TheEmsNovice

To anyone considering a course with SMEMS, I received excellent instruction and recommend them highly. I was forced to leave due to medical issues in my family, but would have gladly stayed on if possible. Mike and Justin are great professionals with years of experience.

Hello, I will be in Mexico for a few months this summer, and if all goes well should be NREMT-B certified by then. I've read quite a bit about (US) Americans' experiences volunteering with the Mexican Red Cross ambulance service, but am having difficulty finding information regarding how I can go about doing this. It seems like a great opportunity to keep my skills fresh and improve my spanish. I've already emailed some people at Red Cross International but it's taking them a while to get back to me. Has anyone here done this? I'm primarily interested in the mechanism of how you went about volunteering, but would like it hear about your experience as well, if you are willing to share. I've already done extensive googling and a search on this forum, it didn't seem to turn up anything related. Mods: there didn't seem to be a place for this in the International subforum, if it doesn't belong here please feel free to move it, and apologies. Many thanks, Novice

I tried to delete this post, but I'm not sure how. I have it from another member with much experience that my concerns were groundless. Apologies.

Does anyone have experience with this company? I know that they lost a large contract last year due to a lack of oversight: http://www.ems1.com/ems-education/articles/1099477-Maine-EMS-company-loses-contract-after-training-scandal/ But the end of the article seems optimistic. I am hoping to take my EMT course here, as it is more convenient in respect to its location (it is held on the University of New England campus in Biddeford), but do not want to compromise my education or the certification that I hope to gain from it. Thank you for your replies.

Island, that's correct. PM inbound.

Thank you all for posting. Chbare, you gave me some great advice several months ago regarding what I could expect if and when I became certified in Canada, it was information I couldn't find elsewhere. When I seek certification there, my ultimate plan would be the two year PCP program at JIBC. I grew up in this state, I know the people here, and there is a major shortage of EMS providers (Americorps, a federal service organization, has even started encouraging their volunteers posted in Maine to become certified EMT-Bs). I know that Canada might offer me better quality of life, better scope of practice, and possibly better education, but this seems like the right thing to do for now. I haven't so much given up on the goal as just shelved it for a little while. Right now my goal is passing the National Registry. Island, I will not lie, I was very much hoping you'd stop by. Thank you for your post, it answers all of my questions. I am originally from Rockport in Knox County, but am currently living and working in Portland so that I can be closer to SMCC, where I am also taking some 100 level science courses (just intellectually curious). My EMT class is held by SMCC in Bath. Novice Edited for formatting, but for some reason it won't take. I used paragraphs when I wrote it, apologies.

Hello all, I was briefly active on this forum several months ago, making inquiries about recipricocity between Canadian and (US) American EMS training and licensure, hoping to fulfill a dream of practicing EMS in Canada (I am United States citizen from Maine). I received thoughtful advice regarding this romantic and harebrained scheme from many corners, and after some reflection about my priorities, I confirmed that I would like to be involved in EMS first and foremost: life in Canada would be a distant second. After all, I want to help patients, and the sooner I can get qualified to do so, the better. All of this to say, I am now enrolled in an EMT-B course at Southern Maine Community College. I have put my ear to the ground and had some opportunities to speak with local providers, and am hearing that it would be best to do my ride time with Central Lincoln County/Damarriscotta EMS because they have recently been cleared to "run them all the way down to Maine Med" (in Portland, the only level one trauma center in the state), but this service is not an option due to distance. Mine is a small state, but I know that there are accomplished providers from Maine that stop by. Can anyone recommend the best "urban" service near Portland with which to do my ride time? Also, does anyone have any information about Maine's new "Community Paramedic" level that was developed to address our state's shortage of quality follow-up care (I think)? I cannot find much information about this and am curious as to what it means for Maine EMS. I am a true neophyte, it shows, and I greatly appreciate the assistance this community offers. Novice

Thanks guys.It's always edifying to learn about international EMS. There are parts of Norway in which one can work indefinitely without a visa, like Svalbard, but they are quite remote.

Sorry to post this in General, but there I could find no suitable subforum in International. After a discussion with a friend about international recipricocity (I am researching Canadian-American), I find myself inordinately curious: What kind of, if any, recipricocity do American EMTs enjoy in Norway, and vice versa. Has anyone here worked in Norway, or know anything about their EMS system(s)? What do you think would be necessary for an American B or P to do so? Thanks, Novice

Kiwi, I'll likely be taking the EMS.degree from JIBC, which is a roughly 1 1/2 year course of study that grants a formal BSc combined with PCP certification. I am relatively wide-eyed and idealistic; no offense taken on that account. I know that this is a gamble, and that's why I am on here: to improve my odds and understand some of the vagaries involved. Again, I am young, and this seems like I process that I should begin early. Better (for me) to know that this is impossible than to spend my days wondering what life in BC would have been like. It sounds like you have a dream towards which you are working, against no inconsiderable odds. I have been saving cash for my EMS education for over two years, and have about 10,000 American squirreled away for this purpose. Thank you for your concern and your help.

Thank you for sharing your valuable experience, Asysin2leads. I am aware that the permanent residency process will take years, and getting sponsored is the most difficult obstacle I will face. There is a different work visa pool for people who graduate from Canadian institutions, and I am hopeful that I could get immigration points through that. In a practical scenario, I'll probably be working as an EMR or EMT equivalent in some kind of industrial or rural work in Alberta or Saskatchewan. At this point, I would be very grateful for such an opportunity.

Thank you for the advice, guys, it is greatly appreciated. The only reason I ask is to see if it would be possible to get sponsorship for a work visa in Alberta in the case that no one is hiring in BC. I hear that the job market is somewhat more encouraging there. My dream is to work in BC, but to do that, I need a job in Canada, period. Thanks again for your help.

Has anyone here received their PCP through JIBC and then transferred to EMT certification in Alberta? How did the reciprocity process work out for you? Thanks, H

Thank you for your reply and advice, Kiwi. I sincerely appreciate your help. This is something that I have considered at length. Not an easy possibility with which to come to terms, and I am left seriously torn. C'est l'amour, I suppose. I gratefully welcome any more comments or advice. Rock_City, Thank you for your reply; it was very helpful as I had no idea how the shift system worked. That does seem like it could get pretty brutal. Are many PCPs hired right out of school, or is there usually a waiting period? Do many people go for ACP during the 4-5 years you mentioned? Respect is a completely different matter in Canada. EMS actually looks like a career. This is not my sole reason for emigrating. Your country is, in my relatively well-traveled eye, the greatest place on earth. Thank you for your help, H

Hi Folks, I'm a longtime lurker on this great forum, this is the first time I've posted and the question is a bit of a doozy. I'm a twenty year old American who has always been very interested in EMS. I was about to begin an EMT course here in my home state of Maine, but I am young and full of dreams and had the good fortune of visiting Vancouver and realizing I wanted to make my life in the great province of BC. It was love at first sight. Icing on the cake is the incredible EMS system I've been reading about. I am now in the process of applying for a student visa and hope to enroll in the EMR and, subsequently, PCP program at the Justice Institute of British Columbia. I'm in the process of researching immigration and work visas, and I don't expect you guys to answer any questions about that sort of thing, but, long story short, I do have countless questions. Is there any demand for Primary Care Paramedics in BC? Do you know if I stand an iceberg's chance in well of being hired on a work visa? Has anyone else on the internet/in the world done something like this? Any other tips or help would be greatly appreciated. I know I'm crazy, guys, but I'm young and in love (with Canada), and I have a strong Yankee work ethic. So many thanks in advance, Henry