Paramedic services in British Columbia, Canada
Place: Northern British Columbia, in a mid-sized city. Beyond that, location not specified.
Time: Now, more or less. Contemporary.
Searches Tried: Paramedic Canada, Paramedic "British Columbia" Canada, Paramedic "British Columbia" organizational structure, Paramedic FAQ Canada.
I'd like to know what it's like being a full-time paramedic in northern British Columbia. In a pinch, the experience of other paramedics will do, especially if said paramedic has moved around a lot and has experienced that most job sites are structured the same, and/or said paramedic is working in British Columbia. I would especially like to know the following:
1. What are the bosses of paramedics like? Do they sit behind desks, or do they go out to the field? What sort of things do they do? I'm imagining that they do personnel management, scheduling, and coordinating with hospitals, but if I'm wrong, please enlighten me.
2. British Columbia's paramedics are unionized, I know, but ... on what grounds can someone be suspended? Is it easy thing to do, or does it require a long paper trail? Can they be suspended without a specified reason? Could the long, long reason specified at the bottom of the entry be grounds for suspension*?
3. I know there are college courses you can take to become a paramedic, but is that necessary in British Columbia, or do you have to pass qualifying exams independent from the courses?
*Specific Situation: Paramedic and partner drive to a rural farmhouse. Partner is detained from going into the house due to difficulties with the vehicle (can't get it into the driveway; there's too much snow on the ground and doing so would destabilize the vehicle significantly). Paramedic goes inside, and finds a corpse.
Next thing he knows, the corpse is gone. His boss (who doesn't like him much), wants to get him suspended until he can figure this whole thing out. Obviously the guy didn't just make a corpse walk off in the middle of nowhere all by himself, and right under the nose of his partner no less. At the same time, though, he's the only one who was at the scene, as it were, so it's technically his fault, from a certain perspective.
Time: Now, more or less. Contemporary.
Searches Tried: Paramedic Canada, Paramedic "British Columbia" Canada, Paramedic "British Columbia" organizational structure, Paramedic FAQ Canada.
I'd like to know what it's like being a full-time paramedic in northern British Columbia. In a pinch, the experience of other paramedics will do, especially if said paramedic has moved around a lot and has experienced that most job sites are structured the same, and/or said paramedic is working in British Columbia. I would especially like to know the following:
1. What are the bosses of paramedics like? Do they sit behind desks, or do they go out to the field? What sort of things do they do? I'm imagining that they do personnel management, scheduling, and coordinating with hospitals, but if I'm wrong, please enlighten me.
2. British Columbia's paramedics are unionized, I know, but ... on what grounds can someone be suspended? Is it easy thing to do, or does it require a long paper trail? Can they be suspended without a specified reason? Could the long, long reason specified at the bottom of the entry be grounds for suspension*?
3. I know there are college courses you can take to become a paramedic, but is that necessary in British Columbia, or do you have to pass qualifying exams independent from the courses?
*Specific Situation: Paramedic and partner drive to a rural farmhouse. Partner is detained from going into the house due to difficulties with the vehicle (can't get it into the driveway; there's too much snow on the ground and doing so would destabilize the vehicle significantly). Paramedic goes inside, and finds a corpse.
Next thing he knows, the corpse is gone. His boss (who doesn't like him much), wants to get him suspended until he can figure this whole thing out. Obviously the guy didn't just make a corpse walk off in the middle of nowhere all by himself, and right under the nose of his partner no less. At the same time, though, he's the only one who was at the scene, as it were, so it's technically his fault, from a certain perspective.