Paramedics in Canada - Professional Environment

Professional Environment

Paramedics have a close relationship with the physicians who (in most systems) grant paramedics the legal right to practice their profession with a regulated paramedic service. Some systems in Canada are transitioning to a self regulated organization, where medical authority dervies directly from legislation and self-regulation rather than the approval of a medical doctor. Also, because physician assistants in Canada exist primarily in the Canadian Forces, the role of clinical paramedic practitioners is under serious study. Both urban and rural centres have begun utilizing paramedics working in-hospital on cardiac arrest teams, patient transfer teams, emergency department triage/treatment and to facilitate faster "off-load" times. Some hospitals in Alberta and Saskatchewan have engaged paramedics to supervise Emergency Rooms in the place of Medical Doctors because of their ability to independently determine a patients immediate health status and direct the rest of the healthcare team in patient care. Similarly, community outreach programs led by paramedics, such as providing tuberculosis screening and influenza vaccinations to the homeless, are becoming more common.

In Halifax, NS, ACPs and CCPs work side by side with physicians in various emergency departments within the Capital District Health Authority. The responsibilities of these department paramedics varies from ER to ER within CDHA but include advanced airway stabilization, suturing, minor treatment as well as other expanded paramedic roles such as procedural sedations. They have also proven a necessary and integral member of the cardiac arrest and trauma teams. PCPs have been employed by CDHA since the early 1990s to perform triage assessments.

Paramedics often work long hours, most with 12 hour shifts. In some areas, however, 24 and even 96 hour shifts are not unusual. Salary and benefits are generally commensurate with the level of education and certification, though often less than the salary expectations of police officers and firefighters, as well as nurses. This incongruity is often argued as being unfair, especially in light of the relative level of responsibility a paramedic may have for acting decisively and without having direct supervision. However, many paramedics consider their career to offer intangible benefits and reported job satisfaction is generally high. Paramedics in Canada generally work only as paramedics, and only rarely as cross-trained firefighters or police officers, and most are paid full or part-time professionals. In the first quarter of 2005, paramedics were granted status federally as a "Public Safety Occupation" which means that paramedics are now eligible for early retirement, as are police officers and fire fighters. Many EMS agencies run a full range of paramedic speciality squads including: Marine medics, Bike medics, First Response medics, Tactical ERT & CCU medics, CBRNe medics (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive) and USAR medics (Urban Search And Rescue - specializing in urban disaster rescue recovery) and finally NOHERT medics (members of Provincial or regional Health Emergency Response Teams)