international student advice

[kandy andy]

Hey all im new so nice to meet ya'll

I was just wanting some advice in regards to doing an EMT/ paramedic course in Canada (vancouver, toronto or calgary). I will be heading there quite soon and would like to start getting some knowledge in the field. I currently live in Australia so if anyone has suggestions as to where to study pref shortish courses as i am on a vacation visa and can only study in 6 month intervals.

I currently have no experience other than a level 2 CPR first aid course i did for a butchering qualification earlier this year.

Any ideas on where to start my journey, information on schools, courses etc would be greatly appreciated. In the meantime i will continue to check out your awesome site..
Thank you so much for the help

 

[MrBrown]

You are probably SOL mate; Primary Care Paramedic in Ontario is two years full time but you may find something shorter in British Columbia.

Shorter is not always better infact if you have no prior medical background you are doing your professional development and patients no good by taking the easy way.

Australia now requires a Bachelors Degree for Ambulance Paramedic and a Graduate Degree for Intensive Care Paramedic which offer opportunites which are not yet avaliable in the Canadian system. There are a number of excellent programs in Australia and with HECS/FEE HELP you are much better off staying in Australia.

 

[Outbac1]

The Justice Institute in BC has I believe the shortest course. However it requires some prerequsites. Most other PCP courses here are from 1-2 yrs depending how intense they are. Check out the CMA (Canadian Medical Asscoiation) approved courses on the CMA website.

http://www.cma.ca/index.php?ci_id=50602&la_id=1

Other information is on the Paramedic Association of Canada website.
http://www.paramedic.ca/index.aspx
http://www.paramedic.ca/Content.aspx?ContentID=2&ContentTypeID=4

Unless you are immigrating why take a Canadian course? If you are going to work back in Austrailia you would be better served taking an Aussie course.

Thanks for thinking about us. Good Immigrants are always welcome.

 

[MrBrown]

Good Immigrants are always welcome.

Canada is awesome ... if only you had a need for up and coming HEMS Registrars

 

[kandy andy]

You are probably SOL mate; Primary Care Paramedic in Ontario is two years full time but you may find something shorter in British Columbia.

Shorter is not always better infact if you have no prior medical background you are doing your professional development and patients no good by taking the easy way.

Australia now requires a Bachelors Degree for Ambulance Paramedic and a Graduate Degree for Intensive Care Paramedic which offer opportunites which are not yet avaliable in the Canadian system. There are a number of excellent programs in Australia and with HECS/FEE HELP you are much better off staying in Australia.

Yeah we do require a 3 year degree to become a paramedic. Im not really trying to become one over night i agree with you 110% that it would be a total injustice to both myself and patients . It was more so that I will be travelling to Canada with my Canadian girlfriend and i thought i may as well get the ball rolling so to say whilst im there as i am 30 years old and have had no prior experience, nows prob a good time to start rather than when i am 33 and returning to Oz

What can you tell me about standard EMT training? what sort of job placements and salary would something like that lead me into? As far as im aware we dont offer EMT training specifically here. IS there much of a demand for an EMT or much in the way of career options or advancement? If things work out with my girlfriend i may be in Canada longer than I originally thought.

Thanks for your help and the links...

 

[MrBrown]

Yeah we do require a 3 year degree to become a paramedic. Im not really trying to become one over night i agree with you 110% that it would be a total injustice to both myself and patients . It was more so that I will be travelling to Canada with my Canadian girlfriend and i thought i may as well get the ball rolling so to say whilst im there as i am 30 years old and have had no prior experience, nows prob a good time to start rather than when i am 33 and returning to Oz

What can you tell me about standard EMT training? what sort of job placements and salary would something like that lead me into? As far as im aware we dont offer EMT training specifically here. IS there much of a demand for an EMT or much in the way of career options or advancement? If things work out with my girlfriend i may be in Canada longer than I originally thought.

Thanks for your help and the links...

If you are going to be living in Canada for a few years it might not be a bad idea, however if you want to do a career change at this stage it is probably better to look into New South Wales which is the only Australian service I know of that still takes people off the street and trains them over several years to be a Paramedic.

The problem with requiring the BHSc degree for Paramedic is that delivery is fairly inflexible outside of spending three years full time at University which precludes a lot of people who want to move careers. It has been our collective experience that older people traditionally made better Ambulance Officers but with the introduction of the Degree and removal of vocational training means that this group of people are more than likely excluded although that is not always the case.

As far as "EMT" it can mean different things. The term is generally only applied to the United States where it means somebody who is a graduate of about 120 hour course from the dark ages and not much more than a first aider. In the UK it means what is more commonly called "Ambulance Technician" and means a quasi ILS qualified person but that level is being done away with in favour of a glorified driver and bag fetcher called Emergency Care Assistant (ECA). Here in New Zealand an "Ambulance Technician" is again, from an American standard, a quasi ILS qualified person however moves are being made to move all paid Technicians up to Paramedic (ILS).

Specifically in the Canadian context an "EMT" is a Primary Care Paramedic in Alberta, they are being difficult and are the only province not to use the PCP/ACP nomanclature. In AB an EMT is somebody who can cannulate, infuse and use some medications so about the level of our Paramedic (ILS) however the education is not as long. I like where Alberta are going with the scope of practice, lengthen out the education, call them "Paramedic" and heck you be onto something!

 

[kandy andy]

oh really i didnt know this.... A friend of my GF as far as i know did a short EMT course and scored a well paying job in the mines in Edmonton. Damned if i know exactly what her roll is there but she seemed to get through no problems, i thought this may be some sort of stepping stone so to say, doesnt look like it after reading your post. I am looking into the whole international student thing at the moment, costly to say the least...

I also was speaking to some NSW ambos who informed me about the 'on the job' training you speak of, im bang on giving that my best shot but its VERY competitive and yes it is a total career change for me and the 3 years FT or 6 PT is going to be a challenge to cope with especially since classes would be a good hour or two drive.

 

[MrBrown]

oh really i didnt know this.... A friend of my GF as far as i know did a short EMT course and scored a well paying job in the mines in Edmonton. Damned if i know exactly what her roll is there but she seemed to get through no problems, i thought this may be some sort of stepping stone so to say, doesnt look like it after reading your post. I am looking into the whole international student thing at the moment, costly to say the least...

You need to acquainte yourself with the levels of Paramedic in Canada.

A Primary Care Paramedic (called an Emergency Medical Technician in Alberta) is somebody who has a year to two years of education (the shortest is BC and the longest course is in Ontario) who can perform a full range of (again, from the American standard) BLS and some ILS skills (adrenaline, salbutamol, GTN, aspirin etc). They can cannulate and infuse in British Columbia and Alberta but not in other provinces.

The Advanced Care Paramedic (called an EMT-Paramedic in Alberta) is the stock standard ALS practitioner who can perform advanced procedures and interventions. In Ontario this is a one year full time program for experienced PCPs whereas Alberta it is two years as thier PCP (EMT) education is a little shorter.

So either way you work out to three years of education for an ACP whereas its just in different formats. British Columbia is not currently training ACPs and I believe Quebec and some of the Terrorities don't have them.

Having said that, yes, you can "step up" from PCP to ACP or EMT to EMT-P in Alberta.

I am no expert on Canada eh!

I also was speaking to some NSW ambos who informed me about the 'on the job' training you speak of, im bang on giving that my best shot but its VERY competitive and yes it is a total career change for me and the 3 years FT or 6 PT is going to be a challenge to cope with especially since classes would be a good hour or two drive.

ASNSW holds all its Inservice blocks at Rozelle in Sydney and yes, I have heard it's very competitive to get in; even worse if you are applying for SCAT, Ambulance Rescue or Intensive Care.

My advice to you would be look at ASNSW or if you have a 3-5 year window where you can be in Canada then that would be another option.

Or you could go to 12 week Houston Fire Department Paramedic patch factory school .... mmm ok lets not be doing that now.

It's hard mate, no two ways about it, I put five to six years into getting where I am professionally but this is not something I can see myself doing until I retire. I want to become an Anaesthetist (it always was a plan in the back of my mind) and it's freaking really hard especially when you are used to working, having an income and being out of "study mode". Granted I am a bit younger than you are, but its still really hard given that the system is not really designed to "go backwards" and become a student again.

The teeny amount the Government gives you to be a student might be all well and good when you are 19 and have six roommates where most of your money is spent on two minute noodles and piss but that's not us anymore.

 

[Outbac1]

oh really i didnt know this.... A friend of my GF as far as i know did a short EMT course and scored a well paying job in the mines in Edmonton. Damned if i know exactly what her roll is there but she seemed to get through no problems, i thought this may be some sort of stepping stone so to say, doesnt look like it after reading your post. I am looking into the whole international student thing at the moment, costly to say the least...

The very bottom rung on the EMS ladder here is EMR (Emergency First Responder, aka MFR Medical First Responder). This is a short glorified first aid course. Some industrial sites in the west (Alberta, B.C. Sask. & maybe the terrortories) will hire EMRs for their first aid room. As these are mostly remote work camps the pay can be reasonably good. However the rest of Canada and the bigger better industrial sites want at least a PCP or preferably an ACP for medical coverage.

[/QUOTE]You need to acquainte yourself with the levels of Paramedic in Canada.

A Primary Care Paramedic (called an Emergency Medical Technician in Alberta) is somebody who has a year to two years of education (the shortest is BC and the longest course is in Ontario) who can perform a full range of (again, from the American standard) BLS and some ILS skills (adrenaline, salbutamol, GTN, aspirin etc). They can cannulate and infuse in British Columbia and Alberta but not in other provinces.

The Advanced Care Paramedic (called an EMT-Paramedic in Alberta) is the stock standard ALS practitioner who can perform advanced procedures and interventions. In Ontario this is a one year full time program for experienced PCPs whereas Alberta it is two years as thier PCP (EMT) education is a little shorter.

So either way you work out to three years of education for an ACP whereas its just in different formats. British Columbia is not currently training ACPs and I believe Quebec and some of the Terrorities don't have them.

Having said that, yes, you can "step up" from PCP to ACP or EMT to EMT-P in Alberta.

I am no expert on Canada eh! [/QUOTE]

For not being an expert I'd say you have got it down pretty good.

Kandy If you are going to be here awhile once you get work permits and what not sorted out, look for a school in the province you will be in and go get your PCP as a start. If you and your GF are willing to move around jobs as a PCP shouldn't be hard to find. If you like the work you can then go back for your ACP. Many schools offer it as a part time distance program. If you then move back to Aussieland maybe they will give you credit for what you've learned here.

Going back to school when you've been away for awhile is not fun or easy. However it can be done if you want it bad enough. Hope things work out for you.

 

[kandy andy]

Awesome thank you all so much for the advice it has given me a place to start to say the least, and some much needed info. True it will be a tough ride but im kind of looking forward to it... I think

Hmm could you recommend any literature i could read in the meantime? "Paramedics for dummies" lol

 

[Ziiiiziiii]

Any Updates? Like what school did you pick?

 

[Scott33]

He's probably long since retired. Not unlike this thread.

I'm more interested in what became of Mr. Brown

 

[FrostbiteMedic]

He's probably long since retired. Not unlike this thread.

I'm more interested in what became of Mr. Brown

I seem to remember during my last tenure here at EMTLife that Brown moved to the States to be with a chick and got shafted hardcore after he got here. Unfortunately I cannot remember my old login details or I could give you much more info....As a side note, it may have been a different person from the Oceanic area....

 

[FrostbiteMedic]

I seem to remember during my last tenure here at EMTLife that Brown moved to the States to be with a chick and got shafted hardcore after he got here. Unfortunately I cannot remember my old login details or I could give you much more info....As a side note, it may have been a different person from the Oceanic area....

As a further edit, I did find my old account while looking for where I saw Mr. Brown in the past using the search bar. Yay! I can chat now. Anyways, I was a little off. Apparently a d-nozzle from my home state did Brown and his woman dirty, and it was very shortly after that that Brown left. Shortly after he left, I went on hiatus. But I'm back, and maybe one day so will Brown be.