Questions
Lately, I have been receiving a lot of questions regarding licensing, schooling, obtaining class 4 license etc. If you have a question about anything. Feel free to leave me a message here (click reply below) and I will reply either on this thread or email you back.
Cheers!
– C
Below are some questions others have asked, which you may find useful (last updated May 18, 2011):
Licensing
Q: I did have a few q’s about licensing though; I’ve sent it all my forms and payment and it’s been received, I’ve also sent in the booking forms. How long did it take you to get a reply? I knew it would be a long process from EMR cert. to getting hired by BCAS but man… it’s starting to get frustrating waiting! I want to get some actual hands on experience, I think you understand where I’m coming from here haha.
Many thanks for the help! Greatly appreciated.A: About the licensing, it shouldn’t take too long to hear a reply via email. Although I can’t remember now exactly how long it took for me to get a reply. I just knew that the jurisprudence exam took quite a while, and I had to call in and bug them, saying I’m having my interview soon and I’m told there’s a position waiting for me and that I need to get that done. After some bugging, they sent me the link the next day. Don’t be afraid to give them a call to follow up with things. Also don’t let the frustration get to you, because there are a ton more hoops to jump through…in fact, after you get hired, there are still more hoops. Good luck!
Q:I was just wondering how you applied for licensing. I find it very confusing and the lack of information is not helping. I filled out the application and I guess I just send it in… somewhere? Any help would be pretty cool.
P.S. I like your blog tons of cool stories.
A:Yes the whole EMALB’s website isn’t the easiest to navigate through.
What you need to do is first pay the fees required for licensing ($500 total which includes written, practical and jurisprudence). You also need to take a photo of yourself (for the ID once you pass) the requirements is waist up according to the website. Then you send in your application form along with the money and photo to the EMA Licensing Board in Victoria:
EMA Licensing| Ministry of Health Services | Ph: 250 952-1199; Fx: 250 952-1222 | PO Box 9625 Stn Prov Govt. Victoria BC V8W 3C8|
Once you do that, then you will get a confirmation email sent to you from the licensing board providing instructions on how to book the written, practical, and jurisprudence exam. All of which are booked online.
Note that the jurisprudence exam takes time even after you’ve submitted the application form. It took me about 2 weeks before I got the link and password to write it. The written exam takes the longest to process (about 3 weeks).
You can also contact them via email:
EMALB@victoria1.gov.bc.caLet me know if you need anymore help.
Glad you like reading my blog
Note (May 18, 2011): Update on EMA licensing email, as of Aug 30/11 the email listed above will be modified. The following emails would enable you to contact EMA licensing:
For Examinations and Initial Licensure: getalicense@gov.bc.ca
For Maintenance of Licensure/Continuing Competence: keepalicense@gov.bc.ca
For General Inquiries: emalbgeneral@gov.bc.ca
PCP Application
Q: For the JIBC PCP application… where did you take your physical CPAFLA testing? I am back and forth from the islands to the Lower Mainland quite often so info on the mainland would be useful!
A: There are many places where you can do your CPAFLA testing…I believe on the CSEP website you can find a link to all the people who are registered to do the testing for you. The price range varies per company. For example, Maple Ridge charges $75, UBC is cheap too charging $80, while Peak Center for Human Performance charges $120 + Tax. So basically, you’ll have to do some price comparing yourself. Anyways check this link out and find whoever is the closest to you: http://www.csephealthfitnessbc.ca/member_directory_revised4.php?name=&city=¶medic=yes&certification=&specialty=
Q: Can civilians do ride-alongs?
A: About the ride-alongs, it used to be fine for civilians to do ride-alongs as long as the paramedic involved is okay with you going for a ride. However, about 5 months ago (summer 2010), this regulation was changed after an incident involving a person riding third. So unless you’re a paramedic hired with BCAS, or a paramedic student, you are no longer allowed to ride third. It is rather unfortunate, since riding third is a great way to see if paramedicine was really the right thing for you. If you wish to gain first aid experience or working with patients, I’d recommend you to look into volunteering with St John Ambulance. I have gained a lot of invaluable experience volunteering with them.
Q: Where did you take your class 4 lesson? I got my 4 Learners today, but I don’t have, or know anybody with a large van that I could take the test with… any info would be greatly appreciated!!!
A: I wouldn’t recommend the place where I took my school, because he wasn’t a very good teacher although the pricing was cheap. I felt pretty unprepared for the pre-trip portion of the exam. The pre-trip is very important, and I think most people who are fairly good drivers end up failing in that section. I will recommend getting a Class 4 Unrestricted license though, because BCAS prefers that. You can take the test for the class 4 unrestricted with either a 15 seater or a 25 seater. Here is a link to all the driving schools in BC that is ICBC approved: http://www.dtcbc.com/resource/all_sch.htm You can skim through the list via region and find the one closest to where you live, or do price comparisons.
Q: What are the call volumes of each station per year?
A: Below is a link to the maps I have made based on 2005/2006 statistics when I was first figuring out which station to start off in (scroll down). On the map will be listed in the following order: Place, Station number, and Call volume/yr: http://paramedicblog.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/got-questions-need-answers/
Are students at the JIBC forced to let other students practice the IV techniques on them? Or can you opt out if you’re uncomfortable with letting others practice on you.
Nobody is ever forced to do anything in the class that they are not comfortable with, although they are encouraged to try stepping out of their comfort zone. There’s a person in our class who is petrified of needles, but in the end she was comfortable enough to participate.
I just came across your blog and would like to say thank you. I graduated and certified as a pcp last year in Ontario and not working in a service
. I’m in the process of going to bc but it’s taking way too long.
I digress. Thank you. Your blog is very helpful, inspiring and insightful.
I do have a question. Pcps in Ontario (depending on service) do not do IV or give narcan (at all). Clearly I will have to be trained. Am I responsible for that training? Or will it be scheduled for me.
Thanks and greatly appreciated.
Hi Mik,
Glad you like my blog
I hear Ontario paramedics get much higher pay than in BC although it is much harder to get into a service over there. If you don’t mind me asking, what protocols/drugs are PCPs in Ontario trained in?
There are two types of PCPs that can work in BC: PCP-IV (IV endorsed) and PCP (no IV endorsement). Most of the training with school now involves IV, as long as you log in 25 IV starts during your schooling you are eligible for the IV endorsement which gives you I believe $2 more pay per hour. Mostly though, the IV is important in patient treatment and for assisting ALS…. Anyways to the meat of the question, I know a couple of people who are not IV endorsed and they had to register and pay for their own course to get the IV endorsement. I believe it would be the same for you, once you’ve obtained your license with BC and hired into the service you can apply for the IV course. As for giving narcan and drugs that you have not been trained in giving in Ontario, that I would bring up with the licensing board in regards for training: EMALB@victoria1.gov.bc.ca
Here’s information on labour motility with the EMA licensing board: http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/ema/oop.html
Unfortunately I’m not too familiar with transferability across the provinces, hopefully that answered your questions.
C
Oh thatsbvery helpful thanks.
In Ontario We only have pcp acp and ccp medics. And theyre all municipally run not provincially like bc is. And yes it’s very hard to get a job. This year. They only hired 24 medics out of (literally) thousands of applicants for the Toronto service. As pcps we are only allowed ASA (chest pain) nitro (chest pain) salbutamol (obvious) Epi ( silent chest anaphylaxis croup) and glucagon.
I guess ill have to ask the emalb. No worries thanks. I’m only in the process of studying for the jurisprudence exam to get my licence transfer. I was googling sample questions and that’s how I came across your blog. Your story of the water and bleach made me lol-Ed. Theres a lot of toothpaste on burns here. I’m not gonna lie. My mom dies that and it drives me INSANE haha.
I’m so glad I came across your blog. Thank you for sharing your experiences.
Lol yeah, the bleach thing made me lol too except I had to control myself at the time
Yes I’ve heard about the toothpaste thing! I wonder who started that.
Good luck with your license transfer, let me know how it goes
Oh. Haha and I want to be in bc for the weather and the outdoors and the vibe. Toronto and Ontario are too … How you say. Uptight.? I’ve been here my entire life and would like a change of pace. So even if there is a pay cut. I really don’t care.
That’s one reason why I wouldn’t leave BC. I love it here, especially if you like the outdoors…it’s a huge playground out here, with the mountains, the lakes, etc. Although the weather this year hasn’t been the best…still rather cold and rainy even though it’s suppose to start brightening up.
Some questions on another post which I thought belonged better here:
starchy says:
May 29, 2011 at 18:33
Hello, I finished my EMR course almost a year ago but I’ve been putting off the licensing exams because I wasn’t sure just how much time I would have to commit to all this. How many hours did you have to work as an EMR? I have a full day-job (M-F, 9-5) and I don’t know if I can do this if I end up having to staying so late that I’m too tired to wake up for work the next day. The costs are also quite… overwhelming. The Ride-Along program was scrapped right after I finished the EMR course so I couldn’t get a taste of what it’s like to be on the job. Can you provide some insight on this? Really appreciate any info.
Coxinha says:
May 29, 2011 at 21:46
Hi Starchy,
The minimal amount of shifts one has to submit as a part timer are 8 shifts a month. If you put all of the shifts back to back that equals to four days. Depending on the station you get on and how many people they have hired on (more people working at a station means you end up getting fewer shifts), you usually get half the amount of shifts you put in. I have a fairly highly staffed station. I get usually 4-5 shifts a month (2-3 days back to back) if I put in min. availability. Coming month I submitted 8 shifts back to back (4 days) and got scheduled 3 shifts (1.5 days). So it is possible for you to schedule around your full day job by submitting shifts for Sat (day/night), and sunday (day). Most likely you’ll get one or two weekends up at your station. I was in school full time Mon-Fri for the last four months and that worked out for me.
As for being tired for your job the next day, that would depend on a lot of different factors. A lot of the times the rural stations aren’t very busy so you won’t be missing much sleep (there are rare exceptions). In fact, I consider it a bit of a vacation going up to my station. Commute is another factor, depending on where you end up, you may have to drive 4-6hrs or you may only take 1-2hrs to get to your station. As for work the next day, I personally didn’t have a problem going to work or waking up at 06:15 the next day after working up at the station the day before, but then and again I didn’t have a major commute time. Each station also has a different time in terms of when the shift starts. My station’s day shifts are 08:00-18:00 and night shifts 18:00-08:00, so getting off Sunday at 18:00 isn’t bad if I have to work Mon.
About riding third, it’s unfortunate they scrapped that. The best way to get an idea of what the job is like is to ride third in the city once you get hired. The pace and the call volumes are different in the LMFV than in the station that you will be working at, but it’s a good taste and glimpse of what the job is like.
Hope that helps.
C
starchy says:
May 30, 2011 at 22:48
Thank you – that was actually tons of help. On another note – I hear that there’s a shortage of paramedics in the province… does this mean that most stations would be willing to hire? Or are there just way too many budget cutbacks?
Coxinha says:
May 31, 2011 at 01:15
There has been a lot of movement lately with a lot of paramedics retiring, and more to come. I dont’ know the stats and each station varies, but yes, for the most part they are in need of paramedics. Feel free to call up BCAS HR and ask them about hire and things like that.
Help! I need to redo my EMR licensing exam and find it hard to connect with people to practice. I’d like to find a tutor that would give me a boot camp before the exam. I live on Vancouver Island but can travel to the Lower Mainland if necessary.
Hi Sandy,
I’ll see what I can do. I’m rather busy at the end of this month with shifts though. I’ll send you an email and see what we can work out.
M
I wouldn’t mind a tutor/boot camp either and like-wise, I think there are quite a few EMR-level people looking for the help. Like Sandy, I have to go in for remedial (did the exam today).
I live in the GVRD – would love the opportunity to learn from an active paramedic.
Hi Starchy,
I’d be more than happy to help out if I can, I’ve sent you an email in regards to it.
Cheers,
C
Hi there!
Firstly, thank you very much for this blog. It’s been extremely helpful to me as a person planning to become an EMR and later a PCP.
I have a question (two, actually):
When it comes time to re-certify as an EMR; what is the cost?
When it comes time to re-license as an EMR; what is the cost?
I can’t seem to find the answer anywhere. Just trying to get all the facts before I decide to jump into anything.
Thanks!
Hi Brandon,
I’m not sure about re-certification…you’ll have to inquire at the school you wish to take your EMR course in (ie. JI). As far as I know, there are no re-certification courses for EMR, in other words most likely you’ll have to redo the course. I believe the EMR cert lasts for 2 years (I may be wrong, it’s been a while so I can’t quite remember…will have to look into that), while the EMR license lasts 5 years as long as you keep up with your patient contacts and CMEs.
The cost for re-licensing is $50. If you want more information, you can go onto the EMA licensing board website. You will need to register for a username and a password before you can gain access: http://admin.moh.hnet.bc.ca/emaintra/license_renewal.html
Hope that helps!
C
The EMR certification is only valid for 1 year now (for licensing purposes). John Jacobs said that they are creating a new fast-track course for those whose certificates have expired but already know most of the stuff. Unfortunately, it’s not available yet so anyone who needs to redo it has to pay for the full course.
Hi,
Just found your blog whilst looking for Canada ambulance blogs. I’m about to start my Paramedic training in the UK and I was just wondering if you know of anyone who has applied internationally and got a Paramedic job in Canada?
Thanks
Hi Cherry,
Hmmmm I do have a colleague who’s from the UK and now works at my station…I’m not sure about the details of the transition though. I think it’s best if you send an email to the appropriate licensing board in Canada (depending on which province you’re interested in going to) and inquire about the transitions because I understand that the training in the UK/levels may be different from the scope of practice here.
Love the blog ! Informative and your witty banter is priceless!
I just wrote my EMA written exam, do you happen to remember the passing percentage ?! pretty sure I dropped the ball forgetting LPM min and max for nasal cannula and % of o2 provided by different mask types :*(
It seems like a long process getting hired with BCAS, when does you employee number come into play? When your license is complete and you’ve applied? Or not till you are hired and actively working ?
Hi Jenn,
Glad you’ve been enjoying my posts
The passing percentage is 75% last time I looked into it. It is quite a long process getting hired….almost feels like being a salmon fighting to get to the spawning grounds sort of a thing. You will get your employee number/date of hire on the day you start your orientation at your station (so not till you’re hired and have been assigned a station and meet your unit chief).
Good luck with everything!
Hello, I love your site! Love the photos.
I was hoping you could help me out with a medical question. This may be a bit unusual, but hopefully you’ll bear with me.
I am an amateur fiction writer and I am working on a new short story. This is the short and sweet run-down of it so far:
A retired elderly vigilante must return to the “job” when a new threat enters his community (This story has cyber punk elements and takes place in 2050).
My character (We’ll call him John as I do not have a named picked out yet) is roughly in his early to mid-eighties and has suffered a mild heart attack in the past (approximately 20 years ago). In his prime (30’s) he had conditioned his body to absolute human perfection. He now (in the present) wishes to “deal” with this new threat himself (Like in the movie Death Wish), but finds that his old and weakened state is a major disadvantage.
Basically my question is:
I am looking for a way medically (in the form of drugs/medication) to boost his performance so that he may carry his task as believably as possible. I should add that this boost is not meant to be long term.
I realize that such a thing may not exist (I’d like to avoid the use of steroids as that is not exactly what I am going for) and I am prepared to completely fabricate this drug for use in this story (think of the drug “venom” from Batman).
So what kind of conditions would John need to achieve his goal (something like adrenaline?)? Short term vs long term risks?
I realize that fiction has a certain element of disbelief attached, but with things such as this I prefer to be as accurate as possible. Any help you can provide me will be most appreciated. If you do not know the answer, perhaps you could point in the right direction?
-Sarah
Hi Sarah,
Indeed a very interesting question
I just came back from a long day, but I will send you an email tomorrow. Out of curiosity, is this story you’re writing for publication?
I just graduated from High School this year and am attending SFU, but have recently been researching doing the EMS program at JIBC. I was curious if you could let me know what the workload is like for PCP program, and what being a PCP is like/how much you get paid, is it an enjoyable job to have and what do work hours look like? I’m interested in health sciences, and thought paramedics would be a great opportunity to get started in.
Thanks, Shay.
Hi Shay,
Sorry for the super late reply, somehow your message got overlooked until now. The workload for the PCP program is quite intense (I’m actually in the process of writing a post and a list of the hours I spent at school). Expect to be at school Mon-Fri from 08:00-17:00 then staying a couple of hours to practice calls or study. It’s not uncommon to head home afterwards to eat and then study till you sleep. Also expect to go to school at least once on the weekends to practice calls. The main difference between the PCP program and university is that university has an hour to three hour lectures, but also provides a lot of time for you to study on your own. Whereas in the PCP program you would spend the whole day in the class learning practical skills, and sometimes there will be a lecture or two, but for the most part, you’re learning all the knowledge materials on your own.
As a PCP with IV endorsement you’re looking at starting wage of $21.19/hr. The shifts are as follows:
Alpha = 12hr shift 06:30-18:30 or 18:30-06:30
Bravo = 11/10hr shift varies with station same with start/end times
Charlie = 11hr shift varies with station same with start/end times
Juliet = 12hr shift, varies start/end times
Foxtrot = $10/hr pay until you get a call, then it’s full wage for three hours regardless whether your call takes you less than 3hrs to complete or not
Kilo = pager pay is $2/hr until you get a call, then it’s full wage for four hours regardless whether your call takes you less than 4hrs to complete or not
Each station has different shift patterns, but generally the more rural/remote the station the more likely they run with the Foxtrot and Kilo shifts.
For more details on pay and shift patterns refer here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Columbia_Ambulance_Service
As for whether it is an enjoyable job…I may be biased, but many others in the service will agree in that it is an awesome job. It is a very rewarding job, and no one day is the same. There are very few jobs out there that allows you to have a direct and strong impact on your patient, and one that will allow you to play a role in a very intimate/vulnerable part of someone’s life. It is a job where you are able to meet people from all walks of life, a job where you are trusted by a strangers to go into their homes and take care of their beloved ones. Your office is your ambulance, and your workplace can be anywhere, from construction sites, the streets, parks, community centers, homes, hospitals, beach, you name it.
The only thing to be aware of is that when you first start off as a paramedic in BC, it’s difficult to make enough money to make a living depending on where you are stationed. So expect to work another job on the side until you get enough seniority for a full time position.
Let me know if that answered your questions, if not feel free to ask more
Cheers
Hello my name is Vanja,
Thank you for creating this blog. It’s the first website I’ve found that I feel confident gives me a good picture regarding paramedic topics in BC.
I live in Vancouver, and like Shay, I am taking courses at a post-secondary (Langara) and very interested in health sciences (para-medicine, nursing, lab science, etc.).
I am fine with working part-time as you said, but I would really like to stay in Vancouver. What do you think are my chances?
Hi Vanja,
Hmmm…that’s a difficult question to answer since the answer is “it depends”. If you plan on working with the ambulance service at the EMR level, it is highly unlikely you will be hired within Region 2 (the region consists of Boston Bar and south to LMFV and up to Pemberton). However, that’s not to say you can’t do a commute for your minimum of 8 shifts (if that’s back to back that’s just 4 days a month) to a station on the southern islands like galiano or to Region 3/interior such as Keremeos or Lytton (~3hr drive) and still live in Vancouver. If you plan on working at the PCP level then there is a higher chance that you’ll get hired closer to home (as in 2-3hr drive from Vancouver). It’s definitely not impossible to stay in Vancouver, but commute will have to be expected. Once you get enough seniority then you can slowly move stations closer to home. If you’re looking to earning some money then I’d recommend starting in the interior as the call volumes there are better (but that’s obviously not what you’re looking for).
With the above said, it all depends on which stations are currently hiring, how many people have applied to the station, how high you are on “the list” after your interviews with BCAS, etc etc. So it’s hard to say what your chances are, since it changes all the time. Although right now there are a lot of movement within the service so that’s a good thing as stations are hiring. So all in all, it’s not impossible to stay in Vancouver and still work part-time somewhere, just expect to jump in your vehicle and make a commute once or twice a month.
Thank you for the reply.
I wouldn’t mind living in the interior, as long as it would not be in some tiny village/town where I would receive very little training/exposure. If I end up realizing that para-medicine is for me, I would probably like to go straight in to ACP training, which would mean I would have to live in either Victoria, Vancouver, or Kamloops/Kelowna.
Thanks again; I’ve decided I will first do my EMR and then enrol in the PCP program at JIBC in 2012. Hopefully I’ve made the right decision.
ciao
Hi Vanja,
You’re welcome. I suppose you won’t know until you try
Good luck!
Hello.
Great Blog! What are the most common types of calls that you respond to?
Please and thanks,
Chris.
Hi Chris,
It’s hard to say what’s most common as it does vary day to day and region to region. I suppose most calls are geriatric related calls, like falls etc. Some days it’s chest pain or SOB, other days it’s just alcohol related. There are definitely more medical calls than trauma calls overall. Also a lot of the times the calls require us to be more of a counsellor than anything else.
Hope that answers your question?
Hi.
First of all, great blog
Secondly I’d like to ask a question. I’m a student paramedic at uni in the UK at the moment graduating (hopefully) later this year. I’m really interested in becoming a paramedic in BC especially Vancouver. Looking at the BCAS site and forms it looks like the scope of practice for a UK paramedic is very very similar to ACP out there. I’m hoping to be able to convert but need to talk to the BCAS.
If I am able to convert, what is the likelihood of a) getting a job as an ACP and b) working writhing Vancouver itself or will I have to do rural jobs first?
Thanks
Mark
Hi Mark,
I highly suggest you talk to BC’s licensing board in regards to the transfer process. Although the scope is very similar I have heard some ACP paramedics transferring over from the UK to run into quite a few hurdles with the licensing board. http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/ema/get-licence/outside-of-canada.html
If you are at the ACP level, it shouldn’t be too difficult getting a full time job right away from what I’m hearing at the moment. At the ACP level, you will most likely be working in the city and not the rural areas as there are not very many ACP staffed stations in remote areas. If you have more questions contact BCAS HR, they will be able to give you better information than me. http://www.bcas.ca/EN/main/careers/900/employment-opportunities.html
Hope that helps and good luck!
Hi again. So it’s been a long year and I’m essentially hired!. I was the pcp from Ontario (second or third post up top) i have a spot in Summerland waiting for me. Now I’ve done ALOT of research on the whole deal. Now the make or breaker in this ordeal is ‘will I be able to survive with the part time hours’. How do you do it? Any tips? Any thing to expect? Everyone I’ve talked to here have said “stay home. It’s not worth it”. Realistically I isn’t by ANY means. but I really want to be out there. Worst case scenario is I come home with an empty savings.
Congrats on being hired Mik
Hmmmm summerland has 1675 calls a year based on 2005/2006 stats and has an Echo, Fox and Kilo shift. The call volume is decent comparable to Squamish (which isn’t bad).
On the Echo car you’ll be getting full time pay, the Fox will be a $10/hr pay on standby until you get a call out then you’ll get full pay and a Kilo is pager pay ($2/hr) until you get a call out. I’m not sure how your unit chief distributes the paramedics for which shift pattern (whether by seniority or not)…so that may be good to ask.
It is difficult “surviving” off part time hours depending on how many shifts you get and which shift pattern you get. For example, if you work mostly kilo at a low call volume station (<1000 calls a yr) then it's very very difficult. It's not so bad if you get the Echo though. Also after you finish your six months of probation, you can submit your shifts to busier stations like Kelowna so you can get spareboards and full time pay. Depending on how many spareboards there are, you can make a decent amount, but the income will vary month to month depending on whether you get called to work or not (basically a spareboard is a paramedic on call).
The real key to surviving is having a second stable part time job so you know you'll get a fixed amount of money and work as a paramedic on the side until you have enough seniority to move to a busier station.
I've never worked out of summerland, so I won't be able to tell you what the salary is like and how survivable it is if you just worked out of that station. It may be good to ask the UC there what it's like, or if s/he has contact with a medic that works out of that station.
So all in all, I don't have a fixed answer for you, but hopefully the information above will give you an idea.