r/OntarioParamedics

I’ve been accepted into a paramedic program in the fall and I was super excited. However recently for the past month I’ve been going through bouts of very bad anxiety surrounding death and my lack of religion/belief in an afterlife. It’s been nearly debilitating the last few days- constant panic attacks, elevated heart rate, shakiness and shortness of breath (lasts all day and gets bad at night). And now I’m left wondering how the hell im going to be a paramedic if I can’t get my shit together. This feeling won’t go away and I’m unsure if being a paramedic will help me in this journey or exacerbate it. How has seeing so much death affected you? And is it a good idea for me to go into this profession.

Hello all,

I was wondering if you’d be willing to share what your service part time availability is.

So far i’m familiar with Toronto and Peel. Any others would be appreciated! Thanks

Hey everyone!

I've spent quite a lot of time the past couple of weeks scouring the internet, and phoning all sorts of different people at both the MTO, MOH, and CVOR registrar, yet cannot seem to find the solid answer to this question, so I'm wondering if anyone here may know: why is one able to operate an ambulance for a patient transfer service with a G class license, but an F class is required once that ambulance is being operated by a paramedic service?

Just for some insight;

- despite what the HTA and o. reg 340/94 (Drivers' Licenses) says, it is NOT required to have an F class license to operate an ambulance for a patient transfer service

- a Paramedic ambulance is not technically considered a commercial vehicle (confirmed with MTO & CVOR), meaning ambulances & paramedics are exempt from hours of service rules, etc.

- I'm completely aware of how unregulated and chaotic the world of non-emergent patient transfer is, I'm just trying to understand solely the way the licensing is viewed differently between the 2 by the MTO.

If anyone has a concrete answer to this question, and is able to provide a reference that would be much appreciated.

Edited to add:
- it’s not the “lights and sirens thing”; confirmed by the MTO

- I’m aware you need an F class to be a paramedic. I’m not questioning the credentials required to be a paramedic. When it comes to actual licensing, paramedic or otherwise, in writing it states to drive ANY ambulance you MUST have an F class license. I’m looking for the answer as to why a patient transfer ambulance is seemingly exempt from this, although that does not seem to be written down anywhere.

Hey!

I’m 26 years old and looking to make a career change into paramedicine. I’m starting the Pre-Health program at Conestoga College this September, with the goal of applying to paramedic programs for September 2027.

I know how competitive paramedic programs are, so I’m trying to figure out what the best things I can do right now are to improve my chances of getting accepted.

Besides getting the highest grades possible in Pre-Health, what would you recommend?

I’m also not 100% sure which schools I’ll apply to yet. My partner is considering post-grad studies at a few different schools, so I’ll likely end up applying wherever we can both go together.

Any advice is greatly appreciated (:

Just wanted to put some information out for new graduates asking about each service when doing their hiring research.

Please add some details about your own service!

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I'm in the process of completing my mobility certification to work in my home province and in the big city that I grew up in.

For the record my hometown is a big city but I'm very connected to it and being able to serve the community kind of gives me that warm fuzzy feeling. And the anonymity factor is not as relevant as it would be in a smaller town.

I mention this last point because when speaking with other medics, many chose not to work where they live or where they are rooted. But perhaps those are more applicable to smaller towns or regions related to privacy.

I guess what I'm wondering - are there any unforeseen or adverse effects of working in your hometown that I may not be taking into consideration? Other than the anonymity privacy factor is there anything else I should consider..

Or is the hesitancy to work in your hometown just related to small towns?

Starting this off with, if you know me based off of the information I’m about to provide (or suspect lol)…. No you don’t.

Curious on if anyone has successfully completed their program and/or rideouts while pregnant.

I am under the impression that a student is not allowed to complete rideouts while pregnant due to issues with insurance coverage (this seems like a major human rights violation to me….) and am unsure if this is solely related to the school I am attending (not naming said school but will say it’s not known for accommodating students and I solely attended to just get through school asap)

I feel with that information I am stuck in the impossible position of having to decide whether to grow my family or finish the education that I have poured my blood sweat and lots of tears into which I feel is ridiculously unfair of a choice to have to make and am looking for advice/answers from anyone that may have had this come up or known of someone where this came up and how to best approach it. I do not wish to postpone my education further as my family is depending on its completion to provide for them, and I don’t want to have to make a choice between this and a baby. Any and all advice is appreciated. (Unless you know me, yall know who you are lol)

If I go out on placement on time, it is possible I make it through placement with the pregnancy being undetected, however if I wait, it is unlikely that this is the case. And at the moment, an on time placement… is unlikely.

Hi there I’m an adult student “37m” im graduating and upgrading marks from high school. and I was told grade 11 math is fine for requirements for college for said program. But I’m looking up now and some like Humber,Georgian college are saying 12?
I know it’s grade 12 for eng and 11 /12 for bio chem.

Soo my question is ,do I need it?

I do apologize for the stupid question I never been to college before ,I never thought I had the opportunity to. Thankyou everyone.

Hello!!

I’ve never posted on Reddit but I thought now would be a good time.

I am 22 F and I will be going to school in the fall to become a paramedic. I currently work in Veterinary medicine at an ER and specialist hospital as a veterinary assistant. (In the emergency and critical care department) I have been working in Vet medicine for nearly 6y, and the change was something I have been considering since 2y in.

I’m already have my BLS and ALS for animals, as well as my CPR AND BLS for humans.

I was hoping for any good advice for school, or just anything general you wish you knew before going.

I have scars due to personal issues when I was a teenager, I am 19 now. These scars, do they raise my chances of denial when coming into clinical testing, applying or interviews.

How rarely is it to be discriminated, and if so does the OHRC protect me?

Hey guys, I recently finished my paramedic program this April, and I'm preparing to write the AEMCA in June.

I was wondering if anyone who has taken it, or any other students like me getting ready to take it, could give me some tips on what to focus on.

I've already created in in depth google docs and a quizlet which I'm using to reinforce my learning, but I find that it's more so review and not actually learning the information. If anyone has any free resources that mimic the AMECA question styles, please send them to me. I'm not interested in spending alot of money on prep courses lol.

The areas I want to focus more on are those multiple multiple choice questions and decision-making.

All the research ive done tells me i need to have a bunch of collage and university courses that i cant and haven't taken can i still apply for the program for sept 2027 or will they not let me cause im "underqualified"

Hi there,

I wanted to reach out and see if there were any experiences here with returning to paramedicine after time away from the profession? How did it go for you after time away from the road, base hospital certification etc?

I previously worked for around 5 years as a PCP. I left for a different career approximately 7 years ago. Now that my kiddos are older and I am more established at my current job, I am entertaining the idea of working casually again as a PCP. I am in good standing with my previous service and would be applying with them, but not sure how the overall process and testing will go with so much time away.

Just looking for any input or stories people may be able to share who have come back to the job later on. Thanks!

Centennial is closer but a condensed program is appealing. Tough call but grateful for both.

outside of basic service what else is available to or do paramedics have access to volunteering included