Emergency Medical Personnel
Emergency medical personnel provide pre-hospital emergency medical care to the sick and injured.
Toll Free 1-877-644-9992
Ambulance Attendant, Health Care Technologist, Medical Technologist, Paramedic, Paramedic Practitioner
In Canada, the federal government groups and organizes occupations based on a National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. This alis occupation may not reflect the entire NOC group it is part of. Data for the NOC group can apply across multiple occupations.
The NOC system is updated every 5 years to reflect changes in the labour market. Government forms and labour market data may group and refer to an occupation differently, depending on the system used. Here is how this occupation has been classified over time:
Starting | $30.32 |
---|---|
Overall | $34.24 |
Top | $37.50 |
Interest in compiling information to assess trauma victims, patients with respiratory diseases and stress, overdose and poisoning victims, industrial accident victims and other ill and injured individuals to determine emergency medical treatment
Interest in assisting patients by administering pre-hospital emergency care such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), oxygen, bandaging and splinting, and in assisting hospital personnel with medical treatments if necessary; may assist with triage of emergency patients
Interest in operating equipment in order to establish and maintain intravenous treatment (IV), apply adjunctive equipment for ventilation and circulatory complications, administer medications and provide other advanced emergency treatment to patients; and in maintaining ambulances and emergency care equipment and supplies
The interest code helps you figure out if you’d like to work in a particular occupation.
It’s based on the Canadian Work Preference Inventory (CWPI), which measures 5 occupational interests: Directive, Innovative, Methodical, Objective and Social.
Each set of 3 interest codes is listed in order of importance.
A code in capital letters means it’s a strong fit for the occupation.
A code in all lowercase letters means the fit is weaker.
In Alberta, there are three tiers of emergency medical personnel:
Personnel in all three tiers:
In addition, EMTs may:
EMT-Ps may perform the duties of EMTs and administer advanced pre-hospital emergency care:
This work is physically demanding. Emergency medical personnel are required to lift loads weighing well over 20 kilograms (for example, patients on stretchers). They must observe safety precautions to avoid injury when working with equipment and exposure to potentially hazardous biological agents.
Emergency medical personnel work both indoors and outdoors, often in stressful circumstances, and may work in extreme weather conditions. They may work full time, part time or as volunteers. Those employed full time or part time work shifts that include evenings, weekends and holidays. They may work 8, 10, 12,14 or 24 hour shifts.
Emergency medical personnel need the following characteristics:
Paramedics also need manual dexterity to administer advanced pre-hospital emergency care.
All emergency medical personnel should enjoy compiling information to assess injuries and illness, having clear rules and organized methods for administering pre-hospital care, and operating medical equipment.
EMR training programs are designed for people who want to enter the pre-hospital care industry or who already provide emergency services (for example, fire fighters and police officers).
EMR, EMT and EMT-P training programs are offered by public colleges, private schools and other organizations. A current list of approved programs is posted on the Alberta College of Paramedics website. In general, applicants must be at least 18 years of age and have obtained a Standard First Aid certificate and CPR certification at the Basic Rescuer Level (C) within the previous year.
In addition, applicants for EMT training must:
Applicants for EMT-P training must:
The following schools offer programs or courses that are related to this occupation but are not required to enter the field.
For a broad list of programs and courses that may be related to this occupation try searching using keywords.
Emergency medical personnel provide pre-hospital emergency medical care for the sick and injured.
Under Alberta's Health Disciplines Act and Emergency Medical Technicians Regulation, only registered members of the Alberta College of Paramedics (ACP) may call themselves an emergency medical responder, emergency medical technician or emergency medical technologist - paramedic. Registered members provide health services listed in the Regulation.
Registration requires successful completion of: (1) an approved program of studies and (2) an approved examination. For official, detailed information about registration requirements, visit the ACP website or contact the ACP.
Emergency medical personnel who are registered and in good standing with a regulatory organization elsewhere in Canada may be eligible for registration in Alberta if registered practitioners in the two jurisdictions have similar responsibilities and competencies. For more information, see "What if I am already certified in another province or territory?" and the Alberta regulatory authority (below).
To learn about certification for internationally educated emergency medical personnel, see Emergency Medical Personnel Registration Process.
Alberta College of Paramedics
Ellwood Office Park South
201-1003 Ellwood Road SW
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada T6X 0B3
Phone number: 780-449-3114
Toll-free phone number: 1-877-351-2267
Fax number: 780-417-6911
Website: abparamedics.com
EMRs work for provincial, private and industrial ambulance services. Some firefighters are qualified EMRs (for more information, see the Firefighter occupational profile). Advancement to the second and third tiers of Alberta's system of emergency medical services requires additional training.
EMTs work for ambulance services and related industrial and emergency services.
EMT-Ps are employed in emergency service departments, ambulance services and other health care related environments. Industries such as the oil and gas industry may employ EMT-Ps to provide emergency medical aid on large job sites. With additional education, EMT-Ps may move into related health care occupations.
All three tiers of emergency medical personnel are included in the larger 2011 National Occupational Classification 3234: Ambulance attendants and other paramedical occupations. In Alberta, 78% of people employed in this classification work in the Health Care and Social Assistance (PDF) industry.
The employment outlook in this occupation will be influenced by a wide variety of factors including:
Over 3,900 Albertans are employed in the Ambulance attendants and other paramedical occupations occupational group. This group is expected to have an above-average annual growth of 3.4% from 2016 to 2020. As a result, 133 new positions are forecast to be created each year, in addition to job openings created by employment turnover. Note: As emergency medical personnel form only a part of this larger occupational group, only some of these newly created positions will be for emergency medical personnel.
Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next few years.
Salaries for emergency medical personnel vary greatly depending on location (for example, rural or urban setting) and type of employer (for example, private company, regional health authority, fire department).
For information about current collective agreements in the public and not-for-profit sectors, see the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) website.
Wages* | Low (5th percentile) | High (95th percentile) | Average | Median |
---|---|---|---|---|
Starting | $20.00 | $49.00 | $30.32 | $27.25 |
Overall | $20.50 | $49.00 | $34.24 | $32.03 |
Top | $21.25 | $49.83 | $37.50 | $35.00 |
Swipe left and right to view all data. Scroll left and right to view all data.
* All wage estimates are hourly except where otherwise indicated. Wages and salaries do not include overtime hours, tips, benefits, profit shares, bonuses (unrelated to production) and other forms of compensation.
Good Reliability, represents a CV of between 6.01% and 15.00% and/or fewer than 30 survey observations and/or if survey observations represent less than 50% of all estimated employment for the occupation.
Health Care & Social Assistance | $72,580 |
---|---|
ALL INDUSTRIES | $72,360 |
Alberta College of Paramedics (ACP) website: abparamedics.com
Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) website: www.hsaa.ca
Get information and referrals about career, education, and employment options from Alberta Supports.
Updated Mar 27, 2014. The information contained in this profile is current as of the dates shown. Salary, employment outlook, and educational program information may change without notice. It is advised that you confirm this information before making any career decisions.