Become an RCMP officer: Undergo medical and psychological suitability assessments

8. Undergo medical and psychological suitability assessments

Medical and psychological suitability assessments

This portion of the process is divided into two distinct stages. The Psychological Suitability Screening (PSS) and the Medical Screening Process (MSP). You will be required to undergo all the steps of the Psychological Suitability Screening and be deemed psychologically qualified by Suitability before you can move on to complete the Medical Screening Process. The RCMP will cover the cost of these basic assessments.

Psychological Suitability Screening

Note that you will be required to sign a consent form ahead of completing any testing. You will be required to acknowledge your understanding that following your Psychological Suitability Screening you will not have access to any reports, test results or feedback.

This stage forms part of your suitability review. The purpose of this evaluation is to determine whether you currently possess the necessary psychological attributes for the job of police officer.

The evaluation will consist of standardized psychological testing, an interview and a review of collateral or third-party information. This may include information gathered in other steps of the RCMP selection process, such as suitability interview, polygraph, reference checks, medical and security. It may also include a review of prior psychological or neuropsychological assessments that you provided to the RCMP or that were performed at the time of previous job applications. The Psychological Suitability Screening findings will be shared among the Suitability team, and will contribute to a global Suitability recommendation made by that team.

You will be asked to complete a Pre-Interview Questionnaire in which you are expected to disclose all past and present psychological conditions and/or concerns as well as some health information. It is important to be complete and accurate when you complete this form. If there are any serious gaps, omissions, inconsistencies or inaccuracies found in your answers, this could be grounds to terminate your application. This form will become part of your medical file.

Even in the absence of mental illness, the Psychological Suitability Screening may conclude that you are not psychologically suitable for a policing role with the RCMP. Conversely, a history of psychological difficulties will not necessarily result in your application being rejected. If you have a history of psychological difficulties, you may need to provide documentation that shows:

how your difficulties are resolved
how you have functioned successfully over time

RCMP medical and psychological suitability standards

Our minimum medical and psychological suitability standards for regular member applicants align with the requirements of operational policing in the RCMP. They're part of a health risk assessment intended to ensure that you can safely undertake:

the physical and psychological demands of training
the role of an operational police officer

While physically demanding incidents may not happen often, when they do happen, they may be intense and life threatening.

There are four critical tasks with occupational health requirements related to the role of a police officer:

operational driving
use of firearms and other intervention equipment
physical confrontation and use of force
operational decision-making

Medical Screening Process

The Medical Screening Process is a fitness for duty assessment. It will be conducted once you have successfully passed the Psychological Suitability Screening. All relevant reports and information gathered during the Psychological Suitability Screening will be used as part of the full review of your file.

The assessment of your fitness for duty includes:

a review of current and past medical and psychological conditions
their impact on your ability to perform essential operational police duties

Medical health information

The medical health information gathered during your Medical Screening Process includes:

a clinical health history
a physical examination
lab tests

Completing the fitness for duty assessment

To complete your fitness for duty assessment, the RCMP Health Services Officer may request that you provide additional information from your primary health care provider or your specialist such as:

copies of relevant medical records
specialist consultations
further testing or investigations to better understand any condition that may affect your physical or psychological functioning in a policing role

You may be found to not meet the minimum requirements of the fitness for duty assessment for policing duties if you have any medical or psychological condition, treatment, limitation or restriction that:

impairs performance to the degree that you cannot complete essential duties safely and effectively
increases risk, to an unacceptable level, to your personal health
increases risk of sudden incapacitation or impaired judgment
can result in the transmission of an infectious disease to a co-worker or the public
results in being unfit to be a professional driver according to the Canadian Medical Association Guidelines

Health conditions

You are expected to declare the following:

all your current health conditions (however minor they may seem to you)
- this includes any and all medical and psychological conditions
- date of onset, limitations and restrictions, treatment plan and prognosis
past medical and psychological history (include any and all conditions for which treatment or medication was required or which posed limitations and restrictions)
- date of onset, limitations and restrictions, treatment plan and prognosis
use of medications, supplements and substances (prescription and otherwise)
- when did you start using these and why?
any requirements for medical aids (for example, orthotics, braces, support animals, etc.) at the time of the medical assessment

Failure to declare a complete medical and psychological history may be considered as a breach of integrity and may adversely affect your application. It's also imperative to declare any health changes during the recruiting process before you start the Cadet Training Program at Depot, as well as any issues that emerge during training.

We recommend that you take the opportunity to self-assess based on known medical and psychological conditions that may affect your fitness for duty.

Health conditions that may pose restrictions and/or limitations on your ability to perform the essential duties of a police officer include, but are not limited to, the following:

Respiratory disease

Obstructive or restrictive conditions such as:

asthma
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
emphysema

Cardiovascular conditions

high blood pressure
ischemic heart disease
myocardial infarction
cerebrovascular disease
aortic aneurysm
congestive heart failure
cardiac arrhythmia, including use of pacemaker
valvular heart disease
cardiomyopathy
peripheral vascular disease

Neurological conditions

seizure disorders and epilepsy (must be seizure free for at least 5 years)
narcolepsy
sleep apnea and other disturbances of consciousness
vestibular disorders
multiple sclerosis
disorders of coordination and muscle control
head injury
post traumatic conditions
intracranial tumour

Endocrine conditions

diabetes mellitus
thyroid disease
cushing's disease
addison's disease
pheochromocytoma

Musculoskeletal conditions

rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus
disease of the spine
significant joint dysfunction with unstable ligament or tear such as shoulder dislocation or ligamentous tears
limb amputation

Abdominal conditions

inflammatory bowel disease including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
irritable bowel syndrome
kidney diseases such as kidney stone or kidney failure requiring dialysis
disease of the liver such as cirrhosis

Eye or ear conditions

ocular disorders associated with impaired visual function, including distant visual acuity, field of vision and colour vision
hearing impairment such as hearing acuity, Meniere's disease and benign positional vertigo

Hematologic conditions

bleeding disorders
clotting disorders including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms
the use of anti-coagulation medications may pose a risk to occupational policing and therefore may be disqualifying

Immunologic/allergic/oncologic and infectious conditions

immune disorder with immunocompromised state
cancer
life threatening allergies
chronic and/or life threatening infectious disease

Psychological/psychiatric or mental health conditions

mood (affective) disorders including depression, mania, bipolar disorder
anxiety disorders including panic disorder, phobia
stress related disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder
psychotic disorders including schizophrenia and delusional disorder
cognitive disorders including acquired brain injury and dementia
personality disorders
substance use and addictive disorders
neurodevelopmental disorders including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
other mental health disorders associated with significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other areas of functioning, including somatoform disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder

Other

Other chronic or ongoing medical conditions with functional impairment or risk that may interfere with the ability to perform policing duties

Immunizations and tuberculosis status

We recommend that you get the following immunizations and a tuberculosis screening prior to applying. You will be required to submit a complete RCMP Applicant Immunization and Tuberculosis Test Record form prior to your attendance at Depot.

The following adult immunizations should be up to date:

tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap)
measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)
hepatitis B series

Your RCMP Applicant Immunization and Tuberculosis Test Record form will also need to document results from the following test:

two-step tuberculin skin test (Mantoux), include date, results in millimetre and signature of provider reading results. This will require 4 separate appointments.
chest x-ray (only if positive Mantoux at 10 millimetres or greater)

Date modified:: 2024-10-01

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