T-minus 9 days for Alberta "take over"

[emtannie]

In response to some of tniuqs’s rant on April 2….

QUOTE (Alberta Gov't) "Ambulances that come into the city to drop off a patient from communities around the region can be utilized, he said."

QUOTE tniuqs: "What about the Rural areas ?"

Before provincialization, ambulances were at times underutilized. For example… a Medicine Hat unit brings a wait and return angioplasty patient into Calgary…. They are supposed to be there for 6 hours (and we all know, that usually turns into 10 hours)… so, they drop off their patient, and go shopping to the Med bookstore at Foothills, Chapters, 911 Supply, and anywhere else they feel like going, and get paid to waste time the rest of the day. Under the new structure, now that unit can be utilized to do other things in the city, like transfer a patient from Foothills to PLC, which would free up a city unit to respond to emergency calls.

Before provincialization, that same Medicine Hat unit would find out after waiting the 6 hours for the patient, that now the patient is going to be admitted, so they head home empty. Now, that unit could do a transfer of a patient to Drumheller, Strathmore, or Brooks, on their way back home, again leaving a Calgary unit available to handle emergency calls, and, making better use of resources for the trip back home.

I don’t have a problem with this part of provincialization. We have already been doing that in our area, and it is working. And, for those who have commented that the outside of city crews don’t know where they are going – we have been to all the hospitals – we are fully capable of getting a patient from one hospital to another. And any city EMS worker who says they know every street in the city is lying…. They depend on their maps and GPS too.

QUOTE (Alberta Gov't) "As they're moving around between regions and in and out of the city we can utilize those resources to respond if they're the closest ambulance to a call."

QUOTE tniuqs:

"So the question remains if an ALS crew leaves say Edson, will an ALS Spruce Grove crew be dispatched to Edson and an ALS crew from Edmonton dispatched to Spruce Grove ? That is "improved utilization coverage model " ... but this type of roving deployment is simply absurd, it has never worked in a City alone let alone in a Province to reduce response times unless it in non emergent calls. One would need to have MASSIVE resources to accomplish this concept in the first place and I predict that there's going to be ton of truck sitting and huge Over Time costs just returning crews to their Stations, ALONE !"

I don’t believe that will happen. There will not be roving deployment like that. We all agree that is just nonsense, and it won’t work… what will happen is the same as above… if a unit is in the area, they can be utilized to do the more non-emergent things, keeping the local crews more available for the emergent calls.

QUOTE (Alberta Gov't) "There have been criticisms that out-of-town ambulances and dispatchers will have trouble with unfamiliar addresses and landmarks, but Garland dismissed those suggestions."

This, I am incredibly nervous about – our current dispatchers can’t even get us to a location and don’t know our area…. And now that our southern Alberta dispatch is going to be out of Calgary, I can’t see that improving at all.

QUOTE (Alberta Gov't) "A team in the community. "I can see paramedics partnering up with other health-care providers like respiratory therapists, nurse practitioners so they are really a team going out into the community," said Joe Acker, who is in charge of EMS for the Edmonton region with Alberta Health Services."

Am I the only one noticing that in smaller communities, EMT’s and medics are now working “in the ER” which then means they also work on the active care ward, and the long term care ward, and are doing the work of LPN’s and RN’s now? Of course this makes sense in the dollars and cents world…. Medics are cheaper labour than RN’s are…

I like community education, I like to try to improve my community, and I think we need to do more to educate the community on the role of EMS.. but I didn’t get my education so that I could work in a long term care unit, feeding and bathing an alzheimers patient until my tones go, and I am already seeing that happen in smaller areas. If I wanted to be an LPN or a nurse, I would have become and LPN or a nurse.

I think our government is in for a big surprise when we do get our act together and (hopefully) form our own union like the UNA did… then we will have a voice.

[HellsBells]

Before provincialization, ambulances were at times underutilized. For example… a Medicine Hat unit brings a wait and return angioplasty patient into Calgary…. They are supposed to be there for 6 hours (and we all know, that usually turns into 10 hours)… so, they drop off their patient, and go shopping to the Med bookstore at Foothills, Chapters, 911 Supply, and anywhere else they feel like going, and get paid to waste time the rest of the day. Under the new structure, now that unit can be utilized to do other things in the city, like transfer a patient from Foothills to PLC, which would free up a city unit to respond to emergency calls.

Before provincialization, that same Medicine Hat unit would find out after waiting the 6 hours for the patient, that now the patient is going to be admitted, so they head home empty. Now, that unit could do a transfer of a patient to Drumheller, Strathmore, or Brooks, on their way back home, again leaving a Calgary unit available to handle emergency calls, and, making better use of resources for the trip back home.

I don’t have a problem with this part of provincialization. We have already been doing that in our area, and it is working. And, for those who have commented that the outside of city crews don’t know where they are going – we have been to all the hospitals – we are fully capable of getting a patient from one hospital to another. And any city EMS worker who says they know every street in the city is lying…. They depend on their maps and GPS too.

Working rural, I had this experience many times. My beef was our town is now understaffed, why don't we just go home, if the city hospital want the pt returned after 6 hours, they can just call the local transfer service. However, the boss never listened, apparently we were paid more if we waited, then took the patient back. I think that under provincialization it would be better to utilize my scenario.

[emtannie]

Working rural, I had this experience many times. My beef was our town is now understaffed, why don't we just go home, if the city hospital want the pt returned after 6 hours, they can just call the local transfer service. However, the boss never listened, apparently we were paid more if we waited, then took the patient back. I think that under provincialization it would be better to utilize my scenario.

Then you were understaffed regardless of how long your transfer took..... which means your boss wasn't truly providing the services that were promised to your community.

When we take a patient to Calgary, another crew gets called in to cover.... so our area is not understaffed - it has always been that way in my area, of at least the 12 years I have been here... so me being utilized to move a patient from one hospital to another while I am waiting in Calgary is a better use of resources, than having me sit at Chapters and having a coffee while I wait for my patient.

[FireMedic65]

Well? How bad are things?

[rock_shoes]

In response to some of tniuqs’s rant on April 2….

QUOTE (Alberta Gov't) "Ambulances that come into the city to drop off a patient from communities around the region can be utilized, he said."

QUOTE tniuqs: "What about the Rural areas ?"

Before provincialization, ambulances were at times underutilized. For example… a Medicine Hat unit brings a wait and return angioplasty patient into Calgary…. They are supposed to be there for 6 hours (and we all know, that usually turns into 10 hours)… so, they drop off their patient, and go shopping to the Med bookstore at Foothills, Chapters, 911 Supply, and anywhere else they feel like going, and get paid to waste time the rest of the day. Under the new structure, now that unit can be utilized to do other things in the city, like transfer a patient from Foothills to PLC, which would free up a city unit to respond to emergency calls.

Before provincialization, that same Medicine Hat unit would find out after waiting the 6 hours for the patient, that now the patient is going to be admitted, so they head home empty. Now, that unit could do a transfer of a patient to Drumheller, Strathmore, or Brooks, on their way back home, again leaving a Calgary unit available to handle emergency calls, and, making better use of resources for the trip back home.

I don’t have a problem with this part of provincialization. We have already been doing that in our area, and it is working. And, for those who have commented that the outside of city crews don’t know where they are going – we have been to all the hospitals – we are fully capable of getting a patient from one hospital to another. And any city EMS worker who says they know every street in the city is lying…. They depend on their maps and GPS too.

These are just a few of the positives that come with a provincial service. This is exactly why I will fight to keep a provincial service in BC despite the litany of problems we currently have. You'll here me complain about things like BCAS' dismal ALS coverage and our archaic licensing body but our basic deployment structure is a good thing when staffed appropriately. The provincial model has the potential to be superior in nearly every way but it also has the potential to turn into an impossible to manage nightmare. The results of which I'm living through right now.

Edited April 6, 2009 by rock_shoes

[albemt]

It's been done!

AHS Posting for Edmonton

Position: EMT: Ambulance Email This Job To A Friend

Apply For This Job Online

Posting #: BT-41980-CC

Type: RFT - Regular Full Time

Location: Community Sector (all clinics and care facilities)

City/Town: Edmonton

Date Posted: 2009-04-01

Closed Date: 2009-04-17

Hours of Work/Shift Pattern: As per the current CUPE Local 3671 Collective Agreement, averaging 84 hours bi-weekly.

Salary/Benefits: $20.93 - $26.54 hourly as per CUPE Local 3671 Collective Agreement

Responsibilities/Duties:

Duties:

Alberta Heatlth Services - EMS requires Emergency Medical Technicians to provide life support services. As a pre-hospital care professional, you will be a patient advocate who will effectively communicate and interact with community partners and other health care professionals to ensure safe and proficient patient care. Within a dynamic team, assigned to suburban and rural operations you will be part of an innovative ALS service delivery model including paramedic response units in combination with ALS and BLS transport units. To fulfill your responsibilities you will, safely operate emergency vehicles, respond to medical and traumatic emergencies and adhere to professional standards, medical control guidelines, standard operating procedures, polices and directives.

It looks like they based the wages off of Parkland Ambulances Old Collective Agreement. Plus it looks like there will be BLS 911 transport in the Edmonton Zone as well as ALS from now on.

Allthough the "Community Center" description in the location description makes me think that this might be their solution to IHAS's new wages that they don't like? Is this supposed to be the new IHAS?

If you click on the link at the bottom of this post from AHS it takes you to another site thats states that this is a Suburban Rural Operations. Meaning this is a posting for outside the Edmonton city or Metro Area. So I believe this will be for Parklands old area and then start adding in Medicares areas

[Canadian Caesar]

If you click on the link at the bottom of this post from AHS it takes you to another site thats states that this is a Suburban Rural Operations. Meaning this is a posting for outside the Edmonton city or Metro Area. So I believe this will be for Parklands old area and then start adding in Medicares areas

Well thanks for that info!

Leave it to me to be an idiot and miss that fairly obvious link at the bottom of the page. I feel Sheepish...

[fireflymedic]

Well thanks for that info!

Leave it to me to be an idiot and miss that fairly obvious link at the bottom of the page. I feel Sheepish...

That does it for me ! I'm moving to alberta ! You all pay well !

[tniuqs]

That does it for me ! I'm moving to alberta ! You all pay well !

Your Avatar does not say where you are from, a few suggestions to factor in, the down turn in economy, that rent for a 'fair' apartment runs ~ 1500 bucks, the cost of living in the Edmonton area is NOT cheap.

Then if your an American ... the CDN dollar is .79 to the USD, the Taxes in Alberta that I have roughly estimated minimum of 50 % of your earnings as your spending dollar get chewed up quietly by taxes one way or the other.

Then factor in the "transitioning phaze" that we are going through ... then the biggy ... is this as many other job advertizements realisticlly 30 positions posted only and it does not say where you will be working .. Parkland/ Redwater is not stated in the job application anywhere I saw and just could be there are already 35 people stepping in to those positions already (pre screened), just because there is a job posting does not mean that you could even be considered a viable candidate ... its just the government way here.

The grass always apears greener on the other side (an old saying) but very true.

All I am trying to say is pulling up roots before doing all YOUR homework (especially if you have to write exams, and your credencials are accepted at par? including the another biggy that being dealing with immigration laws, as the 40 pple I know that came to Alberta from other provinces alone ... and left broke and unhappy (thats just in the oilpatch sector alone this winter) the promises of glory and big bucks sounds good but in the end not the true reality.

1. - Copies of ITLS or PHTLS certification with expiry dates

- Current Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR - Healthcare Provider Registration with expiry date

2. Original Driver`s License Abstract with 6 or less demerits (dated within the last 6 moths)

3. Copy of ACP registration card

4. Copy of CPR certification (with expiry date)

5. Copy of valid Class 4 Alberta Operators License

Just guess what this tickets will cost you alone, and don't forget the waiting period to get an AB drivers class 4 all this ........ before you get a paycheck.

just saying

[fireflymedic]

Squint -

I'm happy to stay where I am in rural america. I am very content but I did live in canada (ontario) for 9 months and enjoyed it quite a bit. I had a job promised me if I wanted to stay, but obligations at home made me return to the states. I couldn't uproot everything I've built here to go somewhere else, especially right now, but its okay. Thanks for the info though and enjoy your overload of snow - I prefer my more temperate weather !