EMT and EMS......??????

[potlicker]

Can anyone please tell me what is the difference between an EMT and an EMS in Canada. I have gone onto different sites, and viewed different answers. I would like to know if anyone knows the correct definition.
EMT Emergency Medical Technician
Are there different levels?
EMS Emergency Medical Service
Is this referring to anyone who participated in pre hospital service? (fire department, police, life guard etc?)

I would appreciate anything.

Thank you in advance.



Chris
(Allumettes Island Volunteer Fire Department)

[MadMedic]

EMT is strictly a license level; EMT Basic, EMT Intermediate & EMT Advanced (Paramedic). EMS is the whole (pre-hospital medical) system, often called EHS as well. You'll find the PCP programs as well in Canada; PCP/Primary Care Paramedic, PCP Intermediate, PCP Advanced, ACP /Advanced Care Paramedic, CCP /Critical Care Paramedic as well as ITT /Infant Transport Team which is a specialized branch of ACP.

[potlicker]

Hey thanks Madmedic.

The EMT Basic, what does that entail?

I am a VFF. I do posess my trauma spineboard, oxygen, advance epi, as well as CPR & First Aid. Does this class as a EMT Basic, or would I have to take more courses? Just wondering as we had a discussion this past week-end, and I was asked this question. I didn't know what to answer, so I told him I would go online to find the correct answer.
Thanks for the answer so quickly.

[MadMedic]

It sounds like you're an EMR (Emergency Medical Responder), which is the foundation into all advanced pre-hospital training (with out BLS there is no ALS). EMT will expand your exsisting skills & introduce you to the primary EMS medical protocols that will vary by region. The main difference is anatomy, patho, pharmacology, risk vs. benifit & the fundamentals of triage, etc. Your EMT or PCP certification opens the door to all advanced training as far as EMS is concerned. Average cost for a PCP certificate is well over 10K.

[potlicker]

Thanks again. I reside in the province of Quebec. I own my own patient transfer company, and volunteer with our local FD. We have one ambulance locally and a second about 25min away both staffed with paramedics. I am constantly trying to help out our department and medical services by personally taking these extra courses to better myself and assist with our paramedics during a medical call or MVC. I was talking this past week-end when the conversation came up and I didn't know what to answer. More than likely I will take my First Responders Course and see where it goes from there.

I just wanted to know the different levels of EMT and what each level consisted of.

Thank you.

[davebirnie]

Hey i dont think you are an EMR, I took the EMR course and it is alot more indepth, we learned about meds we can give or assist with, suctioning, oxygen, spine boards, and alot of theory, (there is alot more skills it has just been a while when i took it so that is all i can think of at the moment)

I was told that you would be considered a first responder, basically you know O2, AED, and transfers. EMT-B is more for places like Alberta, they have the 3 leveled medics. EMT-B, EMT-A, EMT-P. EMT-B is the basic also known as Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) and in alberta you need this to take the EMT-P course which in ontario is called the Primary Care Paramedic. EMT-P is ontarios CCP, Critical care paramedic.

If I were you dont bother taking the First Responder course because it sounds like you already have that. Im not sure if there is an EMT-B couse in quebec or ontario, but if you dont mind flying out to Edmonton for a 2 week course you will probabily learn alot more. I originally took my EMR with Canadian College of EMS, Edmonton, but i HIGHLY recommend Emergency Service Academy, Sherwood Park Alberta. I took firefighting with them as well as EMR refresher and I learned alot more then I did at CCOFEMS. Good luck with what ever you choose hope this helps and is not too confusing