Becoming a Paramedic

Essex-Windsor EMS is proud to employ highly-skilled, college-trained paramedics who care deeply about this community and providing its residents with high quality pre-hospital emergency care.

Our paramedics go above and beyond 365 days per year. They strive to keep our citizens safe through community education programs and visits to special events and schools.

What is a Paramedic?

Our paramedics provide emergency patient care and transportation of patients. They are also certified by a physician to perform the following 5 procedures:

Operate a defibrillator
Administer medications
Oxygen therapy
Cardiac monitoring
Perform cardiac ECG's, and much more.

Paramedics perform some or all of the following 8 duties:

Assess extent of injuries or illness of trauma victims, patients with respiratory disease and stress, overdose and poisoning victims, industrial accident victims and other ill or injured individuals to determine emergency medical treatment.
Communicate with ambulance dispatch centres, base hospital staff, police, fire, and family members to ensure relevant information is collected and proper treatment is administered
Administer pre-hospital emergency care, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), oxygen, bandaging and splinting to patients.
Establish and maintain intravenous treatment (IV), apply equipment for ventilation and circulation complications, administer medications and provide other emergency treatment to patients.
Transport patients by air, land or water to hospital or other medical facility for further medical care.
Document and record nature of injuries and treatment provided.
Assist hospital staff with providing medical treatment, if necessary.
Maintain ambulances, emergency care equipment and supplies.

The hours of work can vary due to the need to provide emergency services on a 24-hour basis.

Paramedics work both indoors and outdoors under a variety of weather conditions. The work can be physically and emotionally demanding when transporting patients, responding to emergencies or dealing with critically ill or injured individuals. Some risks are involved, such as exposure to diseases and illnesses, violence, and physical injury.

How to become a Paramedic

To become a paramedic in the Province of Ontario, you must be a high school graduate. You must also attend a recognized paramedic program at an approved Ontario college. After completing the paramedic program, you must acquire Advanced Emergency Medical Care Assistant (A-EMCA) Certification.

Paramedic program

Generally, colleges require the following prerequisites to enroll in the Paramedic Program:

Senior high school biology
Senior high school science
High school graduation diploma
Current standard first aid certificate
Current CPR C (basic rescuer level)
Current immunizations - hepatitis B, DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus), MMR measles, mumps, rubella), proof of immunity to chicken pox, flu shot (recommended)
Free from all communicable diseases
Class F Ontario driver's license
Be physically fit and able to lift
Be able to fluently read and write in the English language
Be at least 18 years of age - prior to graduation of college.

The following Ontario colleges offer certified Paramedic programs:

Algonquin College
Cambrian College
Centennial College
Conestoga College
Confederation College
Durham College
Fanshawe College
Fleming College
Georgian College
Loyalist College
Niagara College
Northern College
St. Clair College
St. Lawrence College
College Boreale
La Cite Collegial
Canadian Career College

AEMCA certification

Once you complete the college Primary Care Paramedic program, you are eligible to write the Advanced Emergency Medical Care Assistant (A-EMCA) examination. You are given 3 attempts to pass the A-EMCA exam (70% is a pass) before remedial training is required.

If you are attending an approved institution that offers the paramedic program, your institution should be contacting the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care - Emergency Health Services Branch to obtain application packages for all of their students, prior to graduating. For more information on the A-EMCA, please contact the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.

For more information on the A-EMCA, please contact:

Ministry of Health and Long Term Care
Emergency Health Services Branch
Patient Care Standards, Education and Certification
5700 Yonge Street, 6th Floor
North York, Ontario M2M 4K5
Telephone: 416-327-781
Fax: 416 327-7911
Toll Free: 1-800-461-6431

Types of Paramedics

At Essex-Windsor EMS we employ 2 levels of Paramedics:

Primary Care Paramedics (PCP)
Advanced Care Paramedics (ACP)

Primary Care Paramedics

To qualify as a Primary Care Paramedic, you must:

Complete a 2 year Paramedic program at an approved community college.
Pass a 6 hour Provincial Exam (A-EMCA) to become certified as an Advanced Emergency Medical Care Assistant.
Obtain and maintain Base Hospital certification in Symptom Relief and Defibrillation.
Participate in ongoing quality assurance and continuing education programs (CME's).

Advanced Care Paramedics

To qualify as an Advanced Care Paramedic (ACP), you must:

Demonstrate excellence at the Primary Care Paramedic level and accumulate a minimum of 4,000 hours of field experience.
Successfully complete a selection process, including written and oral exams.
Participate in ongoing quality assurance and extensive continuing education programs.
Complete 800 hours of Advanced Life Support Training, which includes the following:

6 week instructive session
6 week hospital clinical portion
10 week field preceptorship
12 week field consolidation period where the new Advanced Care Paramedic must work with a senior Advanced Care Paramedic before receiving final clearance to practice without direct supervision.

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