Program Overview

Paramedic – Advanced Care (graduate certificate)

Overview

A life is on the line. You could be the person who arrives on the scene with the necessary tools and knowledge needed to save a life. Becoming an advanced care paramedic will give you the training and certification you need to help the injured and care for the critically ill. Students are provided with 24/7 access to the lab and practice space to support their learning.

Intakes and Availability

Program Highlights

• Success Stories
• Resources

Admission Requirements

• Paramedic Ontario college diploma or equivalent
• OR
• Completion of an Accreditation Canada - accredited Primary Care Paramedic program
• AND
• Written evaluation/testing
• Attendance at a mandatory orientation session

Post-Admission Requirements

• CBC (no convictions) with Vulnerable Sector Screening
• Current Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation Basic Rescuer Certificate in CPR (Level HCP or BLS) (within one year)
• Current standard first aid (within three years) or AEMCA certificate
• Entry immunization form
• Freedom from communicable disease report

Tuition

• Year one domestic: $16,084 (CAD)

Semester 1 Courses

• Advanced Clinical Techniques (PARA 1100)
• Advanced Patient Management (PARA 1101)
• Practicum 1 (PARA 1102)
• Clinical Presentations (PATH 1100)
• Pharmacology (PHRM 1105)

Career Options

• Advanced care paramedic

Field Placement

• Practicum
• Eligibility
• Field Placement Documentation

Program Transfer, Degree Completion and Additional Credentials

• Ontario Tech University’s Bachelor of Allied Health Sciences
• Bachelor of Paramedicine - Charles Sturt University
• Bachelor of General Studies - Thompson Rivers University
• Bachelor of Health Science - Thompson Rivers University

Tech Requirements

• Processor: i3
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 256GB SSD
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Professional or Education x64 SP1
• Internet Browser: Internet Explorer 11 or Google Chrome (newest version) or Firefox (newest version)
• Network Adapter: 802.11ac 2.4/5 GHz wireless adapter
• Camera: Webcam/built-in camera
• Internet connection

Program Details

This program is designed for students with previous education. Please see the entrance requirements section of this page for more detail. If you are a current paramedic this program will give you the opportunity to obtain the skills and knowledge needed to gain employment as an advanced care paramedic.

Through a flexible delivery model, you will obtain the bulk of your classroom-based knowledge working within your own schedule. This includes the extensive critical thinking and decision-making skills required for additional training and certification in:

• Advanced airway management and electrical therapy
• Advanced monitoring and diagnostic skills
• Intravenous therapy and pharmacology
• Patient management

Instructional techniques are based on:

• A problem-based learning model
• An emphasis on research appraisal as an evidence base for patient care
• Classroom and laboratory activities
• Computer-assisted learning
• Extensive lab access during and after scheduled classroom hours
• A flexible delivery model that allows some courses to be taken in an online format
• Clinical and field placement components
• Individual and group study

The program is accredited by Accreditation Canada and Durham College was the first community college in Ontario to achieve this program status. The curriculum is also approved by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Emergency Health Services Branch.

Program Learning Outcomes

1. Interact professionally by adhering to provincial and federal legislation, and codes of conduct.
2. Collaborate with a broad range of health and emergency services professionals to deliver high quality patient‐centered care.
3. Ensure optimal patient care by using effective communication, collaboration, and leadership strategies to direct an interdisciplinary team.
4. Provide reports in compliance with legislation, regulations, standards, policies, and procedures to maintain complete and accurate records of patient care/intervention/treatment.
5. Critically analyze patient assessment findings by using theory and practice, while complying with legislation, regulations, standards, best practices and policies and procedures to produce a provisional diagnosis.
6. Adapt paramedic intervention and provide safe and optimal care through a continuous evaluation of patient condition and anticipation of responsiveness to interventions.
7. Justify an intervention plan by adhering to Advanced Care Planning (ACP) Medical Directives, best practices, evidence‐based medicine, and clinical findings.
8. Perform basic and advanced life support skills and controlled medical acts in accordance with established standards and Medical Directives.
9. Employ preventative and therapeutic interventions safely and in compliance with legislation, regulations, standards, policies, and procedures to promote optimal well‐being of the patient.
10. Employ strategies for self‐evaluation and improving proficiency in the practice of paramedicine.
11. Contribute to the local and global community by practicing social responsibility, economic awareness, and environmental stewardship, and engaging with others with cultural humility.

Costs

Post Admission and Field Placement Documentation

In order to maintain confidentiality and security, the program utilizes an independent provider, Verified by Synergy Gateway (Synergy) for documentation collection and validation. There is a cost associated with this external agency.

Paramedic - Advanced Care (graduate certificate) Year 1 Costs

Living Lab

The Living Lab at Durham College mimics a typical residential unit, allowing students to work through real-life scenarios that depict several challenges they will face in their future careers. Complete with obstacles to problem solve and work around, such as a living room, bedroom, kitchen, and laundry room, students learn to not only care for the patient, but to be mindful of their environment as well. In an emergency, a person’s life can depend on the decision making and the abilities of the paramedic to take swift action; the Living Lab ensures that the students are well prepared and confident to meet the demand of this challenging career head on. Students plan and try out what they learn in the lab and are able to apply the new knowledge to future situations. By going beyond the theory learned in class and learning by doing, students get first-hand experience of practicing what has been taught to retain the life-saving skills and knowledge necessary to succeed.