Canada Reciprocity

[sdiener]

Ok guys,

So I have National Registry, and a Bachelor's in Emergency Health Services.

Is it at all transferrable, or do I have to go back to school even further?

I know this is posted, but different tid bits are all over the place and I can't put it all together.

Sam

[medicmole]

Each province is different. In BC we have a process in place to recognize training in other provinces. I have never heard of applicants coming from other countries. I am attaching a link to our licensing agency so if you are interested you can contact them directly.

BC EMA Licensing

[Dustdevil]

Yes, you are going to have to narrow it down, because every province is different. However, with a degree and many years of experience, you should have a good shot in all the provinces, from my research. The process is different in every province, but each has a policy in place for such reciprocity. Just don't expect it to be quick, easy, or cheap. Especially in Alberta. It's a bureaucratic nightmare that will involve the licencing agency, Immigration Canada, and a specific employer who is willing to sponsor you. So no, you cannot just write away with your credentials, send them money, and expect reciprocity in the mail. And once you are granted permission to write their exams (which are given infrequently, unlike in the US where you can find one any day of the week), you are going to have to study your arse off to familiarise yourself with local laws/policies, procedures, and protocols that will be foreign to you. In some provinces you will literally have to go back to school for awhile in order to practise at the advanced level.

It's a long, tough, and expensive road, my friend. Certainly not one you will have the patience to drive on a whim. You'll need to be seriously motivated to move there and stay there long enough to make it worth your while to even consider it.

Give us more specifics about what you are looking for and somebody here will surely be able to help point you in the right direction.

Oh, and as always, minus 5 for posting in the wrong forum.

[EMT City Administrator]

Moved to correct forum.. be nice to the newbies..

[northernmedic]

Others have pretty much summed it up above. I would say that if you are coming to BC and have a national registry certification you will likely have a better chance of obtaining reciprocity. Probably the biggest hurdle to overcome will be the immigration issues itself. To be honest the easiest way would be to find a Canadian to marry.

The reciprocity generally works in Canada is as follows:

Paramedic schools are accredited by the Canadian Medical Association (if they aren't completed it yet they will in the near future). Accreditation is done according to the National Occupational Competency Profile for Paramedicine which lays out all the specific learning objective for each level of training and set minimums for skills you must perform in clinical and preceptorship. If you have graduated from a CMA accredited paramedic school it is much easier to move between provinces. If you haven't graduated from a CMA school then you basically have to go through the reciprocity process where all of the NOCP objectives are matched up with the ones you went to school with to deem equivalency. This can be a long process. I only know of one American that has come to BC and tried to get equivalency and was denied so he went to the media and raised a big fuss. I do know however that several of my coworkers have attend training in the USA and obtained equivalency upon return therefore it is definitely possible.

If you have management experience and/or desires we often have management positions posted that don't require current licensure that pay well and have quite interesting and varied areas of work.

[mikethemedic]

Unless you are NREMT-P they will not reconzine your training