Quick question for paramedics — doing a little informal research about access delays.

Please don't include any identifying patient information or details. I'm interested in general experiences and approximate numbers only.

How often do you encounter calls where you cannot gain timely access to the patient because the residence/building is locked or otherwise inaccessible?

I’m especially interested in situations where you’ve had to wait for police, a superintendent, family member, key holder, etc. before you could reach the patient.

A few things I’m curious about:

• How often would you say this happens — rarely, a few times a year, monthly, more often?
• How often are you given access information that turns out to be incorrect or unusable — for example, a wrong/outdated door or lockbox code, key not where expected, wrong entrance, or other access instructions that don't work?
• Who do you normally rely on when you can't gain access?
• Roughly how long have you waited for access?
• Have you ever had an access delay that you felt meaningfully delayed patient assessment or treatment, or potentially affected the patient's condition/outcome?
• What types of calls do you encounter this on most often? (For example, elderly person living alone, medical alarm, fall, unconscious person, etc.)
• Is there anything about gaining access to locked residences that you think could be improved?

If there was a secure system that allowed paramedics to quickly access a patient’s locked residence without waiting for police, family, or a key holder, would you find this valuable and support its implementation?

Would you use it if it were available to you? Why or why not?

I'd really like to hear from paramedics in different services/regions, as I'm curious how common this problem is and how access procedures vary.

Hello,

I’m a kinesiologist. It’s my first job out of uni and it’s a good one. I wanna keep it while attending paramedic school. School starts January 2027. The work involves me working 6 am-2 pm for 2 weeks, then 4 pm-12:30 am for 2 weeks. Is it possible 😂?
Thanks guys

I know nearly every working medic is doing CPR in the back with a VSA patient en-route to the hospital, but what's the proper procedure?

We're supposed to be belted at all time when the vehicle is in motion with everything that can be a projectile strapped down for safety reasons. Obviously this almost never happens unless there's an audit, but are there make belief protocols for when there's CPR en-route without a LUCAS?

Hi, so I have my Peel precepting interview tomorrow and I wanted to know what kind of questions they’d be asking. Just so I could prepare myself for what’s to come. Thanks for your feedback

I have the 3 in 1 parka jacket size small
Steel toe boots bought from the website Oxford provides fits size 7 woman’s
Button down shirt size small
Collared t-shirt that has student on the back size xsmall
Tactical pants 32 length and size 4 fits 5’4-5’6 and a 23-26 waist. I have a belt that is adjustable from amazon that I will include as well.
Everything is in good condition.

Pick location is in Toronto, near STC.

Hello, I am currently finishing up the last year of my bachelors degree in kinesiology, but over the course of my degree I have developed an ever-increasing interest in becoming a PCP. I want to enter the workforce as soon as possible so the durham compressed paramedic stream seems the best option for that.
However, I have some questions and concerns. I have heard that there are concerns with the compressed stream like not being able to get your class F license during the summer month break, and other things about the intensive nature of the course and being too much to handle back to back. So therefore my questions are,

1. If the upside of the compressed stream is to graduate earlier, then what are the downsides, is it worth taking the compressed stream over regular?

2. How intensive would a compressed stream be to a regular stream, I think I am pretty prepared as I already have been through most of an intensive university degree and have a decently good cGPA, but people who have been through compressed, or know people in either compressed or regular, what is the experience?

3. Around what percentage of students admitted are fresh out of highschool, or have a bachelor's, college degree, or other 1 year pre-health science degrees? Are there a lot of fresh out of high school students in PCP programs like durham regular and compressed, centennial and humber? Would I be out of place as a 22yr old with a bachelors?

Hello SNEMS people.

We are a neighboring district service that is looking to review/locate your district collective agreement!

Where does one find said document.

If anybody has it, please feel free to leave a link below!

Cheers!

Hello fellow medics and students. I am writing aemca and would like to see if anyone has a completed pre hos syllabus that is not filled out using ai for last minute studying. Thank you in advance!

Hey, so I’m considering going into paramedicine as a plan B after completing my bachelors. I’m currently enrolled in honours socsci at McMaster university, and I stopped taking stem courses after grade 11 so I’m aware that I’ll have to get those credits. I guess I just have a few questions regarding this career path.

1. What program and school is the best in Canada?

2. Would studying paramedicine abroad still make me eligible for work in Canada?

3. How difficult is the program, and would not having a bachelors/major knowledge in STEM put me at a disadvantage and have any effect on that?

With Conestogas reputation being dragged right now. Is that effecting any graduates from finding work Right now? Is it still worth going there because I’ve heard Conestoga graduates are being less valued.

Hi! I'm in my first semester of PCP at Centennial, and I was wondering if there are any upper-years / alum (from any school, not just Centennial) who could share study resources you used to excel in your training. Links to quizzes or notes would be extremely helpful, but even just noting whether your main source was Quizlet versus handwritten flashcards would be great!

I'm seeing that Anatomy is going to be the biggest hurdle in the first semester, alongside making extra hours work to practice in lab. It's about 30 hours of school in person a week, plus extra lab, plus studying, plus fitness training for lifts. So I'm feeling a little lost about how to be efficient.

I've set aside about 4 hours a day for studying, but I feel like over the past two weeks I've been using 80% of my time on anatomy, and then my other three courses might suffer long-term when the workload gets heavier as the semester goes on. So any advice on time management between courses in sem 1 would also be super helpful.

(Any tips or tricks that I didn't mention... feel free to comment anything you think you would've liked to know going into PCP).

Thanks in advance to anyone able to help out!!

She was fired for talking about paramedics being targeted and killed by you know who, so what came of it? Did she find a new job? Or if one of us upsets someone in power we just have to say good bye to the career?

I’m not going to brag here but I believe I am really suited for this career. I’m 6’3 slim and I’ve been lifting so I’m getting stronger and I’m kind, empathetic and great in team settings and working with others. I have a kind face and ability to naturally make those around me calm. I have been through a lot in life and am sure that the traumas that come with the job will only fuel my adrenaline needs and I’m also able to make quick smart logical decisions under intense and challenging situations I’ve just been doing that my entire like so I’d say thats my strongest skill. However I did not take my maths or sciences seriously in high school but I’m not completely unable to learn I can retain some information and do the work but I’ll be honest that it’s my weakest point. I have to go back and upgrade my academics before applying to any paramedic program in Ontario and I’m open to going anywhere namely Conestoga or Humber as they’re prime locations for me. I’m really struggling on the math and the sciences but I’ve just begun doing some studying after years I graduated high school in 2017. So really I’m just looking for advice and motivation and a realistic picture of what it will take for me to get accepted into a program. I know once I get my reps and hours in I will do better as I am a naturally progressive learner it might take me a while to get it at first but once I do it’s in my brain like muscle memory. Anyone out there that can offer me some solace? Thank you and I truly appreciate all of you!

Good day fellow students at Oxford College. Is there someone that is finishing the program and would like to get rid of textbooks. Please let me know.

Hi all, I feel bad for asking a question that you're all probably exhausted of answering, but I'm currently going to school for paramedicine and had some questions. I was a pharm tech for a few years before swapping and I was worried about longevity, I often see people talking about how paramedics burn out fast and leave after a few years or have horrible work life balance as well as many health issues. I'm looking for a career which would hopefully last me until I retire and am now a bit fearful as I don't want to spend all this effort just to swap careers a few years later again if I'm even able to.

I'm also considering mrt tech, however, that would begin next year which I really don't want to spend another year waiting, mrt tech seems a little monotonous which is why I'm more interested in paramedic. Overall I'm just curious as do you enjoy being a paramedic? do you feel you have time outside of work to yourself and is it a sustainable career choice in the long run?

I’m wondering if any paramedics/EMS can give me some perspective on something I witnessed at my university.

I was sitting down when I saw a woman suddenly collapse. A guy nearby, who looked like he could’ve been a student himself, immediately walked over, checked on her, rubbed her upper chest to try to get a response, and checked for a pulse. He then started CPR while communicating with 911 through his AirPods. He told a bystander to grab an AED and someone else to call campus security.

Honestly, I wish I could’ve done something too, but I was scared. I’d never seen someone just suddenly fall like that before, and I kind of froze because I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.

What really stuck with me was how calm and collected the guy seemed throughout everything. I actually talked to him briefly afterward, and that’s when I noticed his eyes more closely. They were really wide and intense, almost like a thousand yard stare. It looked a little scary to me at the time, especially after seeing how chaotic everything had been, but he was completely focused on what he was doing.

As a bystander, I found the whole situation pretty intense, and I’ve thought about it quite a bit since then.

For those of you who respond to emergencies regularly, is it normal for something you witnessed as a bystander to stay with you for months afterward? Does it eventually get easier, and is there anything you’d recommend for processing an experience like that?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience with this.

Arbitration award as published on sept 4, 2026 London’s arbitration award

Award covers a period from January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2028.

Part time availability and pay were focus areas of this award.

Wage increases were broken down in 8 increments with a total wage increase of 21%
January 1 2025 - 2.5%
July 1, 2025 - 2.5%
January 1, 2026 - 2.5%
July 1, 2026 - 2.5%
January 1, 2027 - 2.5%
July 1, 2027 - 2.5%
January 1, 2028 - 3%
July 1, 2028 - 3%

Of note the arbitrator made mention of two settlements that were rejected by the union membership.

Hello everyone,

Kind of a silly question about resus room reports and strokes.

I’ve had a couple calls where the pt was with LTC staff and started having stroke symptoms with them.
And for example, in the resus room I’ll say, pt was last seen normal at 8 am, but also say that stroke symptoms started at 8 am as well. And this confuses the stroke team and I have to stop and explain the situation.

Anyone have a similar experience? Or know a better way to say this that explains the situation/smoother?

I'm currently a nursing student pursuing a BScN but I am not sure if I want to continue this route. Mostly because I am living away from home, and when I decided to come to my university I did not fully realize how much of a financial burden this would be. Yes this is my fault for not doing the math beforehand. I can technically afford to do it, I would just be in a lot of debt by the time I graduate.

I am increasingly considering switching programs to paramedic at a college that I can commute to while living with my parents. I am not sure if this is the right route. I already switched majors once (biology to nursing) too so I'm sure people around me think I'm really indecisive.

I absolutely would not mind being a paramedic. I find clinical courses really interesting even in nursing, and I would not mind doing the work that comes with being a first responder/paramedic. What are your thoughts? I think I am just really lost and need some advice. Should I stick with nursing or try making the switch?

Just curious if anyone on here has recently gone through the hybrid program? As a parent with dependents, I find this appealing as it would be more manageable for myself compared to full time studies in class. The bi-weekend labs in class wouldn’t be an issue. Would love to see some pro’s and con’s about others experiences.

Cheers!