Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Paramedic Training Gets You Into The Field in Just Two years

If numbers speak for themselves then the Centennial College Paramedic training program is screaming: success! Over the past several years, 96 per cent of the school’s graduates were employed as Primary Care Paramedics (PCP). In addition, graduates of the undertaking are eligible and prepared to take the Ministry of Health exam for Advanced EMCA. They have consistently scored above the provincial average on the Advanced EMCA certification exam. Ministry regulations require this certification for employment as a paramedic in Ontario.

Taking just two years to complete, the Paramedic program has an excellent reputation in the field. This is for a few reasons. First and foremost, to enhance student performance and confidence, courses provide an equal balance between classroom, clinical, field and practical learning in emergency simulations. For their hands-on training, students use simulated lab scenarios, field placement and real life experience to develop professional expertise. However, most courses also provide theoretical and practical testing components. Faculty members who have training in the paramedic field teach these courses. Specific topics covered within the paramedic program include: Therapeutic Communications and Crisis Intervention (focuses on the utilization of effective communication tools when dealing with persons in crisis); Pharmacology for Allied Health (classifications of drugs is discussed in an organized manner according to characteristics, purpose, physiologic action, adverse effects, precautions, interactions and prehospital applications); PCP Integration and Critical Decision Marking (students are challenged with increasingly complex decisions involving life-threatening situations, ethical-legal dilemmas, and the application of sound foundational principles and knowledge of pharmacology, pathophysiology, communication, assessment and therapeutic interventions); and more.

Those interested in applying for the Paramedic program must present at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent or be 19 years of age or older. The applicant must also possess compulsory English 12C or U or equivalent, math 11M or U, or 12C or U or equivalent, Biology 11C or U, or 12 U or equivalent; and one of the following sciences: chemistry 11U, or 12C or U or physics 11U or 12C or U. There are also medical requirements such as a medical doctor’s statement, certifying a standard of health that is acceptable to Centennial College, clinical and affiliated EMS agencies. Applicants must also not have been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude (clear vulnerable persons police background record searches are completed throughout the program); hold a Class “F” license, which is required for employment in Ontario (but not for program admission); complete a CPR Level HCP course (Health Care Provider) and standard first aid certification. For complete details on the requirements of this undertaking, visit Centennial’s Paramedic program admission page.

Emma details the aspects of Centennial College’s Paramedic program that make it respected in the field, including: a balance of theory and practical practice as well preparation for all testing required to enter the field.

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