sl91 Posted October 17, 2012 Posted October 17, 2012 Hey everyone, I have a question in regards to the title. I plan on going to college in Ontario in September 2013 so that means I have a few months before I choose which school I will be going to. I have done a lot of research, visited a lot of schools and spoke to a few paramedics and I am getting a lot of mixed messages around the topic of accreditation. There are only 6 schools in Ontario for PCP with it and some people say it is not going to make a difference in regards to getting hired. Other have said that they didn't go to a school with accreditation and it was their biggest mistake. Can anyone help make things a tad more clear? I have applied to: Conestoga, St Clair, Centennial, Humber and Fanshawe. Only one of those is accredited. I am willing to apply to more schools based on the answers. Thank you all very much!!
BEorP Posted October 18, 2012 Posted October 18, 2012 Welcome to the forums! I assume you are referring to CMA accreditation? We could have a long discussion about this, but I'll give you my quick answer: it doesn't matter. If you are applying to work in Ontario, it will make absolutely no difference whether the school had CMA accreditation (since all are accredited by the Ministry of Health, which is what really matters). If you are forced to leave the province to find work, it may make the transition easier, but it is certainly possible to become certified in other provinces after graduation from a non-CMA accredited program. From the list you have there, I'd say that most of those have good reputations and will prepare you well to be a good paramedic. If you want more specific thoughts on some of those programs, send me a PM. Good luck!
rock_shoes Posted October 18, 2012 Posted October 18, 2012 If you plan on staying in Ontario all that matters is that the program be accredited by your regulatory body. If you want the option of working in other provinces I strongly advise you to choose a CMA accredited program. It really is that simple. Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk 2
Arctickat Posted October 18, 2012 Posted October 18, 2012 (edited) My experience doesn't involve Ontario, but in Sask if the program isn't accredited by the CMA you would be required to apply for a PLAR (Prior Learning Assessment Recognition) from an accredited school before you can be registered in the Province. The CMA website has a list of accredited programs here: http://www.cma.ca/in...la_id=1#PARA-ON Edit: Oh, and welcome to the forums. Hope you stick around and participate after you get the answer to your question here. Edited October 18, 2012 by Arctickat
cprted Posted October 18, 2012 Posted October 18, 2012 Like others have said, accreditation only matters if you're planning to apply for a PCP license outside of Ontario. It will make no difference to the licensing process in Ontario or getting hired within Ontario.
Curiosity Posted October 18, 2012 Posted October 18, 2012 I've heard nothing but great thing about the Humber pcp program from employers and students alike. You also have the advantage of precepting in some busy services which will give you some great exposure to all types of calls.
Diptherious Posted October 18, 2012 Posted October 18, 2012 (edited) Hey sl91, I've just recently graduated and been employed at a paramedic service in Ontario so I've got some insight for you. Like others are saying if you intend to stay in Ontario, accredation isn't that big a deal and makes no noticable difference in the hiring process. You should look into the class sizes and course options at each of the colleges to see which one is for you. The main piece of advice I would give to any prospective student is to go to school near and ride out with the service you want to work for. I wouldn't be surprised if someone comes and denies this, but paramedic services in ontario are incredibly shrewd and picky about who they hire (They can be when they have hundreds of people applying for a few spots). A lot of services play favourites and won't even invite you to their testing if you don't live/ride out in their area, plus I found there was favourtism based on what college you went to. Edited October 18, 2012 by Diptherious 1
Curiosity Posted October 18, 2012 Posted October 18, 2012 Being from Ontario, I have to agree with Diptherious. Ontario services are very picky and you have a huge advantage if you ride out in the service you will be applying for.
BEorP Posted October 19, 2012 Posted October 19, 2012 I agree with this in general as well (though I am one of the paramedics who did not go work where I rode out and went to school). Certainly, this should be a big factor in deciding which college you go to if the choices are between the colleges that all have strong reputations (maybe even the biggest single factor). The only thing I would add is that I would suggest being careful not to allow this to push you to an inferior program just because of the geographic area. But if you're comparing two high quality programs and one is where you ultimately want to work, definitely go for that one.
sl91 Posted October 19, 2012 Author Posted October 19, 2012 This is all very helpful thank everyone so much!!
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