PAC Reviews NOCP

I'm just back from Paramedic Association of Canada (PAC) meetings in Victoria, BC. On the agenda was the National Occupational Competency Profile (NOCP) Review and moving forward with selection of a Registrar for the Association.

PAC received seven applications for the Registrar position posted nationally just prior to our AGM held in Winnipeg earlier this year. As Chairman of the PAC Board of Directors I was tasked with putting together a selection committee to review the applications and make a recommendation to our National Executive for consideration. The list of interested applicants was reviewed again this week in Victoria, and interviews will be conducted in early December. I would expect that PAC will be in a position to introduce our national Registrar very early in the New Year.

When the NOCPs were adopted in June of 2001, the expectation was that they'd need to be reviewed within a five year time-frame. Consistent with that expectation, the PAC Board initiated a two year review process in 2006, anticipating that any changes to the profiles would be given due consideration by the Board in early 2008. PAC has been collaborating with stakeholders across the country for the past 16 months and met late last week in Victoria to review much of that information.

The committee reviewing the Competency Profiles consists not only of PAC members, but includes representation from the EMS Chiefs of Canada, the Society for Prehospital Educators in Canada (SPEC), the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians and EMS regulators. PAC has contracted Dr. David Cane, the consultant used by PAC during the initial development of the Profiles, to coordinate and facilitate the review process.

The Victoria meetings were very constructive, with all members of the review committee recognizing the importance of the Profiles and the need to ensure they continue to represent the evolving needs of the profession in our role as health care practitioners. There was considerable discussion around the performance environments associated with the Profiles (academic, simulated, clinical and precepted) and difficulties in obtaining some competencies in certain settings. But I saw a genuine recognition from everyone around the table that nothing should be done simply to make it easier for students to complete a program...there was unanimity by all stakeholders that change had to be constructive and not "water down" the end product. While it will most likely be another couple of months before a draft document is available for stakeholders to "critique", it will undoubtedly be representative of the fluidity of our job and the growing needs of our health care system.