rock_shoes

I honestly wish more of my classmates were older when they started paramedic school. It would have added a much needed level of maturity to the class. Head up and don't let the young pups get you down. Sent from my SGH-T989D using Tapatalk 2

How much time I spend trying to convince someone to accept transport post assessment is directly related to how strongly my assessment makes me feel they should go for further medical treatment/assessment. You exercised due diligence and the patient chose to stay home against your advice. Case closed. Sent from my SGH-T989D using Tapatalk 2

What kind of school are you starting? EMT? Paramedic? Nursing?... Sent from my SGH-T989D using Tapatalk 2

Done deal. Maybe one day things will line up well enough to do a medic exchange. Kind of a see what life is like where water swirls the other direction thing. As for Alberta... Lets just say they are only marginally better than Quebec when it comes to playing nice in the pool. Alberta has some excellent people but it also has some real "We are the one and only!" BS attitudes in desperate need of a reality check. As for the issue of title I can see both sides of the argument. The biggest argument being that Albertans recognize that EMT means BLS and Paramedic means ALS. Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

I did my EMT-P (Alberta's chosen title for the ACP level) training in Alberta after first licensing as a PCP in BC. If your already licensed in another province, excluding Quebec, it's as simple as filing paperwork and completing a jurisprudence exam. Any scope of practice differences are taken care of through GAP training modules which vary based on which jurisdiction you're coming from. As Kiwi already mentioned, you have much more important things to figure out before investing in a Canadian education. If you do figure it out I look forward to seeing your enthusiastic new face on a BC ambulance in the near future. Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

I chose to complete my ACP during that time frame. For me it was more a matter of wanting to work at a higher level than using it as a shortcut to full time (I have just over 4 1/2 years in now anyway). Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

Starting out as a PCP is a tough road in BC. You can expect to start "part time" and stay there for at least 4-5 years. Compensation rates at the PCP level are not great and in some respects just plane abusive. Rates are stratified into three different categories. Full starting rate: $21.19/hour Pager pay: $2.00/hour Standby pay: $11.19/hour There are three different shift types for part time staff. Kilo: On pager at home for $2.00/hour until called then up to full rate for a minimum 4 hours or until call completed. Whichever is longer. Foxtrot: On standby at the station until called out then up to the full rate for a minimum of 3 hours Spareboard: Full rate for the entire shift. Only received when covering what's normally a full time persons shift. The compensation rates might seem equitable by US standards but I promise you by Canadian standards they're atrocious. As for transferability of credentials state side I can't say. Professional pay and respect differences between the two countries is staggering. Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

You received 100% on that "rough draft?" I wrote several papers for paramedic school and I can tell you with absolute certainty that I would have flunked out submitting anything similar in quality to what you just presented us. My first paper was a literature review on the use of antifibrinolytic agents in trauma patients. Guess what? Antifibrinolytic agents will be available and in regular use on ambulances in a number of Canadian jurisdictions within the next year. Relevant and ahead of the curve is what makes an A paper. I know this sounds harsh, but the truth is you need to step it up beyond what you're currently doing if you want to be successful. There's a great group here willing and able to help if your willing to put in the work. Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

Wendy, can you explain the value in allowing someone to continue suffering with a terminal illness once they have passed the point of being able to retain any semblance of the all important quality of life? We all know that for a select group of terminally ill patients there comes a point where it simply isn't possible to retain any quality of life. Consider the ALS patient who has deteriorated to the point they can no longer control there own respiration; imprisoned within their own body and now unable to even breath for themselves. It's acceptable to put them through the terror of simply shutting of the ventilator but it isn't acceptable to ease their death through pharmacological means at a time of their choosing? Terminally ill patient's deserve the right to leave life on their own terms. Taking that away amounts to barbarism. I probably have a different outlook than many when it comes to these "controversial" issues. Pro-choice, pro-death penalty, pro-assisted suicide for the terminally ill. I'm not ashamed of my position and I am open to intelligent debate. Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

Kiwi gave you a pretty good rundown. For more information on the Canadian system the Wikipedia article is relatively accurate. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramedics_in_Canada

While I would agree HEMS is over used in many jurisdictions, this particular study is flawed. The authors themselves put forward the greatest flaw. HEMS patients tend to be more severely injured putting them at increased risk for all cause mortality right from the start. It becomes an apples to oranges comparison without accounting for differences in trauma severity scores. Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

This was a surprising but timely decision on the part of the judge involved. I must admit this judgement closely mirrors my own values on the subject. Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

The paper I posted a link to specifically compares Paramedics to Emergency Care Practitioners. ECPs are UK Paramedics with additional education. Evidence is steadily mounting that demonstrates ECP attendance improves both patient outcomes and system cost effectiveness. Its a direct example of increasing educational standards improving outcomes.

I think you already know anecdotal and observational is all you're going to get for the most part. It's not something that has been well studied as of yet. What I can point you towards as an example are the results from reviews of UK Emergency Care Practitioner programs. http://minney.org/Publications/SfH_ECP_32pp_Measuring_the_Benefits.pdf Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

Kiwi to English translation: Learn to be a protocol monkey. Sorry, but that's all you will have time to learn over such a short time frame. Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

Expect to have less than the ideal standard out of your didactic education. Seven months doesn't even come close to covering the knowledge base you need to be a quality medic. If you want to be a good medic be prepared to spend months studying on your own time to make up for the inadequacies of your program. Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

Dwayne. How goes the battle on this one? Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

6th month, 12th day, 2012. 6, 12, and 12 kiwi. Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

Nicely done gents. Many thanks to the team for representing the BC crowd with such a well rounded performance. Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

Wendy, you're far enough along in your RN program by now to know that chronic dehydration is certain to have deleterious health effects. From what I've seen of Dwayne on the forums, I'm certain his drive to find a solution to this health conundrum is entirely derived from his desire to improve worker health and safety. Dwayne I would suggest researching fluid intake requirements for mountaineering. You might find the research articles you need to back your argument and sway the powers that be. Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

I trust my family members in their ability to make prudent decisions. I would most likely finish the shift I'm on, check on my family, then report back for duty. I say that from the perspective of someone who doesn't yet have children, and who's girlfriend is also a paramedic. Under different circumstances I suspect my views on the subject could change dramatically. Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

I work in a public provincial service as a Primary Care Paramedic (Think EMT-I for SOP). I also recently finished an EMT-P (Advanced Care Paramedic) program so I will move into an ALS ground ambulance position after I complete registration exams. Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

I'm sure you'll be just fine. In the end, provided you choose an accredited program with transferable credits, where you go to school doesn't matter nearly as much as what you put into it. I just graduated from the SAIT EMT-P program and write my registration exam later this month. Some of my classmates will make excellent ACPs, others will be lousy. All of us technically graduated from the same program. Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

Steve you have obviously given this a great deal of thought and made some excellent points in your post. My own take is that the job is currently in a state of flux. The things we used to do are no longer enough. If we are to survive and maximise our potential for benefit we must take on additional responsibilities both educationally and in our approach to patient care. Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2

Metoclopramide does wonders for classically presenting vascular headache patients in my experience (along with a litre or so of fluid). Adding Phenergan and reserving maxeran for patients most likely to benefit from it would probably be better than punting maxeran altogether. Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2