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Authors Kaitlynn James BSc(Hons.)1 Cian O’Brien MPH2 Alan M. Batt MSc1,3,4   Paramedic Programs, Fanshawe College, London, Ont., Canada Health Service Executive South Region, Ireland Centre for Paramedic Education and Research, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, Ont., Canada Institute for Health Professionals, Portland Community College, OR, USA     Introduction   At any moment while performing patient care duties, paramedics are at risk of exposure to blood and infection from blood-borne pathogens such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS, … Read More

Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services and University of Lethbridge: First Responders for Identifying and Mitigating Biological Risks in EMS   By Andy Hudson   Paramedics work long and demanding shifts that may place them in dangerous situations, potentially jeopardizing their personal safety or the safety of their patients. In fact, paramedics are about three times more likely to experience mental or physical injury in the workplace than other professionals in healthcare-related industries (1,2). While the potential for emergency medical services … Read More

An introduction to reflective practice for paramedics and student paramedics Authors: Dayna Hilliard1 Kaitlynn James BSc1 Alan M. Batt MSc(c)1-3 Paramedic Programs, Fanshawe College, London, ON, Canada Centre for Paramedic Education and Research, Hamilton Health Sciences, Hamilton, ON, Canada Institute for Health Professionals, Portland Community College, OR, USA Reflective practice is an important tool in practice-based professional learning settings where individuals learn from their own professional experiences, rather than from formal teaching or knowledge transfer. It is an important process … Read More

By Chris Farnady, AEMCA, ACP Paramedicine as a profession has evolved by leaps and bounds in the last twenty years – from increases in the scope of practice practitioners can draw from to innovative programs such as the Vital Heart Program (Alberta), STEMI bypass, acute stoke bypass, Tactical EMS and Community Paramedicine, just to highlight a few. However, in some provinces the regulatory framework concerning Paramedics has evolved at a snail’s pace. Some have chosen the route of self-regulation while … Read More

By Blair Bigham Paramedics and physicians across Canada united after a shocking broadcast speculated that Canada’s paramedics were ill-equipped to respond to 911 calls. CTV’s investigative broadcast W5 ran an episode titled “911 Roulette.” The episode, hosted by experienced journalist Kevin Newman, featured registered nurse Karen Carberry, whose husband David died in the back of an ambulance while being transported to a hospital after suffering a STEMI. Newman questioned why some ambulances were staffed with primary care paramedics while others … Read More

By Blair Bigham Most emergency doctors had never heard of “carfentanil” before it showed up in Ohio in July. That’s because it’s not a human medicine – it’s an elephant tranquilizer used by veterinarians. It’s 10,000 times more potent than morphine, and a grain of it – 20 micrograms – can kill a human. It’s also hypothesized to be an antiterrorism drug – it is suspected of being aerosolized by Russian special forces in 2002 when Chechen rebels took hostages … Read More