by Alissa Blanchard

A new partnership between Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), PEI's Holland College and Nova Scotia's Emergency Health Services will provide more opportunities for advanced-level paramedic training in Nova Scotia.

"Holland College has been training advanced-level paramedics for a number of years and we are very pleased to see this new partnership with NSCC," said Jamie Muir, Minister of Health. "Our Emergency Health Services branch asked these two colleges to come together and we're excited about this cooperative educational venture."

Paramedics in Nova Scotia are designated according to their level of education. Each level reflects their scope of practice, which refers to the number of medical procedures they are licensed to perform and the number of drugs they are licensed to administer.

The new training program is for the most advanced level of paramedic, the Advanced Care Paramedic designation (ACP). The first 20-month ACP class will be delivered by Holland College in partnership with NSCC at the Truro campus. It is expected to begin this fall. About 20 students will participate in the first program. The training program will subsequently be offered at NSCC, Marconi, Annapolis Valley and Strait Richmond campuses.

"This partnership is about providing Nova Scotia?s communities with the best-trained paramedic personnel possible," said Ray Ivany, president, Nova Scotia Community College. "We are pleased to combine resources and expertise with our partners to ensure that working paramedics have access to advanced training at NSCC campuses across the province."

A leader in paramedicine training in Canada, Holland College offers both primary care and advanced care paramedicine programs to students from all across the country.

"Holland College has achieved a strong, national reputation in the emergency health care industry for both the quality of its paramedicine programs and the demonstrated leadership of its instructors," said Dr. Brian McMillan, executive director of Program Operations at the college. "This partnership agreement is another example of the college?s objective to expand upon this reputation by assisting with the delivery of paramedicine training outside of our home province."

More than 600 paramedics work in Nova Scotia, 70 of whom are advanced care paramedics. Training courses for primary care paramedics continue to be offered by various agencies across the province, including St. John Ambulance and College de l'Acadie.