Ornge and Cambrian College establish partnership in advanced care paramedicine

First Ornge partnership with a community college will benefit Ontario patients

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Sept. 23, 2014 /CNW/ - Ornge, Ontario's provider of air ambulance and related services, is proud to announce a partnership with Cambrian College. This is Ornge's first partnership with a community college. Through this partnership, Cambrian College will deliver an Advanced Care Paramedic (ACP) graduate certificate program beginning September 2014, which will  develop and support the training of highly-skilled flight and land paramedics.

The ACP program combines ACP land and flight theory, simulation and clinical aspects, providing a unique opportunity for Primary Care Paramedics (PCP) to become certified for either ACP land, or a combination of ACP land/ACP-Flight (ACP-F).

"Our partnership with Cambrian College helps to support the increasing demand for flight paramedics in the province of Ontario," says Dr. Andrew McCallum, President and CEO of Ornge. "It is important that we work with our partners in the education system to ensure the highest level of care is available to the patients of Ontario."

Applicants must be a graduate of either a Canadian Medical Association accredited two-year Ontario College PCP diploma, or an Ontario PCP program as outlined by the Paramedic Association of Canada and the National Occupational Competency Profile for Paramedicine. They must also be a provincially-certified PCP and successfully complete a Cambrian College entrance exam with a minimum of 70 per cent.

"Cambrian is pleased to partner with Ornge to provide programing that is in line with our history of excellence in paramedicine education and training, as evidenced by the 100 per cent pass rate that our paramedic students have achieved for 10 consecutive years," says Dan Draper, Dean, Schools of Health Sciences and Emergency Services. "This program is an obvious evolution in our programming and one that will benefit students, Ornge and the hundreds of thousands of patients in need of emergency care each year in Ontario alone."

Over two semesters, students will participate in two clinical placements and take the following courses:

• Professional Responsibilities/ACP
• Pharmacology, Physiology & Pathophysiology
• Advanced Assessment & Treatment
• Principles of Pharmacology

Upon completion of their program of study, students must pass an evaluation and a final board examination.

Twelve students have been accepted into the inaugural program and began their studies this month. Applications for September 2015 will be accepted beginning October 1, 2014, and are processed through the Ontario Colleges website.

About Ornge

Ornge, a not-for-profit organization, co-ordinates all aspects of Ontario's air ambulance system, the critical care land transport program, paediatric transport program and the authorization of air and land ambulance transfers between hospitals.

About Cambrian College

Cambrian College has been a leading postsecondary institution in northern Ontario from the time its first classes were held in 1967. The College has a vibrant community of more than 11,000 full- and part-time learners and offers 80 full-time and nearly 900 part-time courses/programs. It provides programming at three campuses and online, serving a student population that is reflective of the rich diversity of today's global workplaces.

SOURCE: Ornge

Ornge: [phone], 1-888-229-8115, [email protected]; Kevin Branch MEd. BHSc, ACP, Program Coordinator and Professor, Paramedic Programs, [phone], extension 7207, [email protected]