Hello everyone! Time sure is flying as we are already two months into the 2024/2025 registration year and the end of the calendar year is quickly approaching. I hope over this next month you get some time to relax and enjoy the holiday season with loved ones.
I’m happy to share some exciting regulatory updates with you today. In January of last year, the Alberta Emergency Medical Services Provincial Advisory Committee (AEPAC) provided recommendations to the Minister of Health with ways to improve and reduce stress on the EMS systems. Since then, the College has been working with multiple stakeholders to find ways to meet some of these recommendations.
One of the recommendations that we were tasked with was to address the shortage of available preceptorships, which for some time now has been a hinderance to increasing the number of new graduates entering the profession. While there are a variety of factors that might help address the shortage of preceptors, the College recognizes that we can play a role to better incentivize current members to take on a student, and to that end, precepting has now been approved for Continuing Education (CE) credits.
The Competence Committee has approved the following CE credits:
- Precepting ACP students: 20 credits per student
- Precepting PCP students: 10 credits per student
We previously granted Self-Directed (SD) credits for precepting with a 30-credit maximum. We hope this adjustment encourages regulated members who want to precept students but don’t have the time to meet all their regulatory requirements to take on a student or two. We also feel positive that this will lift some stress off the education providers at trying to find available practicum placements by creating more access.
We recognize that this change in and of itself is not the final solution to the shortage of preceptors. We will continue to work on other initiatives that may further address this critical issue.
The second update I would like to share is about the new education curriculum. As we have previously mentioned, the College has been working with educational stakeholders to create a new curriculum ‘template’ for all designations that will align with the Canadian Organization of Paramedic Regulators’ (COPR) new competency framework as well as the work being done by the Paramedic Association of Canada (PAC). We have been sharing updates on the ongoing project as they are available and today, I am excited to share a brief outline of what the ‘template’ looks like.
It will come as no surprise that a degree program has been a long talked about and a sought-after change to our education design. Today, I can share that the new curriculum design will be built with the pathway to a degree in paramedicine as its objective.
Instead of three different programs for EMRs, PCPs and ACPs, each being layered on top of the other, the new education template will be built as a single four-year program with different exit points for each designation over the four years. This would be consistent with the nursing degree structure and would create a more unified education delivery across the province. It will also ensure that many of the courses within this new curriculum will align with other health care professions and be transferrable to other degree programs.
Additionally, we are designing this to ensure that existing members have access to step into the new program should they wish to attain the new credentials. And finally, we will be introducing an outline for a Critical Care paramedic program, which will be offered as a post credential certificate program.
Although the outline has been created for a restructured educational curriculum, the work is still just beginning. We know with announcements like these, they may raise more questions than answers. We will be sure to provide updates as they become available so that members understand the impact on them in terms of having existing education recognized and how to plan for future advancement in the profession.
In closing, I am proud of these major regulatory updates. These are positive steps forward for the profession on both a provincial and national level and the work we are doing in Alberta is serving as a template for other jurisdictions. As always, we are here if you have any questions or concerns.
I wish all of you a wonderful holiday season and I look forward to what the new year brings.
Stay safe and take care,
Tim A. Ford, ACP
Registrar