Hiring advanced paramedics a challenge amid competition, hazards
04.09.2008 17:01
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
The Ottawa Paramedic Service is trying to hire 60 advanced care paramedics, but is having trouble finding enough candidates. "We are competing against Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, Halifax and even the province P.E.I.," said Ottawa Paramedic Service spokesman J.P. Trottier. "So there is a great demand for advanced care paramedics right now, a great shortage of them in Canada." Advanced paramedics have an extra year of training and more life-saving skills than regular paramedics, which enable them to perform tasks such as inflating collapsed lungs or administering medication. The new advanced paramedic positions aren't expected to be successfully filled in the near future and are being held in the meantime by regular paramedics on contract. Like all paramedics, they may be called to scenes involving chemical leaks, shootings or stabbings, said Trottier. "So the job has its own dangers." But he said Ottawa Police provide good service to help protect paramedics in such situations. Over the weekend, police were called to a Knights of Columbus Hall in Vanier, where dozens of people attending a birthday party allegedly threw beer bottles and rocked paramedic vehicles. Ottawa police spokesman Jean-Paul Vincelette said the crowd was being "rambunctious" but no charges were laid. The incident is the subject of an internal investigation by the paramedic service. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal LinksOttawa paramedics seek staff to end ambulance delaysVideo Simon Gardner reports: Hiring advanced paramedics a challenge amid competition, hazards (Runs: 2:16)Play: Real Media »Play: QuickTime »Health HeadlinesNew study finds no link between measles vaccine and autismNew research further debunks any link between measles vaccine and autism, work that comes as the United States is experiencing a surge in measles cases fuelled by children left unvaccinated.Dutch medical isotopes unavailable until end of October, company saysCancer patients in Europe may face a longer wait for diagnostic tests and treatments as a nuclear reactor in the Netherlands that supplies medical isotopes extended its shutdown for potential safety reasons.Health officers considering cold shoulder for cold cutsIn the wake of a massive listeria outbreak believed to have killed 13 Canadians, provincial chief health officers have been talking about taking deli meats off the menus of health institutions.Bubble kits sold at CNE may cause euphoria, hallucinationsHealth Canada is warning caregivers who may have purchased solvent-based bubble or balloon-blowing kits at Toronto's Canadian National Exhibition against using the products because they could pose serious health hazards to children.Defibrillator shocks signal worsening conditionImplanted defibrillators can provide a lifesaving shock to the heart patients wearing them, but those people should inform doctors when it happens because it could be a sign their heart condition is deteriorating, two recent studies suggest. Health FeaturesIN DEPTHGardasilSevere side-effects rare, concerns lingerYOUR INTERVIEWListeriosisDr. Allison McGeer answers your questionsVIDEOListeriosis Dr. Dara Maker answers questions about outbreak (4:35)IN DEPTHMedical isotopesThe backbone of nuclear medicineNUTRITIONFood supplyNorth America's most endangered foodsVIDEOUniversity nutritionDos and don'ts of dorm dining (5:46)People who read this also read …
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