CAF Story | Be the best you can be
Video / November 12, 2021
Transcript
I joined the Canadian Armed Forces because I wanted to be part of something bigger.
I'm MCpl Michelle Ferderbar and I'm here today at the 2 Field Ambulance Medical Clinic, and I'm a medical radiation technologist for the Canadian Armed Forces.
I was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario and radiology stuck out to me because it was in healthcare and I really wanted to be able to help people. And when you look at the military and what Canada traditionally is in military conflict, often in a peacekeeping role, that's something I really wanted to do, to really help others. And by going back to working as a medical radiation technologist, I knew that I'd have opportunities to go back to the hands-on work with patients. I also liked the stability that the military had to offer and I really wanted that team aspect.
There is the push to always better yourself, make yourself stronger, whether that's with your fitness, whether that's with your education, whether that's with your social skills. There is this push to be the best you can be, and I think that's really attractive for someone like me that wants to be really successful and really grow and develop as a person.
If you look at medical radiation technology back early 1990s, I believe the statistic was from, women were still not dominating this trade, which is very unique, because radiology stems from a female, stems from Mrs. Curie, Mrs. Marie Curie in the front lines in World War I, so the first people doing it were females.
I can even recall other female friends that I've spoken to, and they're like: "Holy Moly! Basic sounds terrible." That's ten weeks of your life and you would get through it and there is a space for every single female that wants to walk through these doors here today. I think if that's something you want and if you want to have a position here, you can do it.
The Canadian Armed Forces has a door open for any woman that wants to come through. Anybody. When I pulled my application in, they looked at my skills. What can you do? What can you bring to our place? And what can you do to enhance the lives of other soldiers since we're in a healthcare position? There has been someone before you, so don't think you're the first one. And every single person, if you want to come, there's a uniform that would have your name on it. You just have to come try it.
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