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Paramedicine - Primary Care Paramedic

The Primary Care Paramedicine program prepares learners to be an integral part of the health care team working in the field of pre-hospital care. Learners acquire basic life support skills to assess and treat the sick and injured.

The Primary 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 Primary 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.

Upon completion of this program, graduates will have an understanding of human anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology as it relates to medical and traumatic emergencies; perform a complete patient assessment including physical exam and history taking; identify and perform appropriate life support procedures; and effective communication using oral and written methods for documenting patient care.

This program not only addresses the operational/procedural skills of a Primary Care Paramedic but also the skills required to perform with confidence in a variety of situations, effectively interact with others and maintain professional decorum whether in minor or complex situations. The program also addresses topics on physical fitness and healthy lifestyles. Paramedics need to be physically fit for a variety of employment opportunities.

Areas of Competency

Anatomy and Physiology
A basic understanding of anatomy and physiology is essential for the pre-hospital practitioner. This course allows for the study of structure and function of the body in the normal state. It serves as the basis for understanding pathophysiology and altered body states. The knowledge obtained from this course will also be integrated into the Patient Assessment course.

Health Systems Design and Delivery
This course covers an array of topics that address the Emergency Health Services (EHS) system and the professional and legal responsibilities of a paramedic. The Emergency Health Services system is a comprehensive array of people, resources, and equipment that are integrated simultaneously to achieve clinical excellence, response time reliability, customer satisfaction and economic efficiency. As an essential component of the EHS system, paramedics need to be aware of all aspects of service design and delivery including identifying system components, medical oversight, continuous quality improvement and research.

Pre-hospital practitioners will, throughout their career, be faced with issues that require the paramedic to maintain a professional approach as well as have knowledge of the legal system in Canada and how paramedicine is affected by it. This course will address the structure of the Canadian legal system, the Criminal Code, Testifying in Court, Negligence, Patient Rights, Wills, and Crime Scene Awareness, as well as legal issues related to the delivery of pre-hospital care. Understanding these issues helps the paramedic to understand their role and responsibilities as a pre-hospital provider.

The subject of wellness focuses on lifestyles and choices and has a required physical activities component that will be evaluated on improvement of your physical fitness.

Patient Assessment
This course provides the learner the opportunity to integrate knowledge with application. The expectation for the learner is to have the ability to perform a thorough and concise patient assessment, integrated with communication skills, providing the foundation for pre-hospital care. Assessments in both medical and traumatic situations, history taking and documentation, both orally and written, are included in this course. Learners will have a series of labs to complement the classroom theory.

Introduction to Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the study of drugs and how they affect body systems. This course will cover drug nomenclature, legal issues, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, medication administration, metric system and dosage calculation and will give the learner a foundation knowledge in pharmacology. 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 the pathophysiology, assessment, and management of the respiratory system. Skills will include a review of the anatomy and physiology of the respiratory system, and interpretation of breath sounds and acid-base balance. The knowledge gained in this section will assist the paramedic in the assessment and treatment of respiratory difficulties.

Cardiovascular Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Therapeutics
The focus on this section is the pathophysiology, assessment, and management of the cardiovascular system. All components of Basic Cardiac Life Support will also be covered. Understanding the cardiovascular system anatomy and physiology allows for integration and understanding of treatment modalities by the pre-hospital provider.

GI, GU Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Therapeutics
This section will address the basic components of the pathophysiology, assessment and management of conditions that affect the gastrointestinal, genitourinary and renal systems.

Gynecological and Obstetrical Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Therapeutics
This section will cover the basic components of the female reproductive system anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology assessment and management. An introduction to labor and delivery including complications and neonate assessment and management will be discussed at the basic level.

Pediatric Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Therapeutics
The student will attain the knowledge and skills to effectively assess and treat this unique segment of our population in medical and traumatic scenarios. This section will introduce the student to basic components of anatomy and physiology, child development, pediatric specific diseases and clinical conditions.

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

Neurological Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Therapeutics
This section will introduce the student to the pathophysiology, assessment and management of neurological injury/illness and psychological issues involving substance dependency, maladaptive and pathological behavioral problems.

Geriatric Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Therapeutics
This section will introduce the student to 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 introduce the student to the unique problems and management considerations of the patient who has been exposed to an environmental emergency or a special rescue situation. Students will also be introduced to the pathophysiology, assessment and treatment for patient's experiencing toxicological emergencies.

Traumatic Pathophysiology, Diagnostics and Therapeutics
This section will introduce the student to the kinematics of trauma and traumatic pathophysiology, assessment and current trends in management. Use of equipment utilized in the prehospital role of a Paramedicine practitioner will be incorporated within this area.

Special Situations
This section introduces a variety of topics including vehicle rescue and extrication, mass casualty incidents, disaster planning and special population groups. Classroom and associated lab skills sessions will enable the student to be exposed to many of the challenges a Paramedicine provider will face in the work place but in controlled settings.

Communications
This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of a variety of aspects of communication, both in verbal and written format. The focus will be on developing stronger listening skills, understanding non-verbal communication and communicating effectively both verbally and in writing in an accurate and concise Patient Care Report (PCR). Assignments involve completing PCR forms and other reports. Leadership and teamwork dynamics topics will aid the student in developing a good understanding of best practices for effective teamwork provision of care. Learners will also cover topics on sensitivity to ensure that approaches to conversation result in positive outcomes.

Occupational Health and Safety Course
This course introduces the basic understanding of the following topics that will provide the necessary knowledge to ensure the student can function safely in the work environment. Topics in this area will include, WHMIS, occupational health and safety, personal safety practices in the workplace and provision of prehospital care in non routine situations.

Scenario Course - Applied Skills
The Scenario Course is designed to provide the learner with the primary care simulated experiences that incorporates knowledge and application in handling equipment, performing procedures and working in a variety of situations. At the Primary Care level the assessment evaluates the ability of the learner to integrate many activities at one time, the ability to work in a team and 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 14 week preceptored 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: emergency department, recovery room, respiratory, 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

• Ambulance
• Industrial First Aid
• Recreation and sports facilities
• Emergency medical education
• Medical supply sales
• Emergency departments

Admission Requirements

• Grade 12 or equivalent with credits at or above the general level
• Grade 12 Academic science and English
• Grade 11 academic math
• Experience in health care or related field would be an asset
• Completion of two reference forms - work related
• Have no record of criminal offences, as verified by a Police Records Check
• 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 (please note the daily job activities require heavy lifting on a regular recurring basis, often in excess of 150 pounds)
  • evidence of recent screening for Tuberculosis from Public Health or Physician. The student will be required to complete other immunization screening which can vary by clinical rotation jurisdiction therefore the student should ensure they have their complete immunization records available at program start.
• Current CPR - Basic rescuer Level C and a Standard First Aid 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.
• It is recommended that students enrolling in this program have up to date immunizations and screening as outlined on this form.

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