What the $!@#$?

[Dustdevil]

Well done, Dust. I must have missed that one when I went through before. More appropriate background music would have been nice though, ("Running with the Devil", "Sympathy for the Devil", "The Devil Made Me Do It", etc.)

I'm partial to "Dust In The Wind".

But thank you for not mentioning "Devil Woman" and "Devil In A Blue Dress" (or "Gold Dust Woman")!

[mrmeaner]

[Mateo_1387]

Nice video.

-5 though for not looking at the camera like a professional.

Just sayin'...

[Lone Star]

Lawd he'p us!

The 'future of EMS'? Now we'll NEVER get his ego through the doors!

*Note to Admin*

Please install larger doors, so that Dust can continue to join us!

:laughing3: :laughing3: :laughing3: :laughing3: :laughing3: :laughing3:

[rock_shoes]

Ask, and you shall receive!

http://paramedictv.ems1.com/Clip.aspx?key=0FEEEF1381B0538E

Dust I didn't hear a single firemonkey, bucket head, or volley-wacker. Where you feeling alright? Those damn anger management people got to you didn't they.

On the note of education I think you'll be surprised to hear BC is finally getting on board. The shiny new Advanced Care Paramedic program will have all of us finishing with 120 university level credits. Entry into the program now requires either an allied health background (RN's RT's etc.) or a PCP license (PCP in BC is evaluated as equivalent to 33 credits) with an additional 22 credits of education. The additional 22 credits include courses in A&P, pharmacology, pathophysiology, english, and statistics. The ACP program itself will be an additional 65 credits.

I'm not sure how things work post secondary state side so here is a run down of how university credits work in Canada. Most university programs average 15 credits per semester (via 5 3 credit courses per semester). That totals 30 credits per year unless you choose to go straight through and attend summer semester. A typical bachelors program ranges from 120-130 credits.

[Dustdevil]

Rock... what type of diploma is granted for completion of this programme? And is it stil JIBC doing it? Are they accredited as a post-secondary educational institution that can grant university degees, such as a bachelor's?

How common are ACPs in BC anyhow?

[rock_shoes]

Rock... what type of diploma is granted for completion of this programme? And is it stil JIBC doing it? Are they accredited as a post-secondary educational institution that can grant university degees, such as a bachelor's?

How common are ACPs in BC anyhow?

Currently it is being called an ACP Advanced Diploma. Like all ACP programs of any value it will be accredited by the Canadian Medical Association. It will still be the JIBC which is recognized as a post secondary institution. Ironically one of the only bachelor's degrees offered by the JIBC currently is in Fire Studies. The JIBC is basically all of BC's emergency service providers lumped into one school. It's really more like three schools on one campus (police, fire, paramedicine) Fortunately for us the man in charge of paramedic programs is of a similar mind to you and I and is fighting tooth and nail for a full and proper bachelors degree. The current plan beyond ACP is to form 2 branches for a full degree. One for Physician Assistants and another for Management.

ACP's are not nearly as common in BC as they should be. The two ambulances in my home town which serve approximately 12000 people are staffed by PCPs. The nearest ACP staffed car is 30 minutes away L/S. The nearby city of Kamloops (pop. apprx. 80000) has 2 ALS cars during the day (1 Critical Care Paramedic car and 1 ACP car), and one ALS car at night. Kamloops is scheduled for a helicopter staffed by CCPs to serve the region in the not too distant future. If you head north things get even worse. The last ALS car is in Prince George (right in the middle of the province). The rest of the province is staffed by PCPs. Remote cars with call volumes of less than 500 per year are often staffed by EMRs (equivalent to EMT-. It's my own personal mission to bring ALS to my home community. The next step along the way is to take the ACP.

If you're wondering. CCP (Critical Care Paramedic) is one level beyond ACP. CCPs must be ACPs first and are then put through an additional year of education that includes large portions of a CCRN program and RT program. These men and women are the best pre-hospital providers I've ever had the pleasure to work with. Currently they are used much like physician assistants for critical care transports whenever they aren't in use on a regular car.

BC is a frustrating place to work in EMS. We have excellent ALS provider that are in drastically short supply.

[rock_shoes]

I should have included a link to the new ACP program description.

JIBC ACP Program

It is also worth noting that graduates who pass BC Emergency Medical Assistant licensing will only receive a restricted Advanced Care Paramedic license (ACP-R). Obtaining an unrestricted ACP license will require successful completion of a mentorship/residency program lasting a minimum of 6 months. Mentorship begins as a fairly dependant state of practise and proceeds to greater levels of independence over the course of the process. Throughout the entire mentorship phase the mentee will participate in hospital rounds and case reviews with both the mentor and emergency physicians.