Fall/Winter 2011 - Alberta College of Paramedics

e m e r g e n c y m e d i c a l 

Fall/winter 2011 

Paramedics rely on expanding scope of 

practice to improve rural health care 

Branding Ourselves as Professionals // you and your college

about emergency medical dialogue 

Emergency Medical Dialogue is 

published twice annually by the 

Alberta College of Paramedics. 

Alberta College of Paramedics 

#220, 2755 Broadmoor Boulevard 

Sherwood Park, AB T8H 2W7 

Toll-free: 1.877.351.2267 

Tel: 780.449.3114 

Fax: 780.417.6911 

Email: acp@collegeofparamedics.org 

Web: www.collegeofparamedics.org 

College Council 

Mr. Sheldon Thunstrom (EMT-P) 

President 

Mr. Roger Tewson (EMT-P) 

Vice-President 

Mr. Renee Linssen (EMR) 

Past President 

Ms. Christine Patterson (EMT) 

Treasurer 

Mr. Ian Bullock (EMR) 

Mr. Ian Burgess (EMT) 

Ms. Ronda De Lima (EMT-P) 

Mr. Michael Hart (EMT-P) 

Mr. John Kreiser (EMR) 

Ms. Kathy Reid (EMT-P) 

Mr. Ted Langford 

Public Appointee 

Readers are encouraged to submit 

articles pertaining to prehospital 

care, advances in emergency 

medicine and other information 

of interest to prehospital care 

providers. All submissions become 

the property of the College and 

are subject to editing for length 

and style. 

Submitted articles published in this 

newsletter represent the views of 

the author and do not necessarily 

reflect the views of the College. 

© 2011 

Alberta College of Paramedics 

02 

Mr. Olu Adetunji 

Public Appointee 

mission 

The Alberta College 

of Paramedics governs 

and regulates the 

practice of paramedicine 

in the public interest. 

vision 

The Alberta College 

of Paramedics… a 

global leader in the 

governance of the 

paramedic profession. 

values 

While maintaining 

and enforcing a Code 

of Ethics, the College 

leaders and staff commit 

to upholding the 

following values: 

Professionalism 

Excellence 

Leadership 

Integrity 

Accountability 

Fall/Winter 2011 // www.collegeofparamedics.org

table of contents 

PROVINCIAL 

THE COLLEGE 

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CANADA 

EMR EMT EMT-P 

REGISTRATION 

08 16 17 

AOCP 

at the college 

RENEWAL 

in the field 

On the cover 

L 

You and your College: 

NDUCT Partnering to advance 

professional paramedicine 

practice and patient care 

MOBILE SIMULATION UNITS 

CONTINUING 

prove valuable toolS 

COMPETENCE 

for practitioners 

& PRACTICE ADVICE 

Paramedics rely on 

expanding scope of 

practice to improve 

rural health care 

03 

President’s report 

Rules of engagement – 

Boundless opportunities for you to get 

involved in governing your profession 

page 04 

CEO/Registrar’s Report 

Guiding professional growth – 

Positioning the College as 

a regulated health profession 

page 06 

Legislation 

– not always black and white 

page 12 

Equivalency process 

has high standards 

page 13 

Branding ourselves 

as professionals 

page 14 

Put To the test 

nineteen alberta paramedics 

selected to create first 

national exam 

page 20 

Alberta’s new one-stop, 

online health resource 

— MyHealth.Alberta.ca 

page 21 

Registration renewal 

page 10 

And the awards go to… 

page 18 

Professional conduct 

summary 

page 22 

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40011458 

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Circulation Department, #220, 2755 Broadmoor Boulevard, Sherwood Park, Alberta T8H 2W7 


emergency medical dialogue 

Rules of enga 

Boundless opportunities for you to get involved i 

Message from President Sheldon Th 

04 

With 2011 nearly in the books, I 

would like to reflect on my first seven 

months as president of the College 

Council. Specifically, to 

inform you of the important 

foundational work that’s 

being accomplished to 

position the College under the 

Health Professions Act (HPA), 

and our long-term planning to 

take us to 2014 and beyond. 

President’s report 

Council continues to review 

its committee structure to ensure all 

committees meet governance-model 

requirements under the HPA. One of the 

criteria, adopted at this year’s Annual 

General Meeting, is that all committee 

candidates must receive governance 

training prior to being selected to 

serve on a standing committee or subcommittee. 

This is critical to ensuring 

we have the right people, policies and 

maturity as a profession to be granted 

the privilege to regulate and the 

autonomy to steer our future. 

Another highlight for Council is our 

annual strategic planning session. 

Members of Council and the College 

executive met in September for three 

days of productive discussion to 

map out the blueprint that forms the 

2012-2014 Strategic Plan. 

Our first order of business was to 

affirm the College’s mission, vision 

and values (as listed on the inside 

cover of this issue). I encourage 

you to revisit these statements as 

we believe they accurately identify 

the College for what it is today and 

what it intends to become, all the 

while upholding our ethical values in 

the greater service of the public. 

The strategic planning discussion 

then steered toward several key 

issues, from potential changes to 

the provincial registration exam 

in the wake of the incoming 

national exam, to how unregistered 

practitioners working in Alberta 

contravene the Health Professions 

Act. The College is also developing 

formal standards of practice – a 

requirement under the HPA – to 

protect public interests and set clear 

expectations for practice. These 

new standards, along with a revised 

Code of Ethics, are further proof that 

our profession is maturing as part of 

a larger, integrated health care team 

in Alberta. 

In the meantime, we continue to 

implement many of the activities 

indentified in the 2011-2013 

Strategic Plan. The 2012 registration 

fee increase made it possible for 

us to begin a full review of the 

College’s information technology 

systems and data management tools. 

You’ll find specific details on this 

extensive project in Tammy Leach’s 

CEO report, starting on page 6. 

We also launched a full-throttle 

brand campaign in August to raise 

public awareness of the College’s 

important regulatory responsibility 

and our unique, vital role in health 

care delivery. I’m pleased to say that 

“We are multi-faceted 

professionals who are 

forging new ground 

every year … it’s up to 

all of us to drive our 

profession forward, 

(and) steer it in the 

right direction.” 



gement 

n governing your profession 

unstrom, EMT-P 

feedback from practitioners 

and other stakeholders is 

overwhelmingly positive. 

The timing of the brand campaign 

couldn’t be better as I believe we 

have an identity crisis in EMS. Are 

we health care or are we emergency 

services The truth is we’re both. The 

days of loading people in the back 

of an ambulance and speeding to 

the hospital are over. Only 40 per 

cent of Alberta’s 9,000 registered 

practitioners work for Alberta Health 

Services. The other 60 per cent work 

in industry, in hospitals, in the air, 

and many for private employers. It’s 

an exciting time for the profession. 

We are multi-faceted professionals 

who are forging new ground every 

year; however, it’s up to all of us to 

drive our profession forward, steer 

it in the right direction, and trust the 

College and its governing Council 

to help us navigate this exciting yet 

unfamiliar territory. 

It’s important to remember that 80 

per cent of Council members are 

practitioners. Our decisions have 

the same impact on our ability to 

practice as they do on yours. We 

pay the same fees, follow the same 

rules and regulations, and meet the 

same competence requirements 

as you. 

That’s the main reason I am involved 

in the growing role of the College. 

Having served nearly 20 years on 

the street and as an educator, with 

14 of those involved with various 

College committees and Council, 

I realize the importance of having 

a voice at the governance level. 

It’s allowed me to give back while 

ensuring that we all work together 

in the best interests of the public, 

practiioners and the profession. 

There’s no better way to learn about 

an organization or its governancemodel 

than to get directly involved 

in the process. 

I challenge you to do the same. 

Seek out the growing amount of 

useful information the College 

provides to you on a regular basis 

through its various publications, 

through CIMS, and on the College 

website. Read the Annual Report 

and Strategic Plan. Ask questions. 

Join a committee. Attend a Council 

meeting or, better yet, run for 

a seat on Council. Nominate a 

peer for an award. Email the 

College about issues that affect 

you on the job. Submit story ideas 

to the College communications 

department. Whatever role you 

can play, I encourage you to take 

a greater interest in learning how 

the College works and what it does 

to support you through all stages of 

professional practice: education, 

exams, registration, competency 

and professional conduct (see page 

8). You have a voice. Make it count. 

05 



Guiding pro 

Positioning the Colleg 

Message from CEO/Reg 

06 

Driving through Edmonton recently, 

I spotted one of our eye-catching 

billboards. The compelling image, 

depicting actual Alberta 

practitioners responding 

to a person in need in an 

environment most people 

wouldn’t necessarily associate 

with emergency medical 

services, conveys a sense 

of calm and professionalism 

every time I see it. However, 

it was the ‘One symbol. One 

promise.’ statement on the billboard 

that got me thinking about the 

College’s promise to our over 9,000 

registered practitioners. 

CEO report 

While our promise to the public is 

to ensure regulated professionals 

provide expert health care to 

Albertans when they need it, the 

College pledges to guide and support 

you and the profession. You may 

not have daily interaction with the 

College, but our annual operational 

goals in support of Council’s 

Strategic Plan directly impact your 

ability to care for your patients 

(see You and Your College on page 

8). From setting the standards for 

paramedicine program approval 

and delivering provincial exams, to 

holding practitioners accountable 

through evolving competence 

standards and sound professional 

conduct processes required under 

the Health Professions Act (HPA), we 

are committed to ensuring you have 

the skills, knowledge and ethical 

judgment to provide the best care 

possible to your patients. 

By using words like ‘expert’, 

‘registered’ and ‘trusted professional’ 

in our advertising, we aim to ingrain 

in the public consciousness that you 

and your peers are skilled, educated 

health care professionals. The images 

clearly depict practitioners providing 

emergency care in diverse work 

environments – a deliberate shift from 

the common perception of “ambulance 

driver.” In time, we believe the brand 

campaign will have the desired effect: 

greater understanding of the College’s 

important regulatory role while 

elevating our profession in the eyes of 

the public and our peers. 

2012-2014 

Operational Plan 

The College executive team 

recently completed its operational 

planning for the next three years 

to support Council’s 2012-2014 

Strategic Plan. One of our key goals 

is a comprehensive information 

technology (IT) strategy including 

a complete review and analysis 

of all of our current information 

management and data management 

systems. A third-party consulting firm 

conducted an audit of the College’s 

entire IT infrastructure resulting 

in 19 recommendations. We’re 

now working to implement those 

recommendations – with priority being 

given to high-risk areas. 

It’s important to point out that this threeyear 

IT strategy is about much more 

than just CIMS. It involves all of our 

IT systems: data centre management, 

electronic data, hardware, software 

and support tools. While a more 

effective, reliable practitioner module 

is a definite outcome, the College must 

first build the necessary infrastructure 

to support CIMS or its replacement 

system. The long-term goal is enhanced 

processes and tools to improve how 

practitioners self-manage registration, 

online renewal and competence 

requirements, and to avoid system 

overload as we experienced at the 

start of renewal season. We appreciate 

your patience given the large, complex 

scope of this project. 



fessional growth 

e as a regulated health profession 

istrar Tammy Leach, BComm, HCA, EMT (Restricted) 

On the building front, we are 

reviewing several options for the 

College to purchase a building as 

leasing isn’t cost effective in the longterm. 

With our lease set to expire 

in 2013, we have close to a million 

dollars in the Council-approved 

‘building fund’ to be used as a down 

payment. One of our operational 

goals is to ensure we have the best 

resources to conduct our business 

effectively and efficiently – this 

includes finding a suitable, permanent 

location. The next step is to conduct 

a cost-benefit analysis to determine 

the best purchase option for the 

College to better accommodate our 

administrative needs as a growing 

regulatory organization. 

Growth as a 

regulated profession 

I’m proud to report that we surpassed 

9,000 registered practitioners this year 

– nearly double where we were less 

than 10 years ago! This registration 

milestone shows true promise for the 

profession and for the College in 

years to come as we work to achieve 

regulatory status under the HPA. 

As we enter the final month of 

registration renewal season, the 

College’s administrative support team 

continues to field daily inquiries from 

practitioners. Thank you for renewing 

as early as possible. This improves our 

ability to respond to your inquiries well 

in advance of the Dec. 31 deadline, 

and lowers our operating costs by 

reducing the number of cancellation 

notices mailed out in January. 

With 2011 being the first year for 

practitioners who registered or renewed 

“While our promise to 

the public is to ensure 

regulated professionals 

provide expert health 

care to Albertans 

when they need it, the 

College pledges to 

guide and support you 

and the profession.” 

in 2007 to complete their four-year 

learning plan requirements, the College 

experienced some valuable learning. 

Many of the glitches with respect to 

submitting your learning plans are 

being addressed in our current review 

of our IT systems and electronic support 

tools. Despite these difficulties, our 

attempt at open communication and 

transparent process seemed to mitigate 

the problems for affected practitioners 

and we appreciated your patience and 

professionalism during this important 

new initiative. 

In the meantime, our Professional 

Practice/Continuing Competence 

Manager, Tim Essington, is examining 

ways to improve the competence 

program and subsequent four-year 

learning plan process. You can 

expect more information on incoming 

enhancements prior to the 2013 

renewal season. 

In all, 2011 has been a tremendously 

productive and successful year 

for the College. From the growing 

correspondence with practitioners 

around our exciting brand campaign, 

to relevant inquiries about how your 

renewal fees are being used, the 

College took some big steps this year 

to position the organization as a 

recognized and respected regulator 

of the profession. I encourage you to 

continue to ask us questions, hold us 

accountable and, whenever possible, 

lend your support to the College’s vital 

governance role. 

07 



You and your College: 

Partnering to advance professional paramedicine practice and patient care 

08 

Although you may not have daily 

interaction with your professional 

regulatory body, the Alberta College 

of Paramedics does have a significant, 

positive impact on your practice, 

your profession, and ultimately on the 

patients you care for on a daily basis. 

We are here to serve you, no matter 

if you’re starting out, advancing in the 

ranks, moving to Alberta from another 

province or country, or returning to 

the profession after some time away. 

The College maintains a variety of 

legislative and administrative functions 

that make it possible for you to work in a 

self-regulated profession and benefit from 

being a recognized, registered health care 

professional. In return, you help us achieve 

our mission: to govern and regulate the 

profession in the public interest. 

Here’s how we do it. 

The College: 

• Sets the standards for and 

recommends approval of 

paramedicine education programs 

in Alberta. 

• Undertakes comprehensive 

equivalency reviews of 

international applicants and 

practitioners of related health 

disciplines to determine eligibility 

for examination and registration. 

• Maintains and delivers 

the Provincial Registration 

Examination. 

• Assesses interprovincial paramedic 

applicants for eligibility to register 

and is extensively involved in 

the Canadian Organization of 

Paramedic Regulators and its 

Labour Mobility Project – including 

the development of national 

standards of competence, and a 

national examination to support 

and strengthen the interprovincial 

transfer process. 

• Ensures practitioners meet required 

professional standards in order to 

register and use the protected titles 

of EMR, EMT and EMT-P. 

• Develops and maintains the 

Continuing Competence Program – 

a legislated requirement for annual 

registration renewal that holds you 

accountable for the quality of care 

you provide to Albertans. 

• Provides you with timely, relevant 

professional practice advice to 

address current and evolving 

scope of practice issues at each 

designation level. 

• Ensures you, and more than 9,000 

other registered practitioners, can 

easily access the administrative 

and technical support needed to 

successfully renew and maintain 

your registration year after year. 

• Manages a formal, comprehensive 

professional conduct process that 

addresses reports of unethical 

and unprofessional behavior by 

registered practitioners. 

• Provides you with valuable 

opportunities to govern your 

profession including lending your 

expertise to committees, Council 

and the Annual General Meeting. 

APPROVED 

PROGRAMS 

COMMITTEES 

COUNCIL 

AGM 

WAYS TO 

PARTICIPATE 

PROFESSI 

C 



Here are the many ways that you interact with the College, 

and how your regulatory body is upholding its mission to 

govern and regulate paramedicine in the public interest. 

PROVINCIAL 

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CANADA 

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THE COLLEGE 

EMR EMT EMT-P 

REGISTRATION 

AOCP 

RENEWAL 

ONAL 

ONDUCT 

CONTINUING 

COMPETENCE 

& PRACTICE ADVICE 


Registration r 


10 

The 2012 registration renewal 

season kicked off on Oct. 1. With 

over 9,000 practitioners expected 

to renew in a three-month period, 

we are anticipating another busy 

renewal season. The College’s 

Registry Services team is working 

hard to ensure all eligible registered 

practitioners are provided the 

support necessary to help them 

complete their renewal requirements 

by Dec. 31, 2011. 

Renew early 

—it’s good for you! 

If you were first in line to renew your 

registration, the College thanks you! 

Renewing early is good practice— 

it can take time to complete and 

update your continuing competence 

requirements—and helps the College 

with fewer applications to manage at 

crunch time in late December. 

Some things to remember if 

you haven’t begun your renewal 

application: 

1. The deadline to renew is 

Saturday, Dec. 31. All renewals 

must be postmarked by midnight 

to avoid late fees. 

2. The College office will be closed 

on Monday, Jan. 2, 2012. 

Applications received after the 

close of business on Dec. 30 will be 

processed after Tuesday, Jan. 3. 

3. Many employers will ask to see 

a valid, updated registration 

card on Jan. 1. It takes about 

a week from the date your 

application is processed to 

receive your card. 

4. If you don’t intend to renew, 

avoid the reminders by 

completing and submitting a 

Declaration of Non-Renewal 

Form to the College prior to Dec. 

31, 2011. You can find this 

form on the Registration Renewal 

page of the College website. 

5. You are still eligible to renew 

between Jan. 1 and Feb. 13, 

2012, but will be charged a late 

fee of $175. 

6. The College will mail cancellation 

notices on Jan. 9, 2012 to 

practitioners who haven’t renewed 

their registration. Those who 

haven’t renewed by 4 p.m. on 

Remember that while 

a minimum of five 

learning plans for 

mandatory competencies 

must be completed to 

annually renew, all 

mandatory competencies 

must be completed 

within a four-year-cycle. 

(if you do not change your 

designation level within that period) 



enewal 

Feb. 13 will have their registration 

cancelled on Feb. 14, 2012. 

7. If you decide to register and 

practice after your registration 

has been cancelled, you will 

be required to reinstate your 

registration—an entirely different 

process than renewing. 

Reporting ongoing 

competence 

Your annual continuing competence 

requirements must be completed 

through CIMS before you are 

eligible to renew your registration. 

Remember that while a minimum of 

five learning plans for mandatory 

competencies must be completed 

per year to renew, all mandatory 

competencies must be 

completed within a four-yearcycle 

(if you do not change 

your designation level within 

that period). Total number of 

mandatory competencies required 

for each level of practice: EMR: 61, 

EMT: 67, EMT-P: 79. 

The College website has a wealth 

of information about the Continuing 

Competence Program, the CIMS 

module and scope of practice. If 

you require specific, step-by-step 

information about the module as it 

relates to your renewal requirements, 

download the Continuing 

Competence Snapshot located on 

the Program Handbook page of the 

website. 

Beginning in 2012, practitioners 

who have completed a four-year 

cycle at the same designation 

level will be subject to random 

competence reviews. Watch 

future issues of the Pulse and EMD 

for detailed information about 

the reviews, and how they may 

impact you. The most important 

thing to remember is keep all 

documentation for five years 

to support your completed learning 

plans. 

Quick tips to help you 

navigate registration 

renewal: 

1. Renew in October. Okay, 

so it may be too late this year 

but early renewal is the way to 

go! Registering early gives you 

more time to update your CPR-C 

or ACLS cards if necessary, 

complete your competence 

requirements and ensure you 

have your registration card in 

hand if your employer asks to 

see it on January 1 st . 

2. Update your CPR-C or 

ACLS cards before you 

begin the registration 

process. You will not be 

eligible to register if you do 

not have a current card on file 

with the College. As per Health 

Disciplines Act legislation, CPR-C 

(or Health Care Provider (HCP) 

or BLS Instructor) cards are valid 

for two years from the date of 

issue no matter the expiry printed 

on the card. ACLS cards are 

valid for four years from the 

date of issue. 

3. Register online through 

CIMS. It’s the easiest way to 

complete your renewal and 

you’ll know immediately if there 

are any issues with your renewal 

application. 

4. Think about payment.The 

cost to renew is $425. You can 

only use VISA or MasterCard 

for online renewal. The College 

accepts money orders and 

certified cheques on mail 

applications, or debit and cash 

at the College office. 

5. Submit a Declaration 

of Non-Renewal to the 

College prior to Dec. 31 if 

you don’t intend to renew. 

You can find this form on the 

Registration Renewal page of the 

College website. 

11 



Legislation 

– not always black and white 

12 

The College, Alberta Health Services 

and Alberta Health and Wellness are 

working together to clarify the impact of 

diagnostic imaging contrast agents, such 

as Telebrix (ioxithalamate), being out of 

scope for all paramedic practitioners. 

The College issued an email 

communication to all registered 

practitioners on Oct. 27 after learning 

that some practitioners are requested to 

administer these agents during transport. 

“It’s the legislation that limits a 

practitioner’s ability to administer 

diagnostic imaging contrast agents, not 

the Alberta College of Paramedics,” 

says CEO and Registrar Tammy Leach. 

“However, as the Registrar, it’s my ethical 

and regulatory responsibility to inform 

practitioners when I become aware of a 

practice that is not within scope.” 

Leach says she appreciates the many 

professional inquiries from practitioners 

in the days following the communication, 

seeking clarification and taking personal 

accountability for their practice. She admits 

it’s a bit of a grey area under current 

legislation because some practitioners 

categorize Telebrix as a medication. 

“Telebrix is not a medication, it’s a 

contrast agent and therefore is out of 

scope,” explains Leach. “It really comes 

down to a person’s definition of the term 

administer which includes any handling, 

mixing, preparing or pouring. In this 

case, a practitioner providing instructions 

or assisting in the ingestion in any 

manner is administering the agent.” 

Leach adds the College recognizes 

the benefits to patients who ingest 

diagnostic imaging contrast agents 

during transport to a facility for a 

CT scan. She points out the College 

is working with Alberta Health and 

Wellness to review all legislation as it 

pertains to Paramedic Regulation under 

the Health Professions Act – reminding 

readers that revisions to existing 

legislation can take considerable time. 

Council Snapshot 

Ian Burgess is an EMT with a broad range of 

experience in a relatively short period of time. 

Starting as an EMR in 2002, Ian returned to school a few years later to earn 

his EMT designation. His work experience includes Cochrane Search and Rescue, 

industrial standby, Flight EMT and EMS standby. Ian works as a lifeguard for the 

City of Calgary, and teaches leadership and emergency response courses throughout 

Southern Alberta. He also teaches and designs program curriculum for the Lifesaving 

Society of Canada, specializing in leadership, swift water rescue and boat rescue. 

“As a member of Council, I help to ensure the College meets its legislated and 

regulatory requirements,” explains Ian, who was elected in 2008. “It’s a privilege 

to assist with setting the strategic direction of Council while positively influencing 

the self-governance model for the College. The future of the College is bright!” 



Equivalency process 

has high standards 13 

As the regulatory body for your 

profession, it is the College’s 

responsibility to establish, maintain 

and safeguard the competence 

standards of the practice. A 

comprehensive equivalency process 

ensures all practitioners meet the 

highest quality of practice, no matter 

how they come to be registered with 

the College. 

The College has an intensive process 

for evaluating the credentials 

of international applicants and 

practitioners of related health 

disciplines. Candidates must 

present comprehensive course 

outlines, official educational training 

documentation, medical protocols, a 

cross-reference document detailing 

their experience against the Alberta 

Occupational Competency Profile 

(AOCP) and a detailed resume 

with their application. The College 

rigorously evaluates the information 

A comprehensive 

equivalency process 

ensures that all 

practitioners 

maintain the highest 

quality of practice, 

no matter how they 

come to be registered 

with the College. 

provided to determine if the 

candidate is equivalent to one of the 

three paramedicine designations. 

The College also includes the 

Government of Alberta’s International 

Qualifications Assessment Service 

(IQAS) into the review process. 

IQAS assesses international 

credentials and compares them to 

educational credentials in Canada. 

Inclusion of the IQAS ensures that all 

international candidates are assessed 

through Alberta Employment and 

Immigration before becoming eligible 

to apply to register with the College. 

This thorough assessment is one 

more way for the College to regulate 

and standardize our entry-topractice 

standards. 

For more information on IQAS, 

visit the Government of Alberta 

Employment and Immigration 

website at http://employment. 

alberta.ca/Immigration/4512.html. 



14 

Branding ourselves 

as professionals 

To make it possible for practitioners 

to directly influence and guide the 

future of their profession takes a 

greater understanding, commitment 

and perseverance from all sides. 

The College’s mission to govern and 

regulate the practice of paramedicine 

can only be achieved through 

the ongoing support of dedicated 

practitioners, community partners 

and College administration. The 

growing and visible leadership 

being demonstrated by the many 

practitioners who serve on Council, 

standing committees and subcommittees 

is making that happen. As 

a result, the profession is closer than 

ever to assuming autonomy under the 

Health Professions Act (HPA). 

These groups are working to strengthen 

the various programs, policies and 

standards of practice required to align 

the College’s regulatory responsibilities 

under HPA legislation. This exciting 

and purposeful work is advancing the 

profession in Alberta like never before 

– a clear indication to Alberta Health 

and Wellness and our peers in health 

care that practitioners are ready to 

govern their profession. 

“Being a paramedic in Alberta today 

means exuding professionalism, 

being astute, fostering relationships 

and demonstrating pride for the 

profession,” says Council member 

and Paramedic Mike Hart. “It’s about 

educating all Albertans and future 

practitioners about what we do, the 

important role the College plays in 

supporting our practice and that 

we’re an integral part of the health 

care system.” 

Council, the College’s governing 

body, is primarily comprised of 

experienced, registered practitioners 



who understand 

firsthand the realities 

and demands of the 

profession. They are 

elected to ensure the 

College regulates the 

profession in the best 

interests of the public. 

Like you – they have 

ideas on how to enhance 

the practice, concerns 

over how to properly 

navigate uncharted 

territory, and are 

directly impacted by the 

decisions they make. 

EMD spoke with 

practitioners around 

the province to learn 

what impact the College 

is having on their 

professional practice and 

on their ability to respond 

to patients’ needs. 

“Being a registered 

practitioner provides 

me with a challenging 

work environment that 

is constantly allowing 

me to grow and expand 

my knowledge and 

skill base,” says Eric 

Gearing, a Flight EMT 

and industrial supervisor 

with Advanced Paramedic 

out of Peace River. “The 

College helps me to 

improve my continuing 

education and set goals 

for myself every year.” 

Eric says he routinely 

trains and mentors new 

paramedic practitioners 

within his organization. 

“I constantly seek new 

ways to improve my 

skills because I know I will be held 

accountable by my employer, the 

College and the public.” 

Colleague Phil Howell, an EMT, agrees. 

“As practitioners we strive to 

better ourselves through continuing 

education and training. The College 

provides a platform for us 

to monitor, evaluate and 

track our competencies.” 

The current, provincewide 

brand campaign 

is helping to elevate the 

profession in the eyes 

of the public. It’s raising 

much-needed awareness 

to the crucial impact 

skilled professionals 

have on our daily lives; 

in hospitals, private 

institutions, correctional 

facilities, doctor and 

dental offices, in 

industry, in the sky, on 

the street and in the 

classroom. Regardless 

of designation, all 

registered practitioners 

are unified in this 

one promise: to serve 

the public interest 

by providing the 

best possible patient 

care. That’s why the 

College’s ‘One symbol. 

One promise.’ brand 

campaign is about much 

more than just a new 

logo – it’s a symbol of 

the promise we all make 

to be the absolute best 

in what we do to safely 

serve Albertans when 

they need it most. 

Paramedic Trevor Visser 

sums it up perfectly. 

“I was drawn to 

this career because 

of the high-level of 

professionalism and the 

dynamic of being the 

calm voice of reason in a 

chaotic situation.” 

15 



mobile simulation units prove 

valuable toolS for practitioners 

Alberta Health Services’ Brent Thorkelson is photographed with a human 

patient simulator in the AHS-EMS Medical Simulation Training Unit (MSTU). 

16 

Brent Thorkelson, senior staff development 

officer for EMS Learning and 

Development with Alberta Health Services 

(AHS), is excited about their mobile 

Medical Simulation Training Unit (MSTU) 

program—and with good reason. 

The simulation unit—a fully-equipped 

ambulance mounted on a medium duty 

truck—provides Alberta practitioners with 

a rare and invaluable training opportunity 

to perform in next-to-real scenarios in their 

true “office” environment. 

“We’re a mobile workforce,” says 

Thorkelson. “The chance to perform, learn 

and apply what we know in realistic 

emergency situations in our usual working 

environment is incredibly valuable.” 

The MSTU takes Alberta Health 

Services’ EMS Patient Care Simulation 

Program to the streets where field 

trainers wirelessly operate the 

simulator’s breathing, heart and lung 

sounds, vital signs, eyes and airway. 

Trainers then view all aspects of 

the scenario and use data from the 

simulator to help debrief practitioners 

at the end of each 25-minute scenario. 

Since December 2010, more than 800 

practitioners have benefited from the 

MSTUs. The goal of the program is to 

improve competence-based education 

through time and resource management, 

critical thinking, communication skills 

and leadership, all with an eye to 

become leaders in patient safety. 

“We’re leading pre-hospital simulation 

with the mobile MSTUs.” says 

Thorkelson. “The Edmonton and Calgarybased 

units are leading-edge technology 

in Canada, so Alberta practitioners 

have learning opportunities that aren’t 

available elsewhere.” 

The MSTUs minimize the impact 

on day-to-day operations 

at AHS-EMS while giving 

practitioners the chance to 

meet continuing competence 

and training demands to be 

leaders in the field. 

Looking ahead, Thorkelson sees 

creating ongoing linkages with other 

patient care simulation programs 

at AHS and with other health care 

professions. In addition, he hopes to 

see the MSTUs used as educational 

tools for practitioners outside AHS and 

even for a wider public audience. 

“The unique challenges faced by 

today’s practitioners and the continued 

demands on the health care system 

mean we need to continually innovate 

how we provide experiential learning 

opportunities,” says Thorkelson. “The 

MSTUs minimize the impact on dayto-day 

operations at AHS-EMS while 

giving practitioners the chance to meet 

the College’s continuing competence 

requirements and training demands to 

be leaders in the field. It’s definitely an 

exciting place to be right now.” 

To see a demo of the MSTU program, check 

out the YouTube video at http://www. 

youtube.com/watchv=H4PihUpjeKw. 

For more information about the program 

contact Brent Thorkelson at: Brent. 

Thorkelson@albertahealthservices.ca. 



Paramedics rely on expanding scope of 

practice to improve rural health care 

Paramedic Gary Fenton draws blood from patient Chloe Leptich at the Rainbow Lake Health Centre. | Photo credit: Maureen Leptich 

As rural population numbers continue 

to grow in many Alberta towns and 

municipalities, so does the need for crucial, 

life-saving rural healthcare services. 

Rainbow Lake is a prime example. 

Built around Northern Alberta’s 

bustling oil and gas industry, Rainbow 

Lake is a population of just under 

1,100 people located west of High 

Level. With the nearest hospital more 

than an hour away, the town has one 

health clinic consisting of four treatment 

rooms and two emergency beds. 

However, this particular clinic has 

something most others don’t have— 

skilled, regulated paramedics on staff 

who have the technical experience 

to complement the most experienced 

nurse practitioner or rural physician. 

“We assess and treat patients as they 

come into the clinic, offering both clinical 

and emergency care,” says longtime 

paramedic Rick Cartier. “Our expanding 

scope of practice makes it possible for us 

to provide chronic disease management, 

treatment plans and lab services.” 

Cartier says his new role is part of a 

pilot project introduced in September 

2010, aimed at relieving a potential 

nursing shortage at the Rainbow Lake 

Health Centre. 

“When a nurse practitioner needs time 

off and there’s no one to backfill, the 

clinic runs the risk of shutting down,” 

explains Cartier, who has nearly 20 

years of experience as a paramedic 

practitioner. “We’re basically 

functioning at the same level as a nurse 

practitioner while remaining within our 

regulated scope of practice.” 

In Alberta, paramedic practitioners must 

be registered with the Alberta College 

of Paramedics to legally practice 

paramedicine, and are required to 

continually monitor and enhance their 

individual competencies within the 

profession’s growing scope of practice. 

“Our expanding scope 

of practice makes it 

possible for us to 

provide chronic disease 

management, treatment 

plans and lab services.” 

– Rick Cartier, EMT-P. 

“Out here, I’d say we use about 90 

per cent of our scope of practice,” 

adds Cartier. 

Integrated 

health services 

Rainbow Lake is just one example of 

evolutionary pre-hospital care in Alberta. 

Paramedics work in increasingly diverse 

settings including municipal ambulance 

services, fire and rescue departments, 

air ambulance services, hospitals, longterm 

care settings, ski hills, rodeos and 

industrial medical services such as oil 

field standbys. 

Carol Duncan is the integrated home 

care area manager based out of the 

Canmore Hospital. 

“From my perspective, the door is 

just beginning to open in the 

area of integrated pre-hospital 

care,” says Duncan. “Increased 

collaboration between home care 

and paramedicine services means 

more rural patients with non-urgent 

care needs can be assessed and 

treated at home without having to 

travel long distance by ambulance 

to the nearest hospital.” 

Rural hospital settings are also realizing 

the benefits of onsite paramedic services. 

In 2010, the Northwest Health 

Centre in High Level contracted 

two paramedics to assist nursing 

and medical staff in the emergency 

department. Proving to be quite 

successful, this project is expected to 

be introduced in a growing number of 

rural hospital locations across Alberta. 

Paramedic Rick Cartier welcomes the shift. 

on the cover 

“It’s definitely made me a better 

practitioner,” says Cartier. “You can’t 

help but pick up a lot working alongside 

doctors and nurse practitioners in an 

active team environment. The shared 

knowledge is invaluable.” 

17 



And The Awards Go To… 

Jim Olson Memorial Award 

EMS Exemplary Services Medal 

18 

The Jim Olson Memorial Award, for 

the individual with the highest overall 

achievement on the EMT-P exam each 

year, was presented to two recipients 

this year, with identical high scores 

on the exam. Congratulations to 

Shannon Pretty and Mark Boutros! 

Shannon Pretty is pictured here, 

centre, accepting the award from 

members of the Olson family. 

Administered by the Chancellery of 

Canadian Orders and Decorations in 

Ottawa, the prestigious Emergency 

Medical Services Exemplary Service 

Medal recognizes professionals who 

perform their duties in an exemplary 

manner characterized by good 

conduct, industry and efficiency. 

His Honour, Colonel (Retired) 

The Honourable Donald S. Ethell, 

OC OMM AOE MSC CD LLD, 

Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, 

presented the Medal to the following 

outstanding practitioners at a formal 

ceremony on April 29 in Edmonton. 

Congratulations to: 

Terry Huber – Medal with First Bar 

(30 years) 

Award of Excellence 

Mike Fodor – Medal (20 years) 

Bill Coghill – Second Bar (40 years) 

Sam Primerano – Medal (20 years) 

The Alberta College of Paramedics’ 

Award of Excellence is presented 

annually to a practitioner who has 

demonstrated consistent dedication 

and commitment to the profession. 

Congratulations to 2011 award 

recipient, Mike Overholt. 

Carolyn Kremer – First Bar (30 years) 

Les Rude – Medal (20 years) 



Nominate a star for 

the Award of Excellence 

Do you know a dedicated and committed practitioner who 

is making a positive impact on your profession If so, we 

encourage you to nominate that person for the Alberta College 

of Paramedics’ Award of Excellence. 

The award recognizes the exceptional contributions of a registered 

practitioner who has at least one year of professional experience. 

Nomination deadline: Feb. 28, 2012 

Application package and full details: 

http://collegeofparamedics.org/pages/AboutACP/Awards.aspx. 

19 

Read The Pulse 

and stay informed! 

Providing you the latest in College and industry news and 

updates, The Pulse is featured monthly on the College website. 

It is a practitioner’s one-stop read for upcoming College 

events, reminders, Council decisions and industry news 

that affect your profession. 



20 

Put to the test 

Nineteen Alberta paramedics selected to create first national Exam 

The national exam development 

process is starting to take shape. 

In February 2010, the federal 

government invested $1.2 million 

in the Canadian Organization of 

Paramedic Regulators to develop a 

two-year labour mobility project. One 

major outcome is the development 

of a national exam for paramedic 

qualification and assessment. 

In the spring, the College invited all 

EMTs and EMT-Ps to participate in 

creating the interprovincial exams for 

Primary Care Paramedic and Advanced 

Care Paramedic. A total of 34 Alberta 

practitioners expressed interest. In the 

end, the project steering committee 

selected 19 Albertans including 

Calgary Paramedic Ian McEwan. 

“The progressive work the College 

is doing to improve labour mobility 

standards is being recognized 

and used to support this national 

development,” says McEwan, who 

served on the College Exam Committee 

for many years before becoming vicechair 

of the Registration Examination 

Advisory Committee (REAC). 

“Our profession is 

evolving right before 

our eyes! It’s great to 

be a part of it.” 

- Ian McEwan, EMT-P 

“The goal is to develop interprovincial 

exams that align with efforts 

to improve labour mobility for 

practitioners seeking work in other 

provinces,” adds McEwan. “A 

national exam standard will give 

practitioners the ability to choose 

employment opportunities without 

having to challenge a gauntlet of 

exams specific to that province.” 

A total of 70 practitioners from across 

Canada, along with exam-writing 

specialists, are now involved in the 

initial nine-month development process 

which includes item writing training, 

user software training, lessons on 

how to create proper scenarios, item 

review and editing, and establishing 

passing grade standards. 

McEwan says he chose to get involved 

at the College committee level after 

witnessing the positive contributions 

his peers were having on the 

profession. 

“Our profession is evolving right 

before our eyes! It’s great to be a part 

of it.” 



Alberta’s new one-stop, 

online health resource 

MyHealth.Alberta.ca 

The Internet is becoming a valuable 

tool for Albertans to learn more about 

their own personal health. However, 

it’s the vastness of the web that also 

makes it overwhelming and often 

contradictory. Now there is a remedy to 

this uncertainty: MyHealth.Alberta.ca. 

To help Albertans make informed 

health decisions, Alberta Health and 

Wellness and Alberta 

Health Services launched 

the new site in the spring 

consisting of more than 

8,750 health topics and 

online support tools. 

MyHealth prepares patients 

for an upcoming doctor 

visit, test or treatment 

with easy-to-search test 

and treatment guides. The 

symptom checker can 

help patients determine if 

they should use a home 

treatment or seek immediate 

professional care. It’s also a 

quick and easy way to find 

the nearest health centre 

location. 

The Alberta government 

purchased the 

Healthwise® Canadian 

knowledgebase in 

2010 to provide consumer health 

content for MyHealth. Selected for 

its comprehensive and evidencebased 

content development process, 

Healthwise® researchers review 

numerous evidence-based medical 

resources to prepare information 

packets for professional writers and 

medical content specialists who 

draft the knowledgebase content. 

A multidisciplinary board of health 

care experts in Canada and the U.S. 

then review and provide comments 

to adapt the content for their 

respective knowledgebase. 

The MyHealth team invited 150 

Alberta health care professionals 

from Alberta Health Services, Alberta 

Health and Wellness and the clinical 

community to review the Healthwise® 

content, share it with 

colleagues and provide 

valuable feedback. This 

process ensures the content 

remains comprehensive, 

reflects current medical 

knowledge and holds true to 

health practices in Alberta. 

The next major development 

in MyHealth.Alberta.ca 

will happen in 2012 when 

individuals are able to create 

their own personal, privatelysecured 

health record. 

Albertans will be able to enter 

and keep track of a variety 

of personal information: 

immunizations, medications, 

tests, blood pressure readings, 

weight and family health 

history. Over time, MyHealth 

is expected to evolve into 

a one-stop, comprehensive 

source of health information. For more 

information, visit MyHealth.Alberta.ca. 

- Susan Anderson, 

Alberta Health and Wellness 

21 



Professional 

conduct Summary 

22 

The Alberta College of Paramedics 

oversees the resolution of complaints 

involving alleged professional 

misconduct by any of its registered 

practitioners. When complaints of 

unskilled practice or professional 

misconduct are received, they are 

reviewed to determine whether the 

complaint can be resolved in our 

Alternative Complaint Resolution process, 

dismissed or referred to a hearing. 

If the complaint is referred to a 

hearing, a Hearing Tribunal is struck 

from a volunteer list of regulated 

practitioners. Once the hearing is 

concluded, the Tribunal will weigh 

evidence to determine whether the 

practitioner’s conduct constitutes 

unskilled practice or professional 

misconduct. If misconduct is identified, 

the Tribunal must decide on a penalty 

and make an Order. 

Visit the College website for more 

information on the professional conduct 

process. If you have a specific question 

about the process or any of the following 

summaries, contact the Complaints 

Director, Holly Rose, at 

holly.rose@collegeofparamedics.org. 

SUMMARIES 

The following five complaints have 

been finalized, resulting in hearings 

and sanctions. 

File No. 10-01-01 

A Hearing Tribunal made a finding 

of professional misconduct against an 

EMT who engaged in conduct that 

resulted in the death of an infant. The 

incident occurred before the individual 

obtained registration with the College, 

but the Hearing Tribunal ruled that 

the pre-registration conduct was, in 

this case, within their jurisdiction. 

The Hearing Tribunal ordered the 

registration of the practitioner be 

cancelled, that the practitioner be 

ineligible to reapply for registration until 

a pardon has been obtained from the 

Parole Board of Canada. Should an 

application for re-registration be made, 

the practitioner will have to comply 

with all requirements of the College for 

registration including assessment as 

to whether the practitioner is of good 

character and fit to practice. 

File No. 10-02-02 

A Hearing Tribunal received an admission 

of professional misconduct from an EMT-P 

for walking the patient to the ambulance 

unit in a rough and aggressive fashion; 

striking the patient; attempting to conceal 

the assault and entering false information 

on the patient care report. Based on 

mitigating factors presented at the 

hearing, the Hearing Tribunal ordered 

a letter of reprimand be included in 



the practitioner’s file for one year and 

ordered the practitioner to meet with a 

psychiatrist or psychologist, approved 

by the College, for an assessment to 

determine if the practitioner suffers from 

any condition or disability that would 

impact their ability to manage anger. 

The practitioner is required to cover costs 

associated with the assessment, provide 

consent to release the report to the 

College and comply with any 

treatment recommendations. 

File No. 10-02-03 

A Hearing Tribunal received an 

admission of professional misconduct 

from an EMT for walking the patient 

to the ambulance unit in a rough and 

aggressive fashion; failing to report 

that the patient was further assaulted by 

their partner; and attempting to mislead 

the investigation by denying the assault 

occurred and agreeing to enter false 

information on the patient care report. 

Based on mitigating factors presented at 

the hearing, the Hearing Tribunal ordered 

a letter of reprimand be included in 

the practitioner’s file for six months and 

ordered the practitioner to meet with a 

psychiatrist or psychologist, approved 

by the College, for an assessment to 

determine if the practitioner suffers from 

any condition or disability that would 

impact their ability to manage anger. 

The practitioner is required to cover costs 

associated with the assessment, provide 

consent to release the report to the 

College and comply with any 

treatment recommendations. 

File No. 10-04-01 


of professional misconduct against 

an EMR who misinformed coworkers 

and supervisors about the time they 

would attend for duty. In addition, 

the practitioner abandoned duty 

obligations by leaving the station 

for more than two hours to purchase 

boots, resulting in the co-worker being 

alone on duty and reduced to a ‘first 

response unit’. It was the practitioner’s 

unilateral and non-consultative decision 

that led to the potential disruption of 

service for citizens of a rural town. 

The Hearing Tribunal ordered a 

letter of reprimand be included in the 

practitioner’s file for one year and 

$3,900 in costs. 

File No. 10-05-05 


of professional misconduct against an 

EMT-P who accessed a confidential 

patient information database for their 

own purposes. The Hearing Tribunal 

ordered a letter of reprimand be 

included in the practitioner’s file for 

one year; the practitioner to complete 

a professional ethics program, present 

a paper to the Hearing Tribunal 

addressing the event of professional 

misconduct and pay a $500 fine and 

$2,000 in costs. The practitioner is 

required to cover all costs associated 

with the Order of the Hearing Tribunal. 

23 

Council Snapshot 

John Kreiser became an EMR in 1997 and his 

career has been heating up ever since. As fire chief 

and technical safety leader at Weyerhaeuser forest products, John manages all of 

the emergency response teams including chemical clearance, hazardous waste and 

dangerous goods transport. 

John joined Council in 2009 after six years serving on the College’s Registration Committee. 

“My time on the committee was a great precursor to running for a seat on Council,” 

says John. “I learned that I can directly contribute to my profession while developing 

a greater appreciation for the organization, self-governance, and the benefits of 

transitioning from the Health Disciplines Board to the Health Professions Act.” 

In his spare time, when he’s not travelling, John volunteers for the Arctic Winter 

Games and with the North West Peace Soccer Association. 


#220, 2755 Broadmoor Boulevard 

Sherwood Park, Alberta T8H 2W7 

Toll Free: 1.877.351.2267 (Alberta only) 

Telephone: 780.449.3114 

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40011458 

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: 

Circulation Department, #220, 2755 Broadmoor Boulevard, Sherwood Park, Alberta T8H 2W7 

2012 Registration 

renewal 

All practitioners registered with the College must renew their 

registration each year between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31. 

The deadline to renew for 2012 

is Saturday, Dec. 31, 2011 

Get started today and have your new 2012 registration 

card in hand to show your employer on Jan. 1. 

www.collegeofparamedics.org 

See the Registration renewal article on page 10 for full details.

Fall/Winter 2011 - Alberta College of Paramedics

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