TRANSLATION NOTES:As soon as one job description is translated, it will appear on this site. The rest will still be in French. AMBULANCE TECHNICIANS

The Ambulance Technician is the first line health professionnal in situations involving medical, trauma, psychological and social emergencies. The special training, obtained at either CEGEP de Sainte-Foy in Quebec City or Collège Ahuntsic of Montréal, allows the Ambulance Technician to provide the basic care needed in relation to state of health of the patients.

First, the Ambulance Technician will evaluate the state of health of the patient, so he can be able to determine the true nature of the emergency in relation to the signs and symptoms present, the past medical history of the patient, and how the problem presented itself to the patient.

The Ambulance Technician will then stabilize the patient by chosing the most appropriate prehospital intervention protocol in regard to the health of the patient and the signs and symptoms he presents. Sometimes this stabilisation will include the immobilisation of the spine, cervical and lower, on specialy designed equipement for this purpose. Mastering these immobilisaton techniques is mandatory, because the slightest of error would have desastrous and permanent consequences for the patient. Another protocol the Ambulance Technicians uses is the Semi-Automatic External Defibrillator ( SAED ) protocol, on patients suffering from cardiac arrest.

With this machine, the Ambulance Technician is able to correct some lethal cardiac electrical dysfunctions by administring electrical counter-shocks pre-programmed by the SAED. As more and more citizens learn CPR, and that ambulances are equiped with SAED, the chances of surviving a cardiac arrest will increase, and more and more people will be able to lead a productive life in at home.

After stabilizing measures have been initiated, the Ambulance Techinician must transport the victim to the most appropriate hospital. For example, in the case of victims suffering from mmajor traumas, the Ambulance Technician will usually transport the victim to a hospital specialized in trauma care ( usually know as Trauma Centers), even if it prolongs the transport time and the distance to the trauma center. This is to allowed more specialized care to be given to the victim by the specialy trained trauma team, team that is not always available at the closest hospital.

The training of an Ambulance Technician is 840 hours long, over an 8 months period. It includes specialized training in:
-Basic Cardiac Life Support including the use of SAED
-Hazourdous Materials situations
-Prehospital traumatology
-Behavioural emergencies
-An overview of acute pediatric emergencies
-Mass casualty Incident triage

Further more, the student will need to do a minimum of120 hours on board of ambulances with a preceptor. This 120-hour field internship is divided as follows: 6 hours to brief the students on what is expected of them during this field internship, the field internship itself ( a minimum of 105 hours) , 6 hours for a mid-internship briefing ( to evaluate the progress of the student) and 3 hours for a post-internship briefing. In the event where the internship is not satisfactory, more internship will be scheduled for this particular student.

To be elligible for the training as an Ambulance Technician, the candidate must already have a High School Diploma ( or its equivalent) and have successfully completed courses in Physics, Chemistry and Biology. The candidate must also pass a medical examination, a psychological interview, and and complete the Ambulance Technician Physical Aptitude Test. The candidate must also have a valid drivers license with 4A driving class ( emergency vehicules), and present a negative verification certificate stating the candidate does not have a criminal past ( available to a police station near you!).

Being already trained in first aid, CPR, lifeguard or being a CPR or First Aid instructor is also an asset.

Any candidate who already has a professionnal prehospital training from a recognized institution outside Quebec, can do the challenging program, which includes a refresher class of around 70 hours, et qui est donné par le Collège Ahuntsic and CEGEP de Sainte-Foy. It is a bit expensive ( around 1680 for Ahunstic, and 1250 for Sainte-Foy), But it is faster than doing the full course. Unfortunately, the failure rate is a bit high, especially for EMCAs, mainly in trauma. PHTLS/BTLS is recommended BEFORE doing the challenge.

Classes and challenges are in FRENCH only. In Montreal, some ambulance internship preceptors are bilingual, but the match-ups are not made by the College.

Updated on the 02 January 1999