NCM-SEP Med Tech career path

[BorderMedic]

Okay, so I am having trouble getting/finding a straight answer of what to expect course wise once done the PCP program and BMQ.

I am about half way done my PCP program and will be going to BMQ in September. But after that is seems to get a bit fuzzy. Some people are telling me I may go for my SQ, some say I go to Borden, some say I skip Borden cause I am taking the PCP program now and I go right into my 18 months of skills? Who or what would be a good resource to get this information?

I have searched this site and the web in general and have come up with nothing thus far, that doesn't mean the info isn't out there, just means I missed it. Are there any Med Tech SEP's from last year who could fill me in?

 

[old medic]

Should be SQ after BMQ.

There are serious employment limitations without it.

 

[BorderMedic]

Okay so that's part of the puzzle complete then.

 

[cn]

I am also finishing my PCP program this year and am in a very similar situation. 

According to talks with my ULO here, once you are done BMQ (as you wait before taking SQ, and possibly after depending on how long it takes to get on the course) you will be sent to CFHSS in Borden to bridge the gap between civvy and CF medicine (as I understand it, part of the OJT).  CFHSS will then decide when/where to go from there. 

That was passed down when we asked at our last briefing. 

 

[Cansky]

You will be required to attend CFHSTC(offical name Can. Forces Health Service Training Center) for your military clinical and field training as well as at some point you will require SQ training.  From there you'll get your first posting.  Don't expect any OJT during this period unless you have time to wait inbetween each course then its only if available positions.

 

[BorderMedic]

You will be required to attend CFHSTC(offical name Can. Forces Health Service Training Center) for your military clinical and field training

So is this the 16 weeks at Borden? which is normally followed by going to the JIBC? Which I assume we skip because we are already taking a PCP program?

 

[Cansky]

I will clarify this tomorrow from the school but my understanding is the 16 weeks in Borden is separate from the PCP course.  Normally you would do your courses in this order
1 BMQ
2 SQ
3 Borden clinical phase
4 PCP Chilliwack/Quebec
5 Borden field Phase.

Sep may be run differently however the clinical borden phase is more geared towards the military side of medicine something you will not get from any civilian program. 

 

[BorderMedic]

Thank you for taking the time to look into it, I figured at some point we would need to be shown the proper protocols that are to be used in the CF.

 

[PMedMoe]

You will be required to attend CFHSTC(offical name Can. Forces Health Services Training Center)

Perhaps they should change the sign out front.  :

 

[Cansky]

Border medic

I have spoken with the QL 3 cell here at the school.  After completion of your SEP PCP program you will be attending the SQ course then coming to Borden to do the in house QL 3 portion of your training.  This will include both a clinical and a field phase.  You will not have to go and do the PCP program as you have already done this.  After you have completed the time required here in Borden you will recieve your Posting assignment. 

Hope this clarifies this for you.

 

[BorderMedic]

It does indeed thank you, but since you have the resources available to you I wonder if you could answer me another question that has come up?

Do I only require the certificate from the PCP program I am studying in. Or do I require the licence from the province as well?

 

[canada94]

It does indeed thank you, but since you have the resources available to you I wonder if you could answer me another question that has come up?

Do I only require the certificate from the PCP program I am studying in. Or do I require the licence from the province as well?

In reference to a recruiter I just got off the phone with, a Diploma or a certificate by an Accredited Canadian College is what you need, in Ontario only;

Lambton, Durham and Cambrian are officially accredited according to the recruiter. I don't know where you are from I am just using that as an example.

This is only reference to a recruiter, I am not a member.

Mike

 

[mariomike]

In reference to a recruiter I just got off the phone with, a Diploma or a certificate by an Accredited Canadian College is what you need, in Ontario only;

Lambton, Durham and Cambrian are officially accredited according to the recruiter. I don't know where you are from I am just using that as an example.

This is only reference to a recruiter, I am not a member.

Mike

I would suggest Ontario SEP PCP program graduates take the MOHLTC AEMCA exam while it is still fresh in your mind:
1) Should you ever decide you wish to work as a PCP in Ontario, AEMCA is mandatory.
2) After QL5 you will be encouraged to take the exam.

Paramedic Association of Ontario:
"Upon completion of the college Primary Care Paramedic program, graduates are eligible to write the Advanced Emergency Medical Care Assistant (A-EMCA) examination. Candidates for the A-EMCA are offered 3 attempts to successfully pass (70% required) the exam before remedial training is required and may work for an ambulance service for up to 210 days while preparing."

ie: After 210 days, if a PCP does not pass AEMCA = s/he is off the road ( and out of a job ) as per The Ambulance Act of Ontario.
After AEMCA comes CPCRT:
http://www.torontoems.ca/main-site/pdf/CPCRT_2011_Info_Package.pdf

This is nothing new. EMCA became mandatory on 1 Aug, 1975 for all new hires after that date. The rest of us were "grand-fathered".

AEMCA is the exam Med Techs from across Canada challenge at Borden, Ontario, after successful completion of QL5:
"Reference A is a confirmation letter by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Emergency Health Services Branch, recognizing the CF QL5 Med Tech as meeting the PCP requirements to challenge the AEMCA exam, all QL5 Med Techs are encouraged to prepare for and write this exam with approval through their Chain of Command.  Upon successful completion of this exam, those Med Techs will have access to On-car opportunities to complete their MCSP in Ontario. Med Techs (M) who qualify are also eligible for the writing of the exam."
"It is anticipated that members from Quebec will sit the exam in Ottawa.  Members from outside Ontario/Quebec should write the exam in Borden as the Ministry has agreed to open up a new writing site for the CF and R&Q are available."

 

[BorderMedic]

I am from Ontario I am taking the PCP program in Winnipeg right now because of the limited seats in Ontario. I would agree that you should try and license after graduating while all is still fresh. Unfortunately sticking around to do so is not always an option, and I am not sure if that is something they would work around or not.

 

[mariomike]

I am from Ontario I am taking the PCP program in Winnipeg right now because of the limited seats in Ontario. I would agree that you should try and license after graduating while all is still fresh. Unfortunately sticking around to do so is not always an option, and I am not sure if that is something they would work around or not.

Nice to see that things are working out for you, Border Medic.

 

[BorderMedic]

Nice to see that things are working out for you, Border Medic.

Not out of the woods yet, but things are getting better. Still recovering from an injury and studying hard. Have about 6 more weeks of class to do then onto the clinicals and rideouts! always the fun part. I'll keep you posted.

 

[mariomike]

Not out of the woods yet, but things are getting better. Still recovering from an injury and studying hard. Have about 6 more weeks of class to do then onto the clinicals and rideouts! always the fun part. I'll keep you posted.

I hope you do, because I find it interesting. We did not have ride-outs. The city ( Metro ) just sent you to the old departmental academy for one month of in-service training. Much of it involved light and medium rescue, forcible entry, auto extrication. Other than leather work gloves for car wrecks, and sterile gloves for delivering babies, there was no PPE in those days. Then report to your station, shift, and an experienced partner. All three things were permanent, so that was good. It was especially important to have a permanent partner. We weren't trained in CPR back then. My biggest surprise was how busy it was, but you got used to it. You are right about the fun part. 
Car accidents that today would be minor, because of modern safety equipment, were often serious or fatal back then.

Of course, years of in-service Continuing Medical Education CME followed, and when the Humber College program started, they sent us there. Some senior management men were on my course. Real old school guys trying to keep up with the new and better educated competition. Lot's of funny stories like, "What do they think we are, a bunch of #$%^ing doctors!?"  This came after these same guys gave us a pep talk on "setting an example" to the college students! hahaha
Of course, few seemed to remember that these men were the pioneers of what is now a profession.

 

[BorderMedic]

It is rather fascinating how far EMS has come in such a short while, they are actually training a group of students at our academy from India. They started Monday, they were telling us that if they do dispatch an ambulance that the janitors from the hospital will actually drive it out grab the person, throw them in the back, and transport them back to the hospital. They have no real EMS system as of yet.

On a side note is the portion of the training at Borden the 16 week part? and then you get posted to a clinic to complete the 18 months of skills? and if this is the case when can you get posted to field ambulance? I was also wondering if anyone wanted to weigh in on field ambulance vs clinic for a medtech?

 

[mariomike]

It is rather fascinating how far EMS has come in such a short while, they are actually training a group of students at our academy from India. They started Monday, they were telling us that if they do dispatch an ambulance that the janitors from the hospital will actually drive it out grab the person, throw them in the back, and transport them back to the hospital. They have no real EMS system as of yet.

I am sure you will enjoy your preceptorship. It's an adrenalin rush working the streets for sure. But, it's also an honour to be trusted to help the families, in their homes, during difficult times.

Edit to add:
The Provincial Certification Course P.C.C. was established in 1968 by the Ontario Ministry of Health. It was a mandatory 160 hour program for all Ontario ambulance services. With the exception of Metro Toronto Department of Emergency Services, which operated its own school, this training took place at CFB Borden. It was not run by the CF, but it was a place where rations and quarters were available for services from all over the province.
On 1 Aug, 1975 P.C.C. was replaced by the mandatory 1,400 hour EMCA certificate program at the community colleges. EMCA developed into the two-year A-EMCA Diploma.
In Ontario, all paramedics are A-EMCA.

 

[CombatDoc]

On a side note is the portion of the training at Borden the 16 week part? and then you get posted to a clinic to complete the 18 months of skills? and if this is the case when can you get posted to field ambulance? I was also wondering if anyone wanted to weigh in on field ambulance vs clinic for a medtech?

I'll weigh in.  IMO, every medical trade should be posted to an Army base as their first posting which generally means a Fd Amb.  This allows them to learn the Army way of doing things, field craft,  soldier skills, etc, in addition to time in the medical clinic.  As much field time as possible, keeping in mind a reasonable sea:shore ratio.  Notice that I mention "in addition to time in the medical clinic", meaning those first few years should not be spent only folding canvas and DI'ing vehicles in the Fd Amb bays, nor should they be exclusively clinical. 

It is far easier for someone with some time in the Army to go to a Navy or Air Force environment, including overseas deployments, than vice versa.  After your first 3 years at a Fd Amb, then anywhere in Canada should be open.  I will now don my protective garments for the anticipated rebuttal. ;D