US Paramedic looking to move to Canada

[demory]

I am currently completing training to be an NREMT-P in Illinois. Starting pay here is not bad, but I would like to do what I love and actually make enough money to support my growing family. Recent research, reading posts and whatnot is slowly convincing me that Canada might be a better option.

Can anyone tell me more about the equivalency process? How long it takes, if it's possible to get ACP Equivalency coming from the US, etc. Also, I've had trouble finding actual examples of companies hiring in Canada, how much they pay and what the hours are. I have heard before that Toronto is a good place to go for a job, but would be open to moving almost anywhere. I don't know much about switching citizenship either (Have I asked enough questions yet?).

Any help you can give, I sincerely appreciate. Thanks in advance!

 

[atropine]

Alanis Morissett is hot nuff said.

 

[BEorP]

Ontario has plenty of paramedics right now, so it is quite difficult to get a job. It is going to be difficult to get equivalency, but not impossible as long as your school is decent. You would likely end up at the PCP level (similar to EMT-I) rather than ACP (similar to EMT-P). Keep in mind that here the education required to be a PCP (the lowest level on an ambulance) is a two year college program. Wage-wise, you'll be looking at around $30 an hour and up (this, of course, being Canadian dollars and subject to our tax rates that are likely higher than you're used to). Shifts are most often 12 hours and the rotation will depend on your particular service. Full time is generally considered 7 shifts in a two week pay period (42 hours a week, on average). Outside most of the major urban areas (e.g. Ottawa, Toronto), you will need to work part time casual for many years before a getting a full time spot.

I'm not saying that it is impossible, and I definitely understand your desire to move to be able to have a higher standard of living. Please do recognize though that it is not going to be an easy path.

If you are really dead set on this and not too far into your EMT-P training, you may want to consider looking at potentially doing the two year PCP program at an Ontario college.

Best of luck.

 

[Outbac1]

I've copied this from a post of mine about a year ago. I've updated the links.
I suddest you contact our Canadian embassy in Washington for info on immigration. I have no idea what is required for that.

If you are a paramedic however you can challenge our provincial test. If you go here "http://www.gov.ns.ca/health/ehs/paramedics/policies.asp" There is some information on registration here in Nova Scotia. There is also a list of essential competancies. You can use these to compare your level of training and practice to what is required here. If you think your current training etc. is similar to ours you can ask your medical director to sign off on it. Then you can send it to our medical director for an evaluation. If he accepts it as being comparable then you would be registered at the appropriate level.

Our neighbouring province of New Brunswick is currently hiring PCPs and have recently hired two from England. I know you have to register with the Paramedic Association of New Brunswick first, (www.panb.ca). Then send an application to Ambulance New Brunswick, (http:www.ambulancenb.ca/en-us/Pages/home.aspx). Full time PCP's make about $21.00/hr."

Here are some more web sites:

http://www.paramedicacademy.ca/home.php?lang=en_EN

http://www.msop.ca/

http://www.hollandc.pe.ca/admissions/full_time_programs/advanced_care_paramedic/


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[RSquared]

From what I can tell of going from the US to Canada it is a bit more difficult. All you can do is look into the equivalencies. I'm in Alberta and our certification guys are Alberta College of Paramedics. They do all of the certification for EMT-B, EMT-I and EMT-Ps. To get certified you have to take a test and do a scenario. Their website is as follows http://www.collegeofparamedics.org/pages/home/default.aspx
Although I've heard that Alberta tends to be a little more stringent on their registration process (I've heard that in Saskatchewan you just pay a fee and you are registered. I may be wrong, I've only heard) this could be a helpful website to get a start into research? Or you could contact someone there? In any case, you HAVE to be certified and registered with ACP before you can work anywhere in Alberta. However each province has its own rules and regulations.

Also the other big thing up here is that we don't have as many ambulance "companies". We have public health authorities that run our ambulances. In the major cities they are usually partnered with the fire services, sometimes they are even integrated with them. They are fewer private companies that you can drive for. Again, as I am in Alberta, the best place to look for examples of job postings is the Alberta Health Services website (http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/212.asp), and search emergency medical jobs.

As for citizenship, you'll definately have to get a work visa before you can work up here, and then have to live for a certain amount of time (2 years I believe) before you can apply for citizenship. Remember, it's colder up here and our money is funny looking but we aren't that different.

Hope this helps! I'm only just starting out in this career myself so I'm learning all of this fun stuff right now.

 

[nomofica]

If you were to move to Canada as a paramedic your best bet would be to look at either Alberta or Saskatchewan.

 

[Sunday]

well in sask, the only school is called SIAST. and personaly i would rather be a dishwasher than go back to that SH#T hole..... and as far as alberta its not bad if u can deal with the (alberta collage of paramedics). im a local where i work so my family is close and all my friends are here, think ur gonna run into ups and downs everywhere u go, my pay is really good, and have a house & garage and all the toys but the call volume is only about 1000 a year. for an area of 11,000 sq. mi.