Paramedic education standards watered down by dropping prerequisites, Manitoba PCs say

Manitoba's Official Opposition is accusing the government of "watering down" educational standards to make good on a promise to hire more paramedics, after the regulatory body for the profession droppedrecently introducedprerequisites for people looking to enter the career.

The College of Paramedics of Manitoba said in an email Wednesday aprerequisite for people applying to primary-care paramedicine programs that came into effect in June 2023 has been put on hold until 2025 because itwas"not as successful as hoped."

Under the change, applicants to the programs needed six credit hours in anatomy and physiology courseworkata post-secondary institution.

"Theimplementation wascomplicated by the availability, locationand timing" of the six-credit houranatomy and physiology courses, the college said, meaning "some prospective students had a hard time accessing and completing the required prerequisite in time to start the paramedic programs."

'Not the time to put up unnecessary barriers': school

Criti Care EMS one of the schools offering the primary-care paramedicine program in the province stopped requiring the credits this fall, though a checklist of its prerequisites still recommends it.

The school said in an email the prerequisite was a "significant barrier" to accessing education,becauseanatomy and physiology courses fill up quickly and havelimited availability, as they have alab component and can't be completed online.

Criti Care EMS said it consistently received 100 applications every year until the requisite came into effect, but therewere only nine applications for the September 2023 cohort, it said.

"With the removal of this barrier, we had over 60 applicants for this year's cohort," the statement said.

"At a time of critical staff shortages, when the health-care system is desperately trying to recruit new health-care professionals, this is not the time to put up unnecessary barriers."

Red River College Polytechnic, Elite Safety Services andthe Brandon-based Manitoba Emergency Services Collegestill list the post-secondary credits as a requirement for their primary-care paramedicine programs on their websites.

'Substandard care'

The Progressive Conservatives raised the issue duringquestion period Wednesday.

PC MLA Kathleen Cook said she received a letter from a paramedic concerned dropping the prerequisiteswould lead to "substandard care,"and accusing the province of interfering in the decision in order to meet its health-care hiring targets.

"There's a number of things they could have done if they wanted to increase the number of paramedics in Manitoba," Cook later told reporters.

"They could have added more paramedic training seats. They could have offered return of service agreements. They could have made the profession more appealing, rather than watering down training requirements provided."

The College of Paramedics said thatit has"received additional stakeholder input, including from government" on its educational standards since spring.

But Premier Wab Kinewsaid during question period his NDPgovernment didn't force the college to make the decision.

Primary care paramedicine programs in the province range from 10 to 20 months. Graduates must then pass anexam by theCanadian Organization of Paramedic Regulators for certification.

The college said that education on anatomy and physiology specific to paramedic care is still interwoven in the primary care programs. Programs for advanced care paramedics who have additional responsibilities still have the prerequisite, it said.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara told reporters they're in "full support" of making health-care programs more accessible.

"Our priority as a government is making sure that we have more folks on the front lines of health care," they said."Alongside thatis our priority of making sure that patient care is delivered in the safest ways possible."