Good place to go to college in Canada?

[Jesse202]

May I ask what you ment by: (And if you just want to go to school there and then come back here easily you can forget that too

Do you mean I will have a hard time coming back or you have to take additional classes to get a job in Canada?

[BEorP]

May I ask what you ment by: (And if you just want to go to school there and then come back here easily you can forget that too

Do you mean I will have a hard time coming back or you have to take additional classes to get a job in Canada?

If you take EMT-B in the United States, it will generally be useless in Canada.

If you do EMT-P in the United States, it is possible to get equivilency for ACP, but it is difficult and you would be much better served by just going to school in Canada.

[Jesse202]

anyone have info on this? Would like to know as much as i can before i make a decision

Why not move to the US, they pay for everything apparently, whatever you do dont move to Calgary or Edmonton, because it is to darn expensive here.

[vs-eh?]

anyone have info on this? Would like to know as much as i can before i make a decision

Yes, WendyT is an obvious authority here. Everything she posts is chock full of information and is 100% rational and lucid.

Anywho...

Listen dude...

1) Stay in Canada

2) I would generally recommend to go to school in the province where you want to/plan on working. It just avoids further costs/issues with reciprocity.

Ontario has the longest duration of schooling to get into the paramedic field at two years. All other provinces are less schooling (1 year or less) for PCP, and Ontario doesn't use EMR's (like they do in say Alberta or BC) in the 911 EMS system. Ontario also has some of the worst prospects for jobs for the primary care paramedic.

You sound like you have mobility, and want to get out of Ontario. Go to Alberta (lots of jobs) or BC. Get your EMR, make a bit of cash actually working, and then do your PCP in whatever province you choose.

The US educational requirements are generally low compared to Canada and other countries.

[courageheartx]

Why not move to the US, they pay for everything apparently, whatever you do dont move to Calgary or Edmonton, because it is to darn expensive here.

agreed

[Mastabattas]

So I'm in Ontario at the moment. I'd like to move outside Ontario for college and to get a job as a paramedic. I was thinking BC right now. I'm looking for a place with a good college and job opportunities. Maybe a low cost of living. Any ideas?

Have you done any research about the difficulties in moving between provinces at either the PCP level or ACP level (easier at the ACP level by far)? Do you plan to go all the way and become an ACP or do you only see yourself going to the PCP level? If EMS progresses further to a physicians assistant level do you have aspirations of progressing too?

Rather then making a career decision based on 'cheap living' why don't you ask yourself WHERE you want to spend a few years. Does that place provide you with a school that YOU feel is good enough for your long term career goals. Does that province provide you with a scope of practice that you think you will enjoy for a few years to a lifetime and which will allow you to hone and enhance your skills to the fullest extent?

If you're planning on making this your career for the next 10 years at least...perhaps you should be asking more then just how much a house is going to cost you. A proper approach would be to weigh in all costs/benefits. A place with a high cost of living can easily be offset by the fact that the school you likely would want to attend is considered to be a leader in the EMS community. Ontario and Alberta are both pricey provinces... but there are EXCELLENT schools in each which strongly influence the direction of EMS throughout the rest of the country.

[Jesse202]

I don't think you understood what I was asking. Whereever I go to college, I will probably end up working. When I asked about low cost of living, I was not going to base everything on that. Just asking a question.

[Mastabattas]

If that's the case then, and if you understand economics then you'll know with any booming economy (aka job opportunities) there is also a skyrocketing cost of living.

In my opinion, and after never ending research for a constantly changing industry... there are three provinces in this country which have proven themselves as leaders. In alphabetical order only... Alberta, Nova Scotia, and Ontario are those three. The reasons for this vary and I'm sure if you delve into the industry within those three provinces you'll understand better. They all offer a different but valid approach to EMS education, management and scope of practice. The quality of schools in each of these places vary of course and it's a matter of opinion which are the good ones and which are not. But all three provinces house some good ones.

Alberta is dying for practitioners at all levels (PCP/ACP) because the oil patch is sucking them out with the temptation of money. However cost of living (housing especially) is ridiculous pretty much anywhere you would want to go now. Wages are...alirght but could be better...and if you don't mind a 50 year+ mortgage you might be happy.

Ontario can be a challenge to find work at the PCP level, but if you come in with ACP training I do believe it gets easier. I don't know the housing situation in Ontario too well but I imagine it is dependant again on where in the province you are located. I get the impression that ACPs are quite pleased with their income though.

Nova Scotia is the same job wise... it's difficult to get secure full time work as a PCP but they are eager for more ACPs for sure. However Nova Scotia also offers various opportunities for practitioners at ALL levels which can help subsidize the PCP seeking full time income. Pay is good if you live in the less populated areas...but because of standardization it leaves something to be desired in the more urban region.

[iMac]

The cost of living is ridiculous I think mainly because of the oil boom, once we get sucked out dry we won't be any different than anyone else.

unless someone corrects me I believe Alberta allows the widest scope and as it has been mentioned we are killing for more providers. Services have been hiring anyone that comes along which would now make me think twice before calling a truck for a loved one.

If you want a job come here. If you want a larger scope come here. If you want to work for a service that provides good care...think twice before coming here.

[bleep]

If you want to work for a service that provides good care...think twice before coming here.

I strongly disagree with this statement, and think it is highly insulting and inappropriate.

I work with various services in this province, and the general concensus is that the quality of care is going up. The people getting hired these days don't have a lot of experience, but that does not mean they cannot provide good care. Exceptional care, even. They'll get the experience they need fast enough.

I'm going to assume that you didn't mean to make a gross generalization that insinuated that every service in Alberta provides sub-par care. Maybe your service has had struggles; that is no reason to slam the entire province.

Sheesh. :roll: