Saskatchewan "Old School" practitioners forced to upgrade or DIE!

[Arctickat]

I disagree.

I think they are demoting those hillbillies who are still harming and refusing to treat patients based on their 1976 2 week EMT course, and 30 years of repeating the same "scoop and scoot" bullshit transport on every patient.

1978, but who's going to grudge you over a couple of years. Granted, there are some lazy practitioners out there, but I've seen them at every level. The purpose of Continuing Medical Education is to enhance the foundation of training provided during that 1978 EMT course. Just because of one incompetent EMT you can't paint them all with the same brush. Besides, how many of those 1978 EMTs are actually still on the road?

There are some very very poor practitioners in rural Sk (and Ab) and I think this is a great step towards a "S**t or get off the pot" motivation pushing them back into the classroom to increase competency, or off the ambulance.

This move does nothing to motivate the lazy EMT who is already incompetent. All this does is place those EMTs into a designation where their incompetence doesn't also require the educational CME requirements that might be used to fix the problem.

Until you do a ALS intercept to a unconcious preggo with a C-collar upside down, and a NRB at 4lt, you may not understand

Did you do such an intercept? What did you do about it so this EMT didn't do the same thing again?

Bill:

BLS and ALS response is becoming a more and more ambuguous line here these days. With PCPs starting IVs, defibrillating, giving meds, using blind insertion airways, and more, it's a pretty blurred line. However, the EMRs are also permitted to continue to work EMS.

[rock_shoes]

BLS and ALS response is becoming a more and more ambuguous line here these days. With PCPs starting IVs, defibrillating, giving meds, using blind insertion airways, and more, it's a pretty blurred line. However, the EMRs are also permitted to continue to work EMS.

Most places in BC have PCPs with ACPs in larger centres. I imagine Saskatchewan is much the same.

A little clarification for our american colleagues, Canada essentially has intermediate level coverage for the majority of the population with ALS in larger centres and BLS (think EMT - in rural/remote areas.

Arctickat

Wouldn't the additional training you require to "un-lock" yourself typically be provided by your employer? Doesn't really help if you also happen to be the employer of course.

[Arctickat]

Rock:

Sask has been using ACPs/EMT-Ps in rural areas for over 20 years. They've been used as an enhancement for the purpose of critical interfacility transport and ALS intercepts for surrounding BLS level services if time permits.

The employer is not permitted to provide this education, it would have to be done through SIAST. Also, how fair is it for hundreds of EMTs to have show the initiative to partake in the bridge at their own expense only to have the lazy ones get the free ride?

[mobey]

I am sure you know I was not speaking about you Arctic. I can sense the sarcasm in your post

I will agree that tact is not SCoP's strongest areas, however, large bodies such as them paint with wide strokes, and I believe this is one of them.

Although it will cause some practitioners extra work and expence and it is not always fair, this is really just a demotion for the poor job performance crowd.

Leaders work hard and put in the extra effort to stay on top, as far as I am concerned the rest can be left in the dust on this one.

I base my opinion on multiple experiences. If you look west into other health districts I do believe you will find stations filled with these EMT's who cannot be bothered with competence. If you do not know it is a major problem, then that simply represents you are not exposed to it, not that it does not exist.

To answer your question about what I did: I reported it, the 2 practitioners were put on temporary suspension while it was investigated, They were so offended they quit. 4 weeks later the health region shut dwn thier service due to staff unavailability and all thier calls came to our station 1/2 hr away.

That was the last time I reported anyone in Sk. Just too fragile of a system. We are better off trying to teach from the inside.

[chbare]

Sounds somewhat similar to the intermediate-AEMT transition I recently completed. I paid the money, did the transition course, took national registry and completed the transition to the new level. Sometimes it sucks and it's not fair, but it is what it is. Good luck.

[rock_shoes]

Sask has been using ACPs/EMT-Ps in rural areas for over 20 years. They've been used as an enhancement for the purpose of critical interfacility transport and ALS intercepts for surrounding BLS level services if time permits.

Good to know. I wish BC would do the same. Only 20 years behind with certain things.

The employer is not permitted to provide this education, it would have to be done through SIAST. Also, how fair is it for hundreds of EMTs to have show the initiative to partake in the bridge at their own expense only to have the lazy ones get the free ride?

Guess my BC is showing. Everyone in BC working on an emergency ambulance is a BCAS employee. BCAS is responsible for providing any training necessary for license maintenance by contract.

[island emt]

Sounds somewhat similar to the intermediate-AEMT transition I recently completed. I paid the money, did the transition course, took national registry and completed the transition to the new level. Sometimes it sucks and it's not fair, but it is what it is. Good luck.

thats exactly what I was thinking Chris.

The old school intermediates that took the I-99 update and have many years/decades of practice , now have to "relearn" so we can have less ability and procedures have been removed from the scope of practice.

All of this in order to meet a commonality across the country.

[Quakefire]

Island while I do agree it sucks to have things taken out of your scope, having a common minimum level across the country is a great thing. In Canada we have the National Occupational Competency Profile from the Canadian Medical Association, which sets minimum training requirements as well as a nationally recognized training accreditation which now makes travelling between provinces to work much easier.

ArcticKat I dont know about SIAST being required to do all the training, so far as new protocols have been introduced services have been able to train their staff with materials approved by SCoP, so I think if they are going to upgrade all of the EMTs to PCP and EMT-Ps to ACP levels it will be pushed on to the services, no SIAST. I just dont think there will be enough people for SIAST to care

Edited September 9, 2012 by Quakefire

[Arctickat]

Quakefire, all current PCPs will be required to bridge up to the 2011 NOCPs or revert to EMR status. This training will include IV starts, additional pain meds, and more. This is beyond the ability of the employers to teach. Besides, SCoP has made it clear that it is no longer the responsibility of the employer to provide CME or protocol updates. That is the responsibility of the practitioner.

Edited September 9, 2012 by Arctickat

[cprted]

Quakefire, all current PCPs will be required to bridge up to the 2011 NOCPs or revert to EMR status. This training will include IV starts, additional pain meds, and more. This is beyond the ability of the employers to teach. Besides, SCoP has made it clear that it is no longer the responsibility of the employer to provide CME or protocol updates. That is the responsibility of the practitioner.

What additional pain meds are being considered for PCPs in Sask? In BC, all we have is Entonox.