There's a growing trend in the "medic alert" field...one that some in the pre-hospital and emergency medical system are finding hard to support...medical alert tattoos.
The EMS Chiefs of Canada (EMSCC) have issued a statement saying they do not promote the use of tattoos to provide medical information to Paramedics, and I agree with their position. The use of non-traditional abbreviations, the reliability of a tattoo to remain easily read and the fact that medical conditions often change and require additional or amended alerts makes me question the long-term dependability of this "medic alert" form.
The more conventional MedicAlert necklace or bracelet remains my preference when it comes to alerting Paramedics of important emergency medical conditions. Not only is it easily recognized, but it also provides valuable patient and provider support when needed most.
At the risk of sounding "old fashioned"...this is one aspect of health care where I'll take tradition over new-age trends.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Canadian Forces Recognizes Manitoba PCP Program
The Paramedicine - Primary Care Paramedic Program offered by Red River College is one of only two paramedic education programs in Canada to be recognized by the Canadian Forces. This means students enrolled in the RRC program who may be considering a career as a Canadian Forces medic are eligible for support to offset tuition, and are are able to receive advanced status as a Medical Technician upon graduation.
The Paramedic Association of Manitoba has long been an advocate for a health education model that better prepares graduates to assume greater responsibility for patient assessment and treatment and enables them to practice in a multi-disciplinary health environment. To validate that role and ensure credibility for graduates as they interact with other allied health professionals, PAM made recommendation in our White Paper that government support an education model for paramedics with strong affiliations to other health sciences programs.
The Canadian Forces recognition of the RRC PCP program speaks to the strength and credibility of this education model.
The Paramedic Association of Manitoba has long been an advocate for a health education model that better prepares graduates to assume greater responsibility for patient assessment and treatment and enables them to practice in a multi-disciplinary health environment. To validate that role and ensure credibility for graduates as they interact with other allied health professionals, PAM made recommendation in our White Paper that government support an education model for paramedics with strong affiliations to other health sciences programs.
The Canadian Forces recognition of the RRC PCP program speaks to the strength and credibility of this education model.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Province-wide Ambulance Service Model
British Columbia's Health Services Minister has announced plans to revamp that province's ambulance service model. British Columbia Ambulance Service will be transferred to the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA). The PHSA operates provincial health agencies and specialized services and programs (such as transplant and cancer agencies) that operate across the province. Although BCAS has operated as a provincial ambulance service for more than 30 years now, this move more closely aligns BC's pre-hospital services with the health care system.
In 2008, Alberta announced the amalgamation of ambulances services in that province under the single authority of Alberta Health Services (AHS). AHS is responsible for overseeing the planning and delivery of health services and supports across Alberta to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of publicly-funded health care.
In Manitoba, ambulance services are the responsibility of our 11 Regional Health Authorities. Although Manitoba’s ambulance and paramedic services have undergone significant growth and evolution over the past decade, regional differences in administration and operations have made it difficult to provide consistent, high quality prehospital emergency health care throughout Manitoba. Our system still lacks necessary efficiencies and accountabilities, and has widely variable levels of performance across the province. The most obvious solution would seem to lie in province-wide approach to delivering ambulance services.
The Regional Health Authorities of Manitoba (RHAM) is the corporate umbrella organization that serves Manitoba's 11 RHAs for the purpose of coordinating activities on a regional basis. RHAM exists "to foster the development of an efficient and effective interregional health care delivery system". Sounds very much like the roles of the Provincial Health Services Authority in BC and the AHS in Alberta.
An operating division such as EMS could be established within RHAM that would oversee the delivery of ambulance services across all regions, ensuring more coordinated and consistent service delivery while assuring the needs of the member RHAs are met. At the risk of oversimplifying this transition, it would be as easy as ensuring decisions related to EMS operations are made in the RHAM Boardroom rather than 11 different boardrooms across the province. Further evolution would undoubtedly unfold from there.
I think it's time for Manitoba to follow suit and give serious consideration to a province-wide ambulance service model.
In 2008, Alberta announced the amalgamation of ambulances services in that province under the single authority of Alberta Health Services (AHS). AHS is responsible for overseeing the planning and delivery of health services and supports across Alberta to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of publicly-funded health care.
In Manitoba, ambulance services are the responsibility of our 11 Regional Health Authorities. Although Manitoba’s ambulance and paramedic services have undergone significant growth and evolution over the past decade, regional differences in administration and operations have made it difficult to provide consistent, high quality prehospital emergency health care throughout Manitoba. Our system still lacks necessary efficiencies and accountabilities, and has widely variable levels of performance across the province. The most obvious solution would seem to lie in province-wide approach to delivering ambulance services.
The Regional Health Authorities of Manitoba (RHAM) is the corporate umbrella organization that serves Manitoba's 11 RHAs for the purpose of coordinating activities on a regional basis. RHAM exists "to foster the development of an efficient and effective interregional health care delivery system". Sounds very much like the roles of the Provincial Health Services Authority in BC and the AHS in Alberta.
An operating division such as EMS could be established within RHAM that would oversee the delivery of ambulance services across all regions, ensuring more coordinated and consistent service delivery while assuring the needs of the member RHAs are met. At the risk of oversimplifying this transition, it would be as easy as ensuring decisions related to EMS operations are made in the RHAM Boardroom rather than 11 different boardrooms across the province. Further evolution would undoubtedly unfold from there.
I think it's time for Manitoba to follow suit and give serious consideration to a province-wide ambulance service model.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
So...What About PAC?
Last week the Federal Government announced a $1.2M grant would be awarded through the Alberta College of Paramedics applying on behalf of Paramedic Regulators across Canada. This funding is earmarked for a two year project to increase labour mobility within the profession and develop a foreign credential recognition process.
In the spring of 2008, the Paramedic Association of Canada invited regulators and representatives of Human Resources Canada to a meeting in Victoria to discuss labour mobility. During the two years prior to that, PAC had attempted to facilitate a review of the Paramedic Mutual Recognition Agreement developed in 2003, knowing that full labour mobility as outlined in the Agreement on Internal Trade had not been achieved. Unfortunately it took a no-nonsense deadline of April 2009 issued by the country’s Premiers to finally get regulators to the table. A plan was developed at that Victoria meeting that would see all provincial regulators begin discussions later in the year to achieve labour mobility compliance as mandated by their respective governments…a request from PAC that the association be included in those discussions was vetoed by two of the three regulators present at the time.
Subsequent to their further meetings related to labour mobility, the regulatory agencies deemed it would be beneficial to organize more formally in an effort to collaborate on other areas of common interest…professional titles, scope of practice, standardized examinations and foreign credentialing to name a few. This formed the basis for their federal funding application and the creation of the Canadian Organization of Paramedic Regulators.
Now…please humour me as we review some history…
The concept for development of the NOCP dates all the way back to 1993 and CSAP - the Canadian Society of Ambulance Personnel (predecessor to PAC). Both the idea and the association had their ups and downs, but in April of 1998 the project was resurrected, and for the next three years consensus meetings involving all paramedic stakeholders were held across the country. In June 2001, the PAC Board of Directors approved the National Occupational Competency Profiles for Paramedic Practitioners and the document was then accepted the Canadian Medical Association as the basis for accreditation of paramedic education programs.
At the 1996 Annual General Meeting of CSAP, President Doug Major suggested that “reciprocity will be driven by economic forces, NAFTA and the Agreement on Internal Trade”. In September of 2000, Canada’s paramedic regulators attempted but were unable to reach consensus on an agreement to address barriers to labour mobility within the profession. Following completion of the NOCP, PAC re-convened meetings of the regulators to identify issues that prevented ratification of the draft Mutual Recognition Agreement and to develop strategies to resolve these issues. As a result of that initiative, all participating provincial regulatory bodies agreed to sign the “Agreement on Labour Mobility for Paramedics in Canada”. This document used the NOCP as the basis for paramedic labour mobility. Despite completion of the Paramedic MRA in 2003, it remained difficult to achieve true labour mobility for the profession as intended by the AIT. As alluded to earlier, PAC attempted unsuccessfully to re-convene discussions through the profession’s federal labour mobility coordinator.
In 2007, PAC initiated a process to review and update the Competency Profiles. Recognizing the difficulty and expense associated with assembling stakeholder consensus meetings across the country as had been done in the initial development of the NOCP, PAC established a review committee with invited representation from all major stakeholder groups…employers, educators, regulators, physicians and practitioners. Further consultation was affected using two electronic national stakeholder surveys to validate the proposed profile revisions as PAC prepared to present a revised competency profile to its Board of Directors for consideration in the spring of 2010.
And that brings us to today…
Professional regulators have a legislated responsibility for public protection, and as such the mandate to ensure competence, control practice and set regulatory standards. They are also obligated, both morally and legislatively, to ensure labour mobility within their profession. These concepts are not new and in fact ones that PAC has supported and helped realize over the years in the past absence of a formal national regulator group.
The Paramedic Association of Canada is a membership-based organization accountable to its members, and while development of the profession is at the forefront of PAC, it has always been sought through the promotion of quality and professional patient care. The association has been a nexus for consensus building amongst stakeholders, working to develop relationships consistent with providing excellence in emergency medical services health care.
I commend the regulators on their initiative to construct a more formal organization to address interprovincial scopes of practice and further the concept of a national exam. I applaud their successful bid to obtain funding for work in areas of professional development. But I’m both surprised and disappointed by the “less than lukewarm reception” that this newly formed entity has shown to PAC. Despite a long history of provincial regulators encouraging PAC in the development of the NOCP; despite the resulting regulatory and professional benefits afforded paramedicine through program accreditation with the Canadian Medical Association; despite PAC’s past efforts and successes to facilitate labour mobility; despite PAC’s long standing vision to establish a national exam and a national registry; despite the association’s work to further research in EMS…members of the newly formed Canadian Organization of Paramedic Regulators now question PAC’s ongoing role in these areas of professional responsibility.
PAC has been working with representatives of the national regulators group in an effort to find common ground for the revision and maintenance of the National Occupational Competency Profiles. But I perceive great reluctance on the part of some regulators to acknowledge PAC as a significant and relevant stakeholder; past, present or future. And last week’s funding announcement making reference to the development of a “standard of competence for each of the four levels of practice of paramedicine” (EMR, PCP, ACP, CCP) has only served to further that perception.
In the spring of 2008, the Paramedic Association of Canada invited regulators and representatives of Human Resources Canada to a meeting in Victoria to discuss labour mobility. During the two years prior to that, PAC had attempted to facilitate a review of the Paramedic Mutual Recognition Agreement developed in 2003, knowing that full labour mobility as outlined in the Agreement on Internal Trade had not been achieved. Unfortunately it took a no-nonsense deadline of April 2009 issued by the country’s Premiers to finally get regulators to the table. A plan was developed at that Victoria meeting that would see all provincial regulators begin discussions later in the year to achieve labour mobility compliance as mandated by their respective governments…a request from PAC that the association be included in those discussions was vetoed by two of the three regulators present at the time.
Subsequent to their further meetings related to labour mobility, the regulatory agencies deemed it would be beneficial to organize more formally in an effort to collaborate on other areas of common interest…professional titles, scope of practice, standardized examinations and foreign credentialing to name a few. This formed the basis for their federal funding application and the creation of the Canadian Organization of Paramedic Regulators.
Now…please humour me as we review some history…
The concept for development of the NOCP dates all the way back to 1993 and CSAP - the Canadian Society of Ambulance Personnel (predecessor to PAC). Both the idea and the association had their ups and downs, but in April of 1998 the project was resurrected, and for the next three years consensus meetings involving all paramedic stakeholders were held across the country. In June 2001, the PAC Board of Directors approved the National Occupational Competency Profiles for Paramedic Practitioners and the document was then accepted the Canadian Medical Association as the basis for accreditation of paramedic education programs.
At the 1996 Annual General Meeting of CSAP, President Doug Major suggested that “reciprocity will be driven by economic forces, NAFTA and the Agreement on Internal Trade”. In September of 2000, Canada’s paramedic regulators attempted but were unable to reach consensus on an agreement to address barriers to labour mobility within the profession. Following completion of the NOCP, PAC re-convened meetings of the regulators to identify issues that prevented ratification of the draft Mutual Recognition Agreement and to develop strategies to resolve these issues. As a result of that initiative, all participating provincial regulatory bodies agreed to sign the “Agreement on Labour Mobility for Paramedics in Canada”. This document used the NOCP as the basis for paramedic labour mobility. Despite completion of the Paramedic MRA in 2003, it remained difficult to achieve true labour mobility for the profession as intended by the AIT. As alluded to earlier, PAC attempted unsuccessfully to re-convene discussions through the profession’s federal labour mobility coordinator.
In 2007, PAC initiated a process to review and update the Competency Profiles. Recognizing the difficulty and expense associated with assembling stakeholder consensus meetings across the country as had been done in the initial development of the NOCP, PAC established a review committee with invited representation from all major stakeholder groups…employers, educators, regulators, physicians and practitioners. Further consultation was affected using two electronic national stakeholder surveys to validate the proposed profile revisions as PAC prepared to present a revised competency profile to its Board of Directors for consideration in the spring of 2010.
And that brings us to today…
Professional regulators have a legislated responsibility for public protection, and as such the mandate to ensure competence, control practice and set regulatory standards. They are also obligated, both morally and legislatively, to ensure labour mobility within their profession. These concepts are not new and in fact ones that PAC has supported and helped realize over the years in the past absence of a formal national regulator group.
The Paramedic Association of Canada is a membership-based organization accountable to its members, and while development of the profession is at the forefront of PAC, it has always been sought through the promotion of quality and professional patient care. The association has been a nexus for consensus building amongst stakeholders, working to develop relationships consistent with providing excellence in emergency medical services health care.
I commend the regulators on their initiative to construct a more formal organization to address interprovincial scopes of practice and further the concept of a national exam. I applaud their successful bid to obtain funding for work in areas of professional development. But I’m both surprised and disappointed by the “less than lukewarm reception” that this newly formed entity has shown to PAC. Despite a long history of provincial regulators encouraging PAC in the development of the NOCP; despite the resulting regulatory and professional benefits afforded paramedicine through program accreditation with the Canadian Medical Association; despite PAC’s past efforts and successes to facilitate labour mobility; despite PAC’s long standing vision to establish a national exam and a national registry; despite the association’s work to further research in EMS…members of the newly formed Canadian Organization of Paramedic Regulators now question PAC’s ongoing role in these areas of professional responsibility.
PAC has been working with representatives of the national regulators group in an effort to find common ground for the revision and maintenance of the National Occupational Competency Profiles. But I perceive great reluctance on the part of some regulators to acknowledge PAC as a significant and relevant stakeholder; past, present or future. And last week’s funding announcement making reference to the development of a “standard of competence for each of the four levels of practice of paramedicine” (EMR, PCP, ACP, CCP) has only served to further that perception.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Devastation in Haiti
Catastrophic...overwhelming...heart-wrenching...just a few of the many descriptors that have been used to portray the earthquake and it's incredulous aftermath in Haiti. As the death toll from last Tuesday's disaster rises and the pictures from "ground zero" continue to headline every news cast we see, I can't help but think that the desire to be of assistance in some way haunts most everyone involved in emergency services. By the very nature of our personalities, I think most of us would rather be directly involved in some form of hands-on rescue or aid effort than have to watch from thousands of miles away.
Millions are affected. Over 100,000 known or presumed dead already. Tens of thousands injured. And an unthinkable number of people still missing or unaccounted for, including as many as 1400 Canadians. I have received numerous calls and emails from Paramedics across Manitoba asking how they can help. The Paramedic Association of Manitoba has offered to assist aid agencies with the distribution of information related to volunteer aid and medical relief efforts. We've contacted our Provincial Government and advised them we are prepared to assist in any way possible with efforts that might be coordinated or facilitated here in Manitoba. But while most of us will never have the opportunity to subdue any adrenaline rush by traveling to Haiti to lend a hand in person, we can all help by making a donation that will assist with medical and relief efforts in the days, weeks and months to come.
The Paramedic Association of Manitoba is encouraging all Paramedics to donate to the PAM Haiti Relief Fund. Cheques or money orders made payable to the Red Cross can be mailed to or dropped off at our office in Winnipeg, cash donations can be accepted by any PAM Executive member, or you can donate using the PayPal link on the PAM web site. We'll continue to collect donations until February 10th so all contributions will qualify for the matching donation commitment recently announced by the Federal Government.
Millions are affected. Over 100,000 known or presumed dead already. Tens of thousands injured. And an unthinkable number of people still missing or unaccounted for, including as many as 1400 Canadians. I have received numerous calls and emails from Paramedics across Manitoba asking how they can help. The Paramedic Association of Manitoba has offered to assist aid agencies with the distribution of information related to volunteer aid and medical relief efforts. We've contacted our Provincial Government and advised them we are prepared to assist in any way possible with efforts that might be coordinated or facilitated here in Manitoba. But while most of us will never have the opportunity to subdue any adrenaline rush by traveling to Haiti to lend a hand in person, we can all help by making a donation that will assist with medical and relief efforts in the days, weeks and months to come.
The Paramedic Association of Manitoba is encouraging all Paramedics to donate to the PAM Haiti Relief Fund. Cheques or money orders made payable to the Red Cross can be mailed to or dropped off at our office in Winnipeg, cash donations can be accepted by any PAM Executive member, or you can donate using the PayPal link on the PAM web site. We'll continue to collect donations until February 10th so all contributions will qualify for the matching donation commitment recently announced by the Federal Government.
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