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Paramedicine - Advanced Care Paramedic Distributed Learning

The Advanced Care Paramedic Distributed Learning program prepares learners with an advanced scope of practice to meet the needs of the health care system throughout Canada. The distributed learning model will offer the working Primary Care trained Paramedic the option of completing most of their ACP studies in a distance delivery format. The health care system is in constant change to provide ever efficient and better services to the patient. The Paramedical field as a profession is constantly in growth. More is being required and expected of the Advanced Care Paramedic and there exists a growing need to offer working Primary Paramedics an avenue to upgrade their skills while keeping them in the workforce. This program will employ a blend of teaching methodologies to address 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 first two program years the student will complete five semesters of internet accessable learning modulesvia the Holland college Learning Management System portal SAM. Each semester will be followed by a two week onsite block to focus on skill objectives pertinent to the preceding semester of study. Within the final year of the program the student will complete prescribed clinical hospital and Ambulance rotations shifts to gain experience that will confirm their readiness to perform as an Advanced Care Paramedic.

The Advanced Care Paramedic Distributed Learning Program delivered by Holland College will be registered for accreditation 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 an 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 A and B
Several subsections will be evaluated within these courses. 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 topics covering 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 to have knowledge of the legal system in Canada and to recognize how Paramedics are 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 to 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 physical activities component that will be aimed at improvement of personal physical fitness.

Patient Assessment
The learner will be engaged in a more complex level of patient assessment as required by the Advanced Care Paramedic. One of the components will be fine-tuning the basic skills of a Primary Care Paramedic 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 practical labs to complement the classroom theory. This course will be offered during the onsite sessions.

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 use of advanced airway management procedures.  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 the two sections of this important body system 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. The topics are divided into two sections with the subject basics introduced the first year and advanced management the focus of the second block to occur just prior to Clinical application of skills for ensuring the student has the most up to date information at the time of patient contact rotations.

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 topics related to 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 routinely utilized equipment used in 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 behavior 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 element 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 Skills and 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. The Advanced Care Paramedic student will be evaluated for their ability 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 course sessions will have classroom components and simulation lab components. Learners are assigned a lab facilitator who will work with the learner to achieve the desired skill level. This component of the program will require onsite attendance.

Practicum and Clinical Rotations
The practicum is a preceptor led learning experience where the student will participate in patient care in the pre-hospital environment utilizing Advanced Care Paramedicine level Skills. In addition, there are a number of hospital rotations and clinical experiences including: operating room, emergency room, psychiatry ward, Obstetrics/Gynecology, pediatrics, and labor and delivery.

Please note: these practicum and clinical rotations will occur in the final year of the program. 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. Whenever 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.  Preference will be given to applicants with more than 2 years PCP experience.
• Be currently employed and actively working in the PCP scope of practice.
• Grade 12 or equivalent with credits at or above the general level
• Grade 12 Academic science and English or equivalent
• 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 in preparation for a September program start, the applicant must provide:
  • completion of medical exam
  • proof of Hepatitis B vaccination
  • Evidence of recent screening for Tuberculosis from Public Health or Physician utilizing the two step method. Candidates having the BCG will show medical certificate indicating a screening Chest Xray as done within the past 12 months as an alternative prior to starting the Clinical rotations.
• Current CPR - Health Care Provider level C

If you have any questions concerning the Paramedicine program, contact Kent MacDonald at klmacdonald@hollandc.pe.ca.