Question for Ontario Peel / Toronto EMS medics

[Ontariomedic]

Hey all, I have been reading the forums for a few months now and I've decided to ask a couple of questions that are concerning me.

Firstly I should give a little bit of background and introduce myself.

My passion in EMS started early in high school and by graduation I knew this is the only profession I would want to pursue. After high school I wasn't accepted into the program and decided to start upgrading some courses, and getting more background to help me get in. Unfortunately another year went by and I was not accepted again, so I decided to take a year of a pre-health general arts program, CPR & FA, BTLS, and started to pursue my F class, as well as volunteering in the ER at the local hospital. Finally I was accepted to almost all the schools I applied to this year and I'm a happy camper and will be attending Humber this September. I am extremely excited to finally be able to realize my dream of becoming a paramedic, and fall cant come soon enough

ok now onto what the post was originally intended for

First question, now this might be kinda meaningless because everyone says I will get used to it, but it is a concern of mine. The EMS agencies I would like to work for is either Peel or Toronto EMS, probably leaning more onto Toronto. My slight concern is the confusion of driving in the city. I'm still not all that used to it, as I the majority of my driving experience is from the suburbs where the streets are a grid opposed to a maze with all the one way streets I'm worried that while driving I would miss a turn or mess up in a similar way. So I'm wondering are the ambulances in these services equipped with navigation devices that have all the directions mapped out on a computer screen to drive to the scene and back to the hospital? I'm already trying to learn all the major streets so I wont have to rely on a computer but I would like to have it as a backup just in case.

Secondly and more importantly, I have heard in the past year that PCP's in southern Ontario are not in demand. Now I was wondering what does Peel or Toronto look for in hiring PCP's? I'm guessing A-EMCA scores, and the centralized paramedic testing, but I was wondering if they look for anything extra that I may be able to obtain from now until the time I graduate? any extra courses I can take or certifications so I give myself an extra edge over other graduates for the job.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post guys! and looking forward to being an active member in the EMS community

[MedicMal]

Congrats on getting into the program. I'm a newly graduated PCP- still looking for employment unfortunately.

Anyways to answer your question, I know Toronto uses GPS for navigation. I'm pretty sure Peel doesn't though. Like you've been told, it's something to get used to. I'm from Peel region so I'm fairly familiar with the area, however I have like no experience driving in Toronto, and I was worried about the same thing.

You're also right, the demand for PCPs is in a slump right now I was successful through the centralized process and had 6 interviews with GTA services, but I figure the interviews are what I messed up because I didn't get a job offer. I don't know if there is anything "extra" those services look for.

Good luck with everything,

MedicMal

[Dustdevil]

Congratulations! Your persistence and dedication have paid off and I am very happy for you. A great many wannabe's give up after their first rejection. They don't have the devotion, the drive, or sometimes even the intelligence to get through some upgrade classes. You have proven yourself worthy and I think you have a bright future if you keep that good attitude.

I've never been to Toronto in my life, but a big city is a big city, and I have worked in a couple of really big ones. I didn't know a thing about the streets of Dallas until I went to work there. And this was many, many years before GPS was invented. It's not really a problem at all. They are not going to stick to total rookies together in the first place, so there is not going to be a "blind leading the blind" situation. If you don't know the streets, your partner will at least know the major roads and can take you the rest of the way by map or GPS. The only time I ever encountered problems was after getting to a scene, trying to find my way out of a neighbourhood and back to a main road to get to the hospital while my partner was too busy with the patient to give me directions. When that sort of situation comes up, you simply ask him BEFORE you get behind the wheel how to get out of there. Ask a cop or fireman if you have to. No shame. It's not like medical info where they expect you to know it from day one. You will learn the major roads very quickly, and nobody knows all the roads. Not even the old vets. This would truly be the very last thing you should spend a single moment worrying about. It's simply not a big deal.

You are unfortunately correct about the PCP glut in Ontario. Toronto and most of the surrounding regions (including Peel, I believe) treat rookie PCP's like cattle. You're just a number. You turn in your application just like the other thousand people applying for the same job at the same time. You all take the same tests at the same time. Then those agencies get together and pick over the applications of those who score highest to decide who they want. Not everybody with a licence gets hired. Such is the situation in almost every metropolitan area in North America. There is a huge glut of entry level providers, so not everybody gets in. You're chances get exponentially better the farther away you get from TO.

As far as I know, the only way to really make yourself more attractive in the hiring process is the same things that would make you attractive anywhere else. That means scoring highest in the testing process and having superiour communications skills in the interview process. Politics will sometimes play a part in the process. You're going to Humber, which is a positive thing for the area you want to work in. Making contacts and friends in low places is always a plus, so never pass up the opportunity to meet people in the business. You never know where that may lead you. And becoming a part of the EMT City community -- with its large (and beautiful!) Canadian contingent -- is also a step in the right direction. Other than that, really, all newbie PCP's are alike. It's hard to stand out.

Welcome aboard, my friend. I wish you the best of luck!

[jw-c152]

There are muchos newly graduated paramedics and not too many jobs in the GTA right now. If you're willing to go north you may have a better chance of being hired.

The GTA services seem to go in cycles of lots of hiring for a couple years, then very little for a couple years. Perhaps by the time you graduate this will have cycled around again. When I graduated 3 years ago I had a full-time job offer with my service of choice and a part-time job offer with another. I took both, but now only work the full-time spot.

Don't worry about driving/direction issues at this point. Even if you have never ever driven Toronto streets you will quickly learn if you are hired there.

I wanted to work for TO when I first started school as well. Unfortunately at that time there were issues with Preceptoring and then SARS and other concerns, and the way Toronto treated us as students (after promising us this and that) turned me off working for them.

If you want to work TO or Peel, that's great, but go through college with an open mind about other services as well. There's a lot of great ones out there. If you're looking at wages, Toronto and Durham are pretty much the highest right now, but the others may catch up by the time you graduate.

Have fun in college, good luck. Maybe see ya on the road in a couple of years.

later.

[BEorP]

It seems like the thing that new PCPs in Ontario will need to keep in mind as we graduate is that although we each have our ideal service to work for, a job is a job and we're not paid on commission.

[vs-eh?]

I work for Toronto...

All vehicles are now equiped with a MobiCAD system. Basically it is a tablet based computer, it is a map that shows you where the call is and stuff. Also gives you call details, history of address, etc...When going to the hospital, it also shows you that as well. I wouldn't worry too much about the driving thing. Downtown can be tough I guess if you aren't used to it, but outside of that it is still a pretty standard "grid" system. Once you work in a quadrant for a while you get used to it and are often lost in other areas of the city North vs. South, West vs. East...East of Yonge and North of Eglington I start to get lost

GTA services now use centralized testing for hiring. Kinda shitty, in that if you have a bad day on one of the multiple testing rounds, you basically loose your shot at a job in the GTA for a year. A-EMCA scores are not used in the hiring process as far as I know, because remember you can work for 270? days prior to getting your AEMCA.

But you're getting ahead of yourself. Do well in school, graduate, then start worrying about getting hired.

[Ontariomedic]

Thanks guys for the answers and the advice,

Its reassuring to know that Toronto does use a navigation device for sure, but yeah for now I should just focus on the content and do as well as I possibly can in the program.

Hopefully in 2 years Toronto will be on a hiring binge and I wont have to worry too much about being unemployed. Going to keep my fingers crossed.

Again thanks guys for the input! its very much appreciated.

[jdmedic]

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Apply to other areas as well. Chances of getting hired in the TO area right out of school are slim to none. Work up north or in a small community, even if only for a year. That experience alone will get you miles ahead of anyone right out of school. I know many people that have worked a year or 2 in the north right out of college, and that experience landed them FULL TIME PERMANENT jobs in Barrie, Toronto, Durham, Niagra, peel, and ottawa.

cheers