This program trains individuals to become ambulance technicians.
Paramedics intervene with people of all ages and conditions who provide pre-hospital emergency care with a view to reducing morbidity and mortality. Their interventions consist of providing primary care of a medical, traumatic, or behavioural nature (often in combination). This care includes medical acts identified in the regulations on professional activities that may be performed as part of prehospital emergency care. Ambulance technicians are also qualified to respond to other situations such as disasters, fires, floods, incidents involving antisocial behaviour or other specific situations.
Within the framework of their interventions, ambulance technicians evaluate the clinical condition of patients and determine the action required to prevent the deterioration of the condition. As required, patients are then transported to the appropriate receiving centre.
As members of a team, ambulance technicians must have excellent communication skills, good judgment, initiative, empathy, composure, as well as the ability to react quickly and appropriately to various situations.
Note that the profession is currently reviewing the level of care that ambulance technicians are expected to provide, which will ultimately result in added responsibilities over the next few years. They will be required to provide increased evaluations of patients’ clinical condition and an increased level of care. Ambulance technicians will also become a more integral part of the Quebec health care network.
In order to meet these new requirements, ambulance technicians must demonstrate appropriate clinical judgment based on problem-solving skills and critical thinking. They must also develop a systemic view of patients’ clinical condition and demonstrate intellectual skills related to physiopathology, immunology and pharmacology.