After another meeting today, the idea of Ontario's Primary level paramedic programs progressing from a two to three year course is likely becoming an official proposal to the Ministry. Paramedicine, like education, is an ever evolving and growing profession. A job that was once driving an ambulance is becoming ever more complex, as yearly new medications and emergency procedures are added to the primary level of practice. The catch is that the program duration has not changed in decades. Even comparing to ten years ago, the scope of practice has advanced so much, that primary care medics are practicing at near the level advanced care medics were just a few years ago. Obviously with this, the amount of increased training and education added to the curriculum has increased, yet where does this time come from? Well, it hasn't. We're just asked to teach more. Our students are already in credit overload as it is, and now carry arguably the most demanding course load and steepest learning curve in the college. Is this responsible for our 60% attrition rate? Partially. Mostly this is from a complete lack of a robust entry process, but that's a whole other post / blog in itself.
This made me think of the teaching of the history of education, and how important it was we determined that teachers should know where they came from, in best order to understand where they're at, and where they may go. Likewise, I think it is equally important to continue to impart to paramedic students the history of their profession, as it also helps develop the skills they'll need to adapt to the changing industry and standards. So with all these factors at play, the college heads are proposing the paramedic program become a three year advanced diploma. This is also aligned with the terminology change that paramedics are not to be considered technicians, but clinicians - a term also that defines other three year medical programs. As an educator, this move makes sense. As a college it makes sense. It should help reduce the acute stress and workload, and retain more students. And it should also help the employers as they will be getting a more mature graduate who has had another year of personal growth via more clinical hours, more residency hours, and an overall year of life, which can mean so very much for an eighteen year old. So once the official proposal is submitted, we will wait on the Ministry's decision, which currently depending on who you know, and who you ask, is about a 50/50 split on thoughts of approval. Could there be an alternative? Services could implement a much more rigorous new employee training and mentorship program, solidifying their education and promoting a safe environment of trust and development. Unfortunately, as good as that sounds, that is not our current industry, nor do employers seem to want to spend any time, money or resources implementing this, they simply want employees to show up job ready on day one, fed to the wolves, sink or swim. A harsh reality, and one that would require a culture shift to successfully accomplish.
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AuthorI teach Paramedicine at Cambrian College, in Sudbury, Ontario. I also continue to work as a paramedic, and ride bikes. This is my third semester in the PME program, and I look forward to learning with everyone! Archives
March 2017
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