Current labour dispute situation

[cherny]

Hi everyone,

I'm a student from Vancouver trying to get started in the EMS field and I have some questions hopefully some of you can answer.

What is the status of the BCAS labour dispute?

Are PCP students back on cars doing their practicums or are they still waiting for preceptors?

What is the job outlook for a new PCP graduating in ~6 months from now? I know this is probably a hard question to answer, but I'm not looking for exact numbers, just an approximation:
How many years would I be looking at working the minimum 8 shifts/month at a remote station away from home until I can move on to an Irregular F/T position as a PCP in the Lower Mainland? 2 years? 3? 4? 5+?


I've been reading a lot online and on this forum, but I know things have changed quite dramatically in the last little while with all that's going on right now with the BCAS, so I was hoping someone can provide some insight on the current situation. Any information will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your time.

-cherny

[futuremedic365]

Hi Cherny!

Are you starting your PCP in September through JI?

Current PCP students are being put through the on-car portion of their training. Quite a few that I have talked to are having problems with getting copies of their unofficial transcripts so that they are able to go through licensing.

I've heard future PCP's are waiting around the 3 to 4 year range to get fulltime. So, the next few years are going to be rough, but we are all in it together.

[cherny]

Hey futuremedic,

I'm actually planning on starting my PCP in January 2011 through the JI in New West. I can't wait to get started but I gotta say getting into this profession is so disconcerting — it's exciting but kind of scary at the same time.

Are you starting your PCP in September through the JI?

[futuremedic365]

Hey,

I understand where you're coming from. It's really exciting, but scary! I've found lots of support from other students and local paramedics. The first few years are going to be really hard, but worth it.

Yep, I start in September at the New West campus. I'm very excited!! If you can any questions about the application process and all that fun stuff, let me know, I've very recently been through it. Good luck!

[radar81]

Depends on your region as well, I would say 4 - 6 years to get an irregular PCP in Vancouver, with the recent shuffle of transfer staff this may change that but who knows, average time in Remote stations is around 6 - 8 months on VI, especially South Island, Mayne, Pender, Renfrew all are a revolving door, in most cases you can lateral out as soon as your probationary is done to a Rural Fox/Kilo station.

[northernmedic]

The current back log of students is being worked through. You can probably get hired in a decent station right out of the gate. I have recently heard of people getting hired straight out of PCP into places like Gibsons, Pemberton and Sechelt, all great places to work. There seems to be a lot of people applying for PCP currently so I don't know what the waitlist is like. Roughly the BCAS hires between 100-130 PCP staff a year based on historical figures. That may increase with retirements of the baby boomers in the next few years. The current irreg hire is sitting at around 3.5 years. There is probably going to be another hire in the fall since there was just a major post shuffle in Vancouver and 52 vacancies were filled.

[Paraone]

If you have your EMR license or have taken the program and planning on going to licensing, put in your application now, as it may take a while to get through the hiring process. As the other guys mentioned it could take up to 3-4 years to get a Irreg. position in Vancouver, but until then you can work out of a good station like Ladysmith, Nanaimo, places like that where you will get a good call volume which in turn means money!! and experience.

Good luck in your course and Have fun!

[cherny]

Thanks a lot everyone for all your suggestions; some really helpful advice in here.

cherny