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Paramedicine - Advanced Care Paramedic

The Advanced Care Paramedicine program prepares learners with an advanced scope of practice to meet the needs of the health care system throughout Canada. The health care system is in constant change in the delivery and care of the patient and the Paramedical field as a profession is constantly in growth. More is being required and expected of the Advanced Care Paramedic. This program addresses not only the operational/procedural skills but the skills required to make critical and sound decisions, confidence to manage a variety of situations, effective verbal and written communications skills, interpersonal skills, leadership skills and to make healthy lifestyle decisions to maintain well being.

The Advanced Care Paramedicine program delivered by Holland College has been accorded a 6 year accreditation status by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA).

The CMA believes that relevant educational preparation is critical to ensuring competent health professionals who can contribute to effective and safe patient care as a member of the health care team. CMA accreditation signifies that the Advanced Care Paramedicine program has met national standards and that the education provided is relevant to current clinical practice. Ensuring that Paramedics have the required competencies for entry to practice is an important contribution to Canada's health human resources.

The CMA's Conjoint Accreditation Services ensures national educational standards for practitioners in 14 health science professions. For more information on accreditation, visit www.cma.ca/accredit.

Graduates from an accredited Paramedicine Program will find their credential much more widely accepted for employment, interprovincial mobility, and future advanced training program acceptance.

Areas of Competency

Advanced Anatomy and Physiology
This course is intended to provide the learner with a deeper understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the human body beyond the basic course offered in the Primary Care program. There is a stronger focus on the physiology aspect of the course which serves as the basis for understanding disease states and altered body systems. The role of body form and function will also be integrated into the Patient Assessment course.

Professional Practice
Several subsections will be evaluated within this course. Learners will review the Emergency Health Services (EHS) and their role as practitioners. An essential component of the EHS system is for paramedics to be aware of all aspects of service design and delivery including identifying system components, medical oversight, continuous quality improvement and research.

There is also a series of lectures/classroom activities on Ethics and the Law and Leadership and Wellness, all necessary knowledge for an advanced health care provider. Pre-hospital practitioners will, throughout their career, be faced with issues that require the paramedic to maintain a professional approach as well as have the knowledge of the legal system in Canada and to know how paramedicine is affected by legal issues. The subsection on ethics and the law will review the structure of the Canadian legal system, the Criminal Code, Testifying in Court, Negligence, Patient Rights, Wills, and Crime Scene Awareness and legal issues related the delivery of pre-hospital care.

The Leadership subsection will address role models, mentoring, preceptor’s role, community involvement, leadership qualities, team building, collaborating with others and the professional qualities necessary for the role of a paramedic.

The Wellness subsection will focus on lifestyles and choices and will have a required physical activities component that will be evaluated on improvement of personal physical fitness.

Patient Assessment
The learner will be engaged in a more complex level of patient assessment required by an Advanced Care Paramedic. One of the components will be fine-tuning the basic skills while a major component will be multitasking where performance of a thorough and concise patient assessment, integrated with communication skills, will be assessed for the quality and competency of providing a solid foundation for pre-hospital care. Assessments for both medical and traumatic situations, history taking and written and oral documentation are fundamental aspects of the course. Learners will have a series of labs to complement the classroom theory.

Advanced Paramedicine Pharmacology
This course will cover drug nomenclature, legal issues, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, medication administration, metric system and dosage calculation necessary for the administration of the drugs at the Advanced Care Paramedicine level as well as a review of the drugs at the Primary Care Paramedicine level. Integration of this knowledge with patient assessment skills will allow the paramedic to manage many medical emergencies.

Respiratory Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Therapeutics
The focus on this section is pathophysiology, assessment, and management of the respiratory system. Skills will include a review of interpretation of breath sounds, acid-base balance and using automated transport ventilators. The learner will have a comprehensive understanding of the various conditions that place a patient in respiratory distress and impede his ability to breathe. The knowledge gained in this module will assist the paramedic in the assessment and treatment of respiratory difficulties.

Cardiovascular Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Therapeutics
The focus on this section is pathophysiology, assessment, and management of the cardiovascular system. All components of Advanced Cardiac Life Support will also be covered. Skills will include 3 and 12 Lead Electrocardiograms, electrical therapy and medication administration. Understanding the cardiovascular system anatomy and physiology allows for integration and understanding of treatment modalities utilized by the advanced pre-hospital provider.

GI, GU and Renal Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Therapeutics
This section will survey the pathophysiology, assessment and management of conditions and injuries that affect the gastrointestinal, genitourinary and renal systems.

Gynecological and Obstetrical Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Therapeutics
This section will cover the female reproductive system anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology assessment and management. Labor and delivery including complications and neonate assessment and management will be discussed.

Pediatric Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Therapeutics
The student will attain the knowledge and skills to effectively assess and treat this unique segment of the population in medical and traumatic scenarios. This course will cover child development, pediatric specific diseases and clinical conditions. Components of Pediatric Advanced Life Support protocols will also be included.

Endocrine Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Therapeutics
This section will discuss the pathophysiology, assessment and treatment of endocrine emergencies.

Neurological Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Therapeutics
This section will review the pathophysiology, assessment and management of neurological injury/ illness and psychological issues involving substance dependency, maladaptive and pathological behavioral problems. The Advanced Care Paramedic will need to have a good understanding of Mental Health conditions to provide supportive care and appropriate integration with other Health Care providers.

Geriatric Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Therapeutics
This course will examine the unique anatomical and physiological changes that occur among the geriatric population. It will also address the pathophysiology, communication, and treatment considerations for this age group.

Environmental and Toxicological Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Therapeutics
This section will examine the unique problems and management considerations of the patient who has been exposed to an environmental emergency or a special rescue situation. Also included in this section are the pathophysiology, assessment and treatment for patients experiencing toxicological emergencies.

Traumatic Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Therapeutics
This Course will cover the kinematics of trauma and review traumatic pathophysiology, assessment and current trends in management. The mastery of use of routinely utilized equipment seen trauma management will be a focus in this section.

Special Situations
This section covers a variety of topics including vehicle rescue and extrication, mass casualty incidents, disaster planning and special population groups.

Critical Care Integration
This section provides an orientation to issues and skills necessary for paramedic practice when interfacing with Critical Care teams. An introduction to mechanical ventilation, invasive monitoring, infusion devices, chest drainage systems and other topic areas will be covered. Principles of aeromedical transport (fixed and rotary wing), critical care pharmacology and radiographic interpretation will be covered.

Communications and Behaviour
This course is designed to enhance the learner by providing an understanding of a variety of aspects of both verbal and written communication. The focus will be on developing stronger listening skills, recognizing non-verbal messages, recognizing the impact of personal non-verbal behaviour in relation to others and communicating effectively both verbally and in writing in a professional manner. Assignments involve completing PCR forms and other reports in an accurate and concise manner. There will be assignments that involve role-playing to simulate challenging environments where data needs to be ascertained. The course will offer leadership principles that will help the learner better understand others and be able to coordinate patient care activities when working in teams. Learners will also cover topics on sensitivity to ensure that approaches to conversation result in positive outcomes.

Occupational Health and Safety
This course covers a variety of topics that will provide the necessary knowledge to ensure the learner can function safely in the work environment. Topic areas to be covered will include WHMIS, Occupational Health and Safety, personal safety in the working environment and when involved in challenging non routine situations.

Scenario Course – Applied Skills
The Scenario Course is designed to provide the learner with simulated experiences that incorporate knowledge and application in handling equipment, performing procedures and working in a variety of situations. At the Advanced Care Paramedicine level the assessment evaluates the ability of the learner to integrate many activities at one time and the ability to work in a team and demonstrate leadership qualities necessary to achieve positive outcomes. The program will have a classroom component and a lab component. Learners are assigned a lab facilitator who will work with the learner to achieve the desired skill level.

Practicum and Clinical Rotations
The practicum is a 20 week preceptor led learning experience where the student will participate in patient care in the pre-hospital environment. In addition, there are a number of hospital rotations and clinical experiences including: operating room, emergency room, respiratory, Ob/Gyn, pediatrics, clinics, and labour and delivery.

Please note: these practicum and clinical rotations will occur throughout the school year and students will be placed in various locations throughout Atlantic Canada and other Canadian Provinces. The costs of travel and accommodations while on their practicum and/or clinical rotations will be covered by the individual student. When possible, students’ requests for placement will be considered, however the final placement is at the discretion of the College.

Graduate Opportunities

• Ground Ambulance
• Industrial First Aid
• Recreation and sports facilities
• Emergency medical education
• Medical supply sales
• Emergency departments
• Air ambulance
• Communication centres

Admission Requirements

• Graduation from an accredited Primary Care Paramedic (Level One) program or equivalent
• Grade 12 or equivalent with credits at or above the general level
• Grade 12 Academic science and English
• Grade 11 math
• Have no record of criminal offences, as verified by a Police Records Check
• Completion of three reference forms, one from an ambulance service medical director/manager, one from a direct supervisor, and one from a non-relative
• Resume including work and volunteer experience with applicable dates, membership in groups, associations or athletics, awards and distinctions, and any other information about yourself relevant to the program to which you are applying.
• Following acceptance and prior to June 30, the applicant must provide:
  • A valid Class 4 driver's license is preferred but not required. Individual provinces and employers specify varied requirements for driving. It is considered the applicant's responsibility to determine how Class 4 driver's license obtainment may affect future career options.
  • completion of medical exam
  • proof of Hepatitis B vaccination
  • evidence of recent screening for Tuberculosis from Public Health or Physician
• Current CPR - Basic rescuer Level C certificate from a recognized First Aid/CPR Trainer prior to June 30th. The Occupational Health and Safety Division of P.E.I. will provide a list of current recognized First Aid/CPR Trainers.
• Students enrolling in the Advanced Care Paramedicine program are required to have up to date immunizations.  Please click here for information.

If you have any questions concerning the Paramedicine program, contact paramedicine@hollandc.pe.ca.