TheEmsNovice Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chbare Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 Do not give up on your goal if you really believe Canada should be in your future. Some of us, my self included most likely, tend to remind people of the reality of the situation. In spite of the difficulty and challenges you face, your goals may not be impossible. They may be much more challenging and complex than you thought however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
island emt Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 (edited) Welcome: As a student at SMCC you will be assigned where you do your ride time. The school has agreements with many different services. Talk to Scott about your options. Most of us rural providers transport to Maine Med when the level of acuity demands it. Central lincoln county is no different than any of rest of us along the mid coast. We went there the other day in the midst of the blizzard, which entailed an hour &1/2 transport time. You don't mention where you are living while attending SMCC. There are quite a few services within a short distance of the college that work with them for student ride time. We have a member in the SMCC Paramedic program , who is doing ride time with a couple of the fire departments in this area to get the call volume needed. Most EMS in this area is Fire Dept based. There is also Northeast mobile medical which is based in Scarborough and Topsham. If you need contact info PM me. If you go to the Maine EMS website there is info on the Community Paramedic program. As far as I know there are 7 or 8 services in the trial program at this time. It will be evaluated this year and changes made at the state level to allow the expanded scope of practice needed. Maine is a very large state geographically and has a diverse system of prehospital care. from where I am , it's between 6 &8 hours north to the Canadian provinces depending on where you want to cross the border. If your goal is Canada , you will need to meet their immigration requirements and enroll in their 4 year degree program for PCP. Edited December 29, 2012 by island emt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctickat Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 (edited) If your goal is Canada , you will need to meet their immigration requirements and enroll in their 4 year degree program for PCP. Whoa there buddy. The longest PCP program I'm familiar with in Canada is the two year program in Ontario. There are other, shorter PCP classes, some as little as 6 months. Edited December 29, 2012 by Arctickat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
island emt Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 My bad: I was trying to get the brain to fire. Was thinking ACP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctickat Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 I kinda thought that's what happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEmsNovice Posted December 29, 2012 Author Share Posted December 29, 2012 (edited) 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. Edited December 29, 2012 by TheEmsNovice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
island emt Posted December 29, 2012 Share Posted December 29, 2012 So you start in 3 weeks? I can give you some contacts in this area where you might be able to do your ride time. There are ways, if you get my drift. Send me a PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEmsNovice Posted December 30, 2012 Author Share Posted December 30, 2012 Island, that's correct. PM inbound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts