Military nurse or firefighter paramedic: recruitment, roles and status

Providing care within the armed forces, in a military hospital or alongside firefighters: these nursing roles combine emergency care, prevention and support for deployed personnel. This guide details the recruitment pathways, roles and status of the military nurse in the Armed Forces Health Service, the professional firefighter paramedic and the volunteer firefighter paramedic.

What pathways exist to become a nurse in the armed forces or with firefighters?

Four entry routes are available:

• the Armed Forces Paramedical Personnel School (EPPA), after secondary school, to become a military nurse in the forces;
• recruitment to a military hospital, if you already hold a State nursing diploma;
• the competitive examination for professional firefighter paramedics;
• voluntary engagement with your local fire and rescue service.

What does a military nurse do?

In the forces, the military nurse works within armed forces medical centres: preventive and curative care, medical monitoring of military personnel, health preparation before deployment, health education sessions. In operations, the nurse supports the forces medical officer in treating casualties and participates in medical evacuations, including by air. The nurse may serve with mountain troops, paratroopers, aboard naval vessels or at air bases.

The role also carries non-commissioned officer responsibilities: team leadership and improvement of professional practice.

How to become a military nurse after secondary school?

Future military nurses in the forces are trained by the EPPA, located in Lyon-Bron. It is the only military school responsible for their training.

Admission requirements

• be aged between 17 and 23;
• hold the baccalauréat or be a student at a nursing school;
• be a French national;
• be certified as medically fit by a military doctor;
• be in compliance with the national defence and citizenship day (JDC).

Examination stages

1. Registration from October onwards on the Cyclades platform. This examination is independent of Parcoursup.
2. Written eligibility tests: an essay on a health and social topic (2 hours, weighting 5) and a mathematics test (1 hour, weighting 4). A minimum of 90 points out of 180 is required, and any mark below 8 out of 20 is grounds for elimination.
3. Admission tests: a motivation interview and physical tests (running, swimming, core strength, pull-ups or suspension). A medical certificate of fitness for these tests is required.
4. Ranking on a main list and a reserve list. A candidate called from the reserve list has 24 hours to accept.

Depending on the school, approximately 2,000 candidates apply each year for around 80 places. A semi-direct route is open to non-commissioned officers from the three armed services, the Armed Forces Health Service and the Paris Fire Brigade.

Training and commitment

Students prepare the State nursing diploma over three years at partner training institutes, with pedagogical support from the school, non-commissioned officer military training and military medical training. They are paid during their studies, with all costs covered. After graduation, a three to four-month period prepares them for their assigned service.

Important note: the commitment signed is for 9 years, including the 3 years of study. During the first six months, either party may terminate freely. Thereafter, termination for academic failure, disciplinary grounds or exceptional personal reasons entails reimbursement of training costs; medical unfitness does not.

Can you enter a military hospital with a nursing diploma?

Yes. Military hospitals recruit qualified nurses, including newly qualified nurses with no experience. The requirements are:

• French nationality;
• no older than 32 for recruitment as a military nurse;
• State nursing diploma;
• medical fitness and compliance with JDC requirements.

Recruitment is on a 3 or 5-year contract, renewable. With experience, the nurse may deploy on external operations within deployed surgical units. Applications should be sent to the recruitment office of the Armed Forces Health Service.

Good to know:the Armed Forces Health Service allows its nurses to specialise as an IADE or IBODE, maintaining their salary during training. For more information on these qualifications, consult our guide onthe IADE, IBODE and paediatric nursing specialisations.

What is MITHA status?

Military nurses fall under the status of military nurses and hospital technicians of the armed forces (MITHA). It comprises 13 corps structured on the model of those in the public hospital service, with its own hierarchy, with no correspondence to general military ranks.

• Remuneration: same pay scales as the public hospital service, supplemented by military allowances and bonuses. Reforms to the public hospital service apply automatically.
• Rank: nurses hold the rank of non-commissioned officer; health managers, directors of care and psychologists hold officer rank.
• Career: recruitment on contract, with the possibility of becoming a career military officer. Promotion is by selection, following entry on an annual promotion list.

What does a firefighter paramedic nurse do?

Within the health and medical rescue service of the fire and rescue service (SDIS), the firefighter paramedic nurse works in three areas:

• emergency assistance to persons: they provide the link between first aid and possible medical care, and deliver emergency or pain relief care under protocol;
• occupational health: they participate in assessing the medical fitness of firefighters and in preventive medicine;
• medical support for operations: they care for firefighters engaged in large-scale or particularly hazardous interventions.

They also contribute to training firefighters in emergency care.

How do you become a volunteer firefighter paramedic nurse?

Volunteering is open to State-qualified nurses, and even to nursing students from the third year onwards. You must:

1. contact the SDIS in your department, which will explain the terms of engagement;
2. provide proof of your nursing qualification;
3. pass the medical and physical fitness tests;
4. complete the initial training, particularly in safety matters.

Engagement is undertaken for five years, renewable, within the health and medical rescue service.

How do you become a professional firefighter paramedic nurse?

Professional firefighter paramedic nurses form a cadre of employment in the territorial public service of category A, governed by the decree of 30 August 2016. It comprises two grades: nurse and senior nurse, each with eleven levels. They participate mainly in the missions of the health sub-directorate of the SDIS.

Recruitment conditions

• hold a State nursing diploma or authorisation to practise the profession;
• be a French national or a national of the European Union or the European Economic Area;
• be at least 18 years old and in full possession of civil rights;
• meet medical fitness requirements.

The recruitment process

Recruitment is through a competitive examination based on qualifications (assessment of professional record and interview), followed by entry on an aptitude list and recruitment by a SDIS. Secondment is also possible for a civil servant. Upon recruitment, the trainee nurse follows the integration training, which is mandatory for permanent appointment.

What career development opportunities are there?

Among professional firefighters, promotion leads to the grade of senior nurse; health managers of professional firefighters then supervise nursing teams and coordinate health activities, both volunteer and professional. In the armed forces, the nurse can specialise (IADE, IBODE) or become a health manager, with officer rank. They can serve until the age of 59 under MITHA status.

Official sources

• Ministry of Defence: Become a military nurse in the armed forces, Military hospitals are recruiting qualified paramedical staff, MITHA: the status of military paramedical personnel
• Military health schools in Lyon-Bron: EPPA presentation, EPPA frequently asked questions
• Civil protection (Ministry of the Interior): Becoming a member of the health and emergency medical services
• French firefighters: Firefighter in the health and emergency medical services
• Légifrance: Decree No. 2016-1176 of 30 August 2016 establishing the particular status of the professional firefighter nurses employment category