process went through something similar, in my case where I've been 'issue free' and medication-free for 5 years, won't they accept that? I'm just confused over the "1-year off meds".

I cant speak for you, because I think they handle it more or less on a case by case basis. I have been off my depression medication for about a year and a half now, not five years. I got a call about three weeks ago saying that my medical cleared. (I submitted it back in the beginning of September).

My doctor indicated that I am no threat to myself or others, and I can handle weapons and explosives, but I had a low moderate risk of relapse. Yet they still accepted, so Good luck to you and stay positive.

[Klitch]

If anyone during the recruitment process went through something similar, in my case where I've been 'issue free' and medication-free for 5 years, won't they accept that? I'm just confused over the "1-year off meds".

What do you mean by the "1-year off meds"? I just wrote my CFAT and they told me I qualified for all the NCM jobs and my medical is on the 15th this month (going for NET-Comm). Im only 17 years old and have had pretty bad acne in the past, tried everything and nothing worked so I had enough and went to the doctor and he prescribed me Minocycline 100mg or something and that cleared most of it up, but im still on the meds and was wondering if I have to wait a year and thats what the "1-year off meds" is all about cause that would suck. 

[Stacked]

I think that more applies to like.. anti-depressants.. Acne medication shouldn't be an issue.. that's like saying 1 year off asprin.. yeah right.

[Klitch]

Well, knowing first-hand what a face full of acne can do to your self-esteem, it sure as hell felt like an anti-depressant.

[JMesh]

What do you mean by the "1-year off meds"? I just wrote my CFAT and they told me I qualified for all the NCM jobs and my medical is on the 15th this month (going for NET-Comm). Im only 17 years old and have had pretty bad acne in the past, tried everything and nothing worked so I had enough and went to the doctor and he prescribed me Minocycline 100mg or something and that cleared most of it up, but im still on the meds and was wondering if I have to wait a year and thats what the "1-year off meds" is all about cause that would suck. 

While people on here might be able to give you their opinions or their best guess, I would advise against taking this information at face value. The people here are (by and large) not recruiting centre staff, and some things will vary on a case by case basis. The best thing I can encourage you to do is get in contact with your recruiting centre and as to speak to the medical section staff. They will be able to give you accurate information, taking into consideration any unique considerations.

[George Wallace]

What do you mean by the "1-year off meds"?

As Stacked pointed out, you have to know the context of what was said.  The meds that that person was on, are not the meds that you were on.

[Mudshuvel]

Hey all,

it wasn't so much for the 'face value' of the information being given to me considering that, its actually a glimmer of hope knowing that (although in different circumstances) people have gone through similar to what I have and have been accepted into the Forces. I started looking into booking an appointment for a Psych Eval just for extra ammo in case Ottawa denies me. George, you are a wealth of information, so from what you've seen/experienced with the Forces, would you recommend just waiting to see if Ottawa sends the 'Medical Denied' paper before I blow my cash on a Psych or... I've tried speaking to the Med Tech here, there is only one and she travels between this CFRC and another one about 4 hours away, so reaching her has proved difficult. She didn't comment too much other than passing me the forms to bring to the doctor to sign. I understand that a doctor's note is a requirement, and my health and the safety of those I will serve with is of the utmost importance, but will the Med Examiners look at the notes from my doctor and also my file and see "Well, he was a confused 20year old, now he's a father of 2 and husband who has gotten his s#it together and his doctor signed an 'OK'" Do they look past the medical file in this regard? I would understand if they denied me, my intention walking into the Medical Exam was to give her my history, and I had'have no intention of deceiving anyone to get in. My doc thinks I'm fine, I feel as if I'm fine, former recruiters (family) wouldn't put their rep on the line to say I'm fine, if I'm not (they agree that it was time I should sign up). I'll prove to the Forces that I'm good to go if Ottawa says no.

Everyone has something dwelling in their past that they're not proud of, I just hate mine affecting my future.

That was my rant. Phew.

As always, you are all an awesome wealth of information and an inspiration.

[Senf]

I suggest you wait for the response from Ottawa before going further.  They may give you a green light.  You won't spend your money on something they won't ask anyway.  If the give you the red light, you will always have time to do the psy evaluation and appeal the decision. Don't worry to much a about the whole case review process by Ottawa.  You don't control  that part and every case is different, so you can't draw conclusions from others.  Good luck.

[Mudshuvel]

Thanks Senf. It wasn't so much looking for a path to follow, but more of an opinion to sway me either way. I'll wait to see what Ottawa says first. Thanks.

Now to fix my cholesterol...

[Senf]

For your cholesterol, change your eating habits, there is a lot of info on internet about that.  They are not testing that at medical unless you have been asked to do a blood test.  You should be good, unless it is a declared medical problem.  In that case, they may ask another paper form your doctor.

[Mudshuvel]

Yea, I have to do a blood test for my trade and cholesterol is one of those tests. I don't eat garbage foods by any mean nor do I 'believe' I have horrible cholesterol. I just worry about the little things here, lol.

[Mudshuvel]

So my file is on its way to Ottawa. According to my medical file, I'm an H-2 for hearing, V-1 despite the fact my left eye is a little weak so I wear glasses. CV-1... Blood work came back clean, urine is good, but the only thing I may have failed is my cholesterol.
Mind you, my overall cholesterol is good, my bad cholesterol is low, also good, but my good cholesterol is a little low which means my trigycerides are a little high. Haven't seen my doctor yet, but my mother is a nurse who run blood work and she told me that it could have been as little as something I ate the day before that its easy to bring those two to normal. She also stated that its the 'bad' cholesterol people normally look for.
Has anyone experienced this? Could it hinder my application?
Will put another update up when I get the results next week. Keep safe everyone.

[NavyHopeful]

I recently had to do the blood tests for my Navy application as well.  Everything came back as normal with the only exception being my bilirubin was a 2 or 3 points higher than normal.  My doctor said it was likely because I was fasting for the other blood tests.  If you check your cholesterol levels (I kept a copy of mine for my file) your numbers should be in these areas:  Total Cholesterol: 3.20 - 5.20; Triglycerides: 0.30 - 1.70; HDL: 1.03 - 1.80; LDL: 2.90 - 4.20; Non-HDL: 3.90 - 4.90; (I'm in Quebec, so this one's in French... Sorry) Indice d'artherogenicit: 1.0 - 5.0.

I don't know if this helps you to quit worrying (I know I've been doing my fair share over the past while too ), but the medic I had during my medical told me that he thought the cut-off for the cholesterol levels was a 6.0 for the total number, but don't take my word for it.  See if you can get the actual number from your recruiter or medic that did your medical.  At the absolute worst, you can call the Medical section of the CFRC in Ottawa.  You can google their number, or if you can't find it, PM me and I'll send it to you.

Good luck with your app, and maybe we'll see each other in BMQ (if we gewt called at the same time!!! )

Rev

[Black Betty]

Hey how come you fellas seem to have your qualification numbers?
I asked the med officer and all he would tell me is I'm perfect and I did just fine? So not fair!
I have some additional paper work to return and hopefully be ready for BMQ as well.
I asked the recruiting officer and I qualified for my trades.

So Good Luck To Everyone Hope We All Get Through!

[NavyHopeful]

We got our numbers because when we asked our medic, he/she gave us our numbers.  Also, if you know how to research on the internet, you can find the requirements for your medical regarding your trades.

For example, my numbers needed to be 4, 2, 3, 2, 2, 5.  My actual numbers were 1, 2, 1, 2, 2, 5 (the only reason I got a 5 is because I don't have my pilot's licence.  Apparently, that number is changed depending on if and how long you've had your pilot's licence, or if you've ever worked on an airline)

Ask your CFRC staff to see your actual numbers.  They'll tell you if you have the right to see your file or not.

[CDN Aviator]

(the only reason I got a 5 is because I don't have my pilot's licence. Apparently, that number is changed depending on if and how long you've had your pilot's licence, or if you've ever worked on an airline)

This is rubbish.

5 = fit to be a passenger on CF aircraft.

1-4 are for personel whos work directly relates to flying operations, depending on exactly what it is they do. It relates to medical fitness and not any sort of level of training/qualification/experience.

I am an AES Op and my air factor ( the last number) is 2.

From CFP 154 - Medical Standards

A1 - assigned to pilots who are medically fit for unrestricted duty in all CF aircraft;

A2 - assigned to navigators, flight engineers, observers and helicopter reconnaissance observers who are medically fit for unrestricted duty in all CF aircraft where such positions are required;

A3 - assigned to those aircrew members for whom a medical restriction has been identified. An A3 classification will always clearly stipulate the specific limitations to be imposed;

A4 - assigned to all aircrew who are medically fit for unrestricted airborne duty but whose duties do not entail actual operation of the aircraft to which they are assigned. If such individuals were to become incapacitated they would not create a hazard to aircraft operation nor impede the safe return of the aircraft to the ground. An A4 classification may be annotated "While So Employed" (WSE) when it is assigned to members of MOCs which are not normally associated with flying. Air Traffic Control and Air Weapons Control personnel must also maintain an A4 category for unrestricted employment;

A5 - assigned to all non-aircrew members of the CF who are medically fit to fly as passengers in CF aircraft;

A6 - this grade is assigned to all CF members who are considered medically unfit to fly in any capacity; and

A7 - this grade is assigned to all aircrew personnel who are medically unfit for any flight duty in CF aircraft but who may still fly as passengers.

[Mudshuvel]

Thanks for the replies and PMs people!

@CDN Aviator, you're in a trade close (I believe) to AC OP. Do you have any idea how they look at cholesterol levels for Aircrew trades?  Another source of information told me "The cut off point for total cholesterol is 6", mine is 4.7. Only my trigycerides are high and my HDL is a bit low, perfect is anything over 1, I'm at .80. My mother being a nurse practitioner said that trigycerides and HDL can go up and down on a weekly basis and not to worry about it, but you know how it goes with some people, it doesn't matter what anyone says unless its the 'right' person. I'm just at a loss to see how exactly the score cholesterol. If they only look at bad and overall and make sure everything else isn't too much off. So its not so much wanting to hear a 'you're fine to join' or what have you, I'm more interested to see the scoring methodology.

Thanks