The College must ensure that all paramedics in the province are registered before they can work in Alberta. To register, the College is also responsible for making sure every paramedic meets registration requirements (education, training, criminal record check, liability insurance, etc.) before they can practice in Alberta.

Once a paramedic is registered with the College, they are considered a regulated member. As regulated members, paramedics must follow the continuing competence program requirements and practice within the Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics (created by the College) in all professional and patient interactions. This ensures that all paramedic practitioners are held to the highest standard of practice when providing expert, quality care to Albertans.

The Alberta College of Paramedics regulates all three levels of paramedicine:

• Emergency Medical Responder (EMR)
• Primary Care Paramedic (PCP)
• Advanced Care Paramedic (ACP)

Some of the more administrative work the College is responsible for is to create the minimum requirements for education programs, and then to evaluate and either approve or reject approval for education programs offered in Alberta.

As part of the College’s requirement to establish and maintain a continuing competence program, the College and the Competence Committee will work with various educators, seminar providers and other organizations to ensure ongoing opportunities for professional development in the areas of continuing education and self-directed learning.

A critical component to the College’s work in ensuring patient safety and the ongoing accountability of members is to carry out the functions of the complaints process outlined in the Health Professions Act. This process is designed to ensure that the public have a method for expressing concerns about a regulated member’s actions, conduct or provision of treatment. As a regulated member of the College, the practitioner is required to participate in all complaint processes. Complaints against a regulated member are taken very seriously and serve to ensure the highest quality of care is upheld in Alberta.