Patient care at the advanced level requires extended skill and knowledge sets both in assessment and management.  This course provides the foundation knowledge and focuses on therapeutic skills and understanding of advanced assessment and measurement.  Assessment topics range from arterial blood gas analysis and blood chemistry to cardiac monitoring (3 lead to 18 lead) and invasive monitoring. Advanced skills will include intravenous, advanced airway management and electrical therapies. A problem-based approach will be utilized to further develop and consolidate learning.

The ability to effectively manage patients and scenes involves the application and integration of a variety of higher-order skills. This course takes a problem-based approach to the development of decision-making skills and critical thinking required for practice as an Advanced Care Paramedic. On a weekly basis, learners will manage a variety of clinical problems and then participate in peer and reflective review. This allows the learner to develop patient and scene management strategies and move from a philosophy of rule in/rule out to one of risk stratification.

This course provides the learner with a baseline understanding of selected topics in human physiology and then extends it to the pathophysiology and clinical presentation of illness and injury. A case-based approach to learning and instruction assists the learner in the acquisition of critical thinking and decision-making strategies. This course allows the learner to develop strategies for understanding a variety of patient presentations and is closely integrated with the Advanced Patient Management course (PATI 5400).

The objective of this course is to provide an understanding of the mechanism of drug action to allow for the safe and appropriate administration of emergency drugs. Knowledge of prescription medications is necessary in the gathering and interpretation of patient medical history and ensures the safe administration of emergency drugs. The skills necessary to accurately calculate and administer medication will be developed and integrated into the rest of the program.

This course represents the first in a continuum of practicum courses.  The practicum course facilitates the application of concepts taught in the program through skills and simulated scenario-based practice.  Students will acquire problem solving and clinical decision making skill through the acceptance of a series of graded responsibilities progressing towards competency.  The opportunity to practice in a simulated setting allows the learner to practice skills and decision making in a safe controlled laboratory setting.  Evaluation is competency based and requires the completion of a skills and scenario portfolio.

The practice of health care is in constant evolution, and patient care principles that were founded on anecdotal evidence and extending the hospital clinical model to the out-of-hospital setting are no longer adequate. The ability to appraise and interpret medical evidence provides the learner with strategies to evaluate the evidence base for patient assessment and care practices.  Extended topics will include qualitative versus quantitative methods, research structure and methodology. Weekly research appraisal will be closely aligned to topics covered in other program courses.

This course is provided within the acute clinical setting.  Clinical rotations are designed to provide the opportunity to meet specific competency-based requirements.  The clinical experience prepares practitioners who can function in diverse settings with clients from a variety of social and cultural backgrounds as well as multiple age and developmental stages.  The student will interact with individuals and families experiencing life transitions and acute health challenges in clinical practice settings to promote health and healing.  These practice settings are comprised of the operating room, medical outpatients, emergency department, labour and delivery and the critical care unit.  The student will apply the theories and concepts learned in theory and other courses, allowing the student to transfer learning to new situations.  In this practicum, learners will be given a series of graded levels of responsibility that will progress towards independent practice in the field.  Such exposure allows the student to transfer learning to new situations.

This course represents the second of three in a continuum practicum courses. Students will be assigned to Advanced Care Paramedic preceptors in a “third person” model that will allow them to practice and make and implement decisions under direct supervision.  Problem solving and clinical decision making skill will be acquired through the acceptance of a series of graded responsibilities progressing towards competency.  The specific competencies and sub-competencies attached to practicum are divided into modules to allow the student to progress in manageable steps towards entry-to-practice competency as an Advanced Care paramedic.  Evaluation of competency is conducted in association with the Paramedic Association of Canada’s (PAC) definition of competency.

This course offers the learner both an introduction to paramedic professional practice and the integration of all facets of the program. The intention is to provide the learner with the scope of their professional responsibilities and requirements for practice. Learning activities are extended to the integration of evidenced-based medicine and the evaluation of current and relevant research.

This course represents the last of three in a continuum practicum courses. Students will be assigned to Advanced Care Paramedic preceptors in a “third person” model that will allow them to practice and make and implement decisions under direct supervision.  Problem solving and clinical decision making skill will be acquired through the acceptance of a series of graded responsibilities progressing towards competency.  The specific competencies and sub-competencies attached to practicum are divided into modules to allow the student to progress in manageable steps towards entry-to-practice competency as an Advanced Care paramedic.  Evaluation of competency is conducted in association with the Paramedic Association of Canada’s (PAC) definition of competency.