‘My baby was four months old’: One Officer’s leap into medical school

'My baby was four months old': One Officer's leap into medical school

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June 10, 2026 - Defence Stories

Estimated read time - 2:08

"My baby was four months old when I started medical school." - Captain (Capt) Joanie Ouellette, MD and Care Delivery Unit (CDU) Team Lead at 33 Canadian Forces Health Services Centre, CFB Kingston.

For Capt Ouellette, that fact captures both the challenge and the promise of the Military Medical Training Plan (MMTP): a supported pathway for serving Regular Force members to become Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Medical Officers.

Previously working as a Nursing Officer, MMTP was a second career path for Capt Ouellette. She valued her work but wanted to go further in her professional scope and impact. Capt Ouellette wanted the ability to guide people more holistically through their care, especially in primary care. "I wanted to do more for patients. I wanted to help them, listen to them, and be their central person in the healthcare system," she says. When MMTP opened, she applied and began her journey from Nursing Officer to Medical Officer, attending medical school at Queen's University.

Returning to school was challenging in unexpected ways. "Going from the supportive and structured military training environment into a civilian university environment was an adjustment," she explains. Medical school meant adapting to a different culture, pace, and training system.

Her experience was strengthened by going through it with other CAF members. "The teamwork helped a lot," she says. "That was the big thing that helped: knowing that we were not alone in it." That military-to-military support became an anchor when the workload was heavy, and a reminder that teamwork still mattered, even outside the uniformed environment.

Now back in CAF clinical practice as a Medical Officer, she sees how the CAF shaped her approach as a clinician and leader. Reliability and problem solving through initiative and teamwork are part of the culture. "In the military, we're there on time and we do the job. If I don't have the answer to something, I know who to ask. I know where to find it." She also credits her military background with helping her stay steady during emergencies.

For her, CAF family medicine is the right mix: meaningful relationships and unique opportunities. "You can see patients for part of the day, then in the afternoon you might be helping with an exercise," she says. From search-and-rescue taskings to supporting VIP airlifts, these experiences are part of what makes being a Medical Officer unique and, as she says, "so cool."

Back during medical school, when the workload felt heavy, her motivation came from her young family. "Coming back home and having my little kids look at me and say, 'Mom, you are a doctor,' that was motivating," she says. "They understand you can be any age and still go back and do what you have wanted to do for a long time."

Learn more about MMPT and becoming a CAF Medical Officer at the upcoming information session (English - French assistance available) on June 23 at 12 p.m. ET. Contact [email protected] to register.