Alberta Job Employment Rates

[InsidiousStealth]

I am just curious if it is easy to get a job in the province. The job postings on collegeofparamedics.org have slowed down a lot and I may possibly be going into EMT in september and am just kind of worried after reading numerous posts from the US that they are all volunteers and have trouble finding work [i know its different here then it is there]. So I am just curious if anyone knows if there will still be lots of jobs a year from now or is it going to be a struggle to find work here? Thanks

 

[colafdp]

You know, I don't think anyone really knows for sure what's going to happen. Depends on what you're looking for, are you looking at industrial, or actual ambulance jobs? ACoP's website is alright, and you could also check out AHS's website at http://www.albertahealthservices.ca

 

[InsidiousStealth]

well i might be going to EMT school in september and would like to find a job anywhere in alberta afterward when i pass ACP. It doesn't matter where to me, So long as i can get some experience and get paid.

I take it your "no one really knows" comment means that something bad is happening?

 

[colafdp]

I didn't say anything bad was going to happen..lol, but a year from now is a long time. Maybe AHS will run out of money taking over services, maybe they'll put on a hiring freeze. If you're going to take you EMT, then you can look at job opportunities then. I'm pretty sure you'll find a job, it just may not be the one you want. But I guess that everyone has to start somewhere.

The above is just my opinion, and take it with a grain of salt, and don't let me discourage you (if I said something that could discourage you)

 

[InsidiousStealth]

This is true, Might just have to wait and see huh?

 

[colafdp]

Yeah, that would probably be your best bet.

 

[InsidiousStealth]

I just worry cause awhile ago i was skeptical of getting into this because i wasn't sure if there were actually jobs for it, but I looked on collegeofparamedics almost a year ago and saw that there were and they've lessened ever so slightly past little while so I was just concerned...Gotta make the right career choices you know? I know this will suit me well but school ain't free haha

 

[RielHalfbreed]

I just worry cause awhile ago i was skeptical of getting into this because i wasn't sure if there were actually jobs for it, but I looked on collegeofparamedics almost a year ago and saw that there were and they've lessened ever so slightly past little while so I was just concerned...Gotta make the right career choices you know? I know this will suit me well but school ain't free haha

Well IS, I'm an Ops Manager for a service in Alberta and I can tell you that hiring is slow right now in public service. Things seem to be picking up on the industrial side of things with some of the steps Ediot Stelmach has taken to encourage oil & gas exploration but certainly not to the levels we were seeing in 2007 & 2008. AHS still has hiring restrictions in place for a number of services, even those that are short staffed in some cases.

That is not to say your EMT certification will not be valuable. A year in this industry can be a long time and things may change drastically. Judging from your other posts you have made the right choice of schools when it comes to employability. (As a side note: SAIT students statistically have had trouble with the ACP exam, so ensure you do a lot of book work on your own before, during and after you graduate your program!) My other suggestion based on the AHS policy of hiring current AHS employees is take a position even if it's casual that require less training so that you will be able to apply for the 97% of AHS openings that are available only to AHS employees. For example you could work one or two nights a month in a hospital kitchen for the food service or in an extendicare facility. You may not enjoy the work but being able to click the box on healthjobs.ab.ca that says "I am an AHS employee" is well worth it.

Hope this helps!

 

[InsidiousStealth]

Hey Riel

Thanks again for that it was very helpful indeed. Yeah the school choices were really hard to nail down but I think i got it figured out now...Yeah I heard that as well with ACP I studied hard with my buddy from sait for my EMR one for like a month and got 78 and passed so i was pretty happy.

So AHS only hires new employees that are already employed with AHS? Aka "inside hires" which i think i read in the "alberta health services thread" ? I really hope that policy does change cause its not very uhh lenient?

Your advice is solid though for sure if that is the case. such a dumb policy though...

I also found out some more info a few nights ago which im not sure is true or not and thought i'd run it by here as well and see if anyone can confirm the claims.

My stepdads best friend whom i had to get a letter of reference from is direct of bylaw and animal services in calgary here so hes close to the loops of EMS, Fire departments etc. I'm pretty sure he's also had this position for several years now as well

He was saying to me that its a pretty promising thing for me to persue because about a quarter of EMS in calgary will be retiring within the next 3-4 years [so maybe the end of the babyboom generation?]. Also he was saying that alberta health services will probably be putting harder requirements on ambulance personnel since some of them are simply the drivers and thats about it and dont have very advanced medical training so he thinks more jobs around alberta will open for that reason...If anyone can claim or disclaim these I'd also be willing to hear it

 

[RielHalfbreed]

Hey IS,

Well it sounds like you friend is half correct. Statistically we should be seeing larger or corporate positions when calculating these statistics though and traditionally EMS staff in Alberta do not have the same pension opportunities as civil servants or long time corporate employees. So it is another statistic that I personally feel we will have to wait to see if the results match the projections. I agree that this is a promising career field regardless of this particular projection though as people will always get sick and hurt, it's a growth industry.

As for the idea that some attendants are "just the drivers" without "advanced medical training" I'm really not sure where he got that idea. The lowest level of training that can be on car in the province is an EMR. A BLS car can have an EMT and EMR or two EMTs. An ALS car must have an EMT-P and EMT. In rare cases a service may be licensed to run an EMR ambulance with 2 EMRs but this is rare and found only in remote areas usually. Even a BLS car with an EMR is uncommon at this stage, even in smaller services. On top of this, AHS has a mandate to reduce costs so the idea that they will be trying to scale services that run BLS cars up to ALS would be fiscally impractical in meeting their objective. The story of the "Ambulance Driver" is really one we haven't heard in this province since the mid 90's. It's just not the case anymore, so I wouldn't count on that in your considerations.

Once again, hope it helps!