Sincere

I am Canadian, but am trained in the US, I am in the process of moving back to canada and trying to get licensed in BC through the EMALB. It is quite the process.

Are you a licensed Paramedic or EMT? I'm pritty much in the same boat as you, I'm a Canadian citizen living and working in the U.S., I'm just graduated a EMT-I course, and I'm trying to see if I can get some reciprocity in Canada for my license.

There is a job market in Ontario?

I'm an Ontario trained PCP with 1500hrs of experience on the road plus in school upgrading to be an ACP and I haven't gotten a call for an interview yet.

Really? Wow. I was told that they're looking for medics in Windsor, Ontario.

What are you doing for work right now?

Unfortunately, you'd be wrong with those assumptions. The real estate agents get more training than an EMT. Those one month courses are popular because, unlike EMS, many real estate students are actually serious and committed enough to study full-time instead of a couple hours for two nights a week, like your EMT school.

EMT = 194 hrs. EMT-S = 100 hrs. Do the math. You just spent ten months getting seven less than eight weeks of training. That is very definitely not the same thing as ten months of education. Get serious, bro. Stop kidding yourself and take an honest and objective assessment of what you have to work with. It's nothing, especially in Canadian terms.

Again, not entirely correct. That two-year nursing "course" is not training. It is over two years (figuring in only prerequisites, not including at least a year of waiting list time) of full-time college education. Before you can even consider being a medical professional, you'll need to grasp a solid understanding of the vast difference between training and education. It takes most of them four years to get that two year degree. Does that make it a four year degree? No, so your ten months of training is not really a ten month education. It's just eight weeks dragged out painfully slow so that the mental midgets that are attracted to EMS in America can keep up while still having time to be a volunteer fireman and work full-time at McDonalds too.

Three years in all provinces. [clarifying that we are using "paramedic" in the American context here, not the Ontario context]One to two years, full-time, just to work at the American EMT-B level. That's about half of what is required in some Europaean countries.

Have you looked at your own state's EMS website lately? The course is only 194 hours long. Yes, that's a lot better than most states, by far! But it's still only five weeks of full-time training. I don't know if anybody actually runs it in five weeks. I'm betting so, since firemonkeys don't like to waste time. But three and four month Michigan EMT courses are all over the Internet. You just got screwed.

I'm not trying to discourage you from going Canadian. It's a beauty way to go! I'm just trying to keep you from getting your hopes up too high on a quick, easy transition that will make you any money. Many men tried. Many men died. Being a Canadian citizen, your time would probably be better spent starting over in a Canadian school. Yeah, that requires a serious professional commitment on your part. But hey, you said you were looking to be a professional, so that's the price of entry. And once you get there, the job market is horrible in a lot of places. AB probably has the best job market, but again, their college (Registration body, not school) is a major pain in the arse that really doesn't like American EMTs. Job market sucks arse in BC, but at least they do have a bit of a reputation for taking Americans.

As for other medical industry jobs, you're in the same boat. Starting over at square one with a college education. If you already have a degree in something, then you may be on a fast track for one of the medical professions though. And just about any of them pay tonnes better than EMS. I think you need to decide what you really want. Do you really want to be a medic, or do you just want to be in a medical field, and EMS seemed like the fastest and easiest way in? Either way, there are a lot of people here in Canadian EMS and the other healthcare fields (RN, RRT, LVN, etc...) that can offer some primo advice to streamline the process for you. I know a few of us come off as a little gruff, but we really do care and like helping you to avoid the mistakes we all made.

Best of luck!

You're right, I didn't keep in mind if these hours of education were full or part time.

I'm not afraid of having to start over from the beginning, I just want to get into something that will yield results in job satisfaction and being paid adequately. What other health industry jobs would you suggest training for that pay well for the amount of education required? I don't necessarily have to continue to become a Paramedic (though I do enjoy what I do thus far, just not the pay).

How is the job market in Ontario for Paramedics or other health care jobs?

I'm really trying to figure things out for myself. I'm 26 years old, I have some college under my belt. When I got into EMS I was under the assumption they got paid better but now realize the guy working the cash register at sears makes the same, if not more than I do as a EMT. I love what I do but it's just unrealistic as far as pay and makes paying bills and living life day to day harder. So I'd love to hear suggestions from you guys who have been down this road, about what some better options are.

I cannot tell you for sure if they will licence you or not...But they are the easiest province to get into. There is no Registration exam in Sask.

The pay is higher than Alberta by about 3-5 dollars/hr depending on where you work. The urban centers are low but if you go rural the wage increases due to demand for EMT's. (lack of vollies = well paid Professionals) Anyway staying on topic - Try contact Saskatchewan Health Emergency Services.

BTW it is WAY cheaper living there too compared to AB.

(Hmm I should send a bill to Sask health for recruiting)

OK, thanks, I'm gonna look into it. I didn't necessarily have my heart set on going to AB, I'm just looking to go to any major city that offers the best pay. I'm not too keen on working too far out in a rural area.

Janitor at a hospital pays well...and better benefits! LOL

If you want to get into AB, go the back way...Register in Saskatchewan (there is no entrance exam) then take your Intermediate care paramedic through SIAST part time while working full time, then alberta may look at registering you. You will make better coin in Sask anyway!

Thats what I did and it reduced some of the non-sence of getting registered.

You should probably look at just starting all over in EMT school in AB if you want into this province, it will prove to be the easiest and cheapest way anyways.

Saskatchewan would accept my U.S. training and license me to work there without any exams? Whats the pay like there?

Or an insurance agent. Or a medical transcriptionist. Or a court reporter. Or a barber. Or a nail technician. Or a massage therapist. Or an air conditioner repairman. Or a butcher. Or a Taco Bell manager. Or a truck driver.

Seriously man... no offence intended, but what profession? You don't have a profession. You have a blue collar technical job that took you all of a month to train for. That's the sad reality of EMS training in the U.S. The rest of the world is laughing at us.

As an EMT-I, if you're lucky, Alberta will allow you to take a transition course that is about the same length as your entire EMT course was, then let you challenge the hardest EMS exam you've ever taken for the chance to start over again as an EMT-A. You'll spend a lot of time, postage, and long-distance charges long before that happens though, because ACP thinks you are scum, not worthy of their time, and they'll probably reject you anyhow. Alberta and BC are still probably your best bets though. Ontario would laugh at you so hard that I could hear it all the way over here.

So, are you looking for an actual profession, or just another ambulance job? If you're actually looking to make a serious commitment to being a medical professional, we have a lot more information and options to offer you.

Good luck!

You guys are exaggerating a little bit now! A real estate agent? A Taco Bell manger? Lol! Come on. A real estate course in MI runs for a month! I'm sure a Taco Bell manager gets on the job training for about 2 weeks. Though I understand the amount of time for my education is not GREAT it still was 9 to 10 months to get to an EMT-I. To become a Paramedic you're looking at approx 1 year and 6 months to 1 year and 9 months here in MI. To become an RN, students can take a 2 year course here and start out making double or triple what 'medics make and they only took 6 months more training then a medic would receive.

How long is a Paramedic course in Canada? There is NO one month course here in MI to get you licensed at the Basic EMT level. To become a Basic EMT the minimum amount of education is 6 months.

So what other information and options are available to me in the medical industry that will offer better wages?

Thanks everyone for the info. I'm surprised at these approx hourly wages. I was under the impression that EMTs and 'Medics got paid much better in Canada, especially in AB. But from the info you guys are giving me the wages pretty much suck there too! Why can't our profession pay us enough to get by comfortably???

Greetings,

I'm a newly graduated EMT-I in Detroit, MI. I have been working as a EMT-B for a year and a half doing both emergency and transfer calls. I've been hearing a lot about Calgary and it's economic growth and have an interest in moving there while continuing to work in EMS. I am a Canadian citizen so that part of the relocation is not a problem.

I just had some questions about the EMS industry there and hope someone can answer them for me and help me out.

To my understanding an EMT-I license is the lowest EMT licensure level over there, is that true?

What is the starting pay for both private and municipal EMT jobs there that are below the paramedic license level?

Are they actively hiring in Calgary right now?

Thanks for the help and I look forward to the replies.