Winnipeg, MB - Representatives from the Province of Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg celebrated the achievements of twelve Advanced Care Paramedic (ACP) program graduates in a ceremony earlier today at City Hall. The graduates completed a challenging three year program, offered by the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) consisting of classroom, hospital and field training to achieve the highest level of paramedic training available in Manitoba.
The graduating class is comprised of six WFPS paramedics and six paramedics from Regional Health Authorities across Manitoba. This is the first program to include paramedic students from Prairie Mountain Health, Interlake-Eastern, and Southern regional health authorities and is the first class of Manitoba-trained Advanced Care Paramedics in the province.
“Advanced care paramedics are trained to provide high-level care before a patient even gets to the hospital,” said Health Minister Sharon Blady. “I want to congratulate today’s graduates and wish them all the best as they start their careers in communities across the province.”
“Advanced Care Paramedics are the caregivers that Winnipeggers and Manitobans rely on when specialized skills are needed to keep them safe on the way to the hospital,” said Mayor Brian Bowman. “I believe our strong component of Advanced Care Paramedics, which is growing, demonstrates the WFPS’s ongoing commitment to providing important patient care. Congratulations to graduates today on this hallmark achievement in your career and professional development.”
“The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service is pleased to be an integral partner with Manitoba Health in the training of Advanced Care Paramedics from across the province,” said Chief John Lane, WFPS. “These most recent graduates of our Canadian Medical Association-accredited training program administered by our excellent training staff will bolster ACP coverage in Winnipeg, and extend this superlative level of care to communities throughout Manitoba. Hearty congratulations to the graduates!”
About the Advanced Care Paramedic Program
ACP candidates undergo an intensive selection process, which includes two years of experience as a primary care paramedic, a written exam, and an interview. Prior to working as an advanced care paramedic, graduates of the program are required to challenge the National Registry Exam. Program participants complete ACP courses while continuing to serve as a paramedic. Including these latest graduates of the competitive ACP program, the WFPS has 125 advanced care paramedics on staff.
ACP graduates gain a number of specialized skills throughout the program, including a broader understanding and appreciation of disease and trauma, advanced airway management, chest decompression, symptomatic cardiac dysrhythmia management, and a greater pharmaceutical responsibility. With the long-term goal of having at least one advanced care paramedic in every ambulance at all times, the ACP program is one of many ways that the WFPS commits to a high standard of patient care.