Cambrian College paramedic students score big on provincial exams

It's a fifteen-year-long winning streak.

The entire graduating class of Cambrian College's paramedic program has passed their provincial certification tests.

That means they're not only ready to work, but they're entering the field at the top of their class.

Cambrian professor and program coordinator Derek McKinnon says graduates will now face the challenging work ahead.

"We're able to train them at the college level to prepare them as best we can for what was happening on the streets," McKinnon said. "We do high-fidelity simulation. We run simulation scenarios that are as close to street level as we can within the confines of the school, and prepare them for how these patients actually respond."

McKinnon said the recipe for the program's success has come through their partnerships with the city, Health Sciences North and local EMS providers.  He calls it a "team effort" and makes sure students feel that teamwork from the moment they enter the classroom.

"One of the challenges as a faculty is making sure that they're able to work well as teams, be able to lean on other agencies that we do have out there to to help these students," he said.

"Primarily though, [it's about] making sure that they are well grounded, good communicators and really good empathetic paramedics."

That includes tackling the pressures of a high-stress job.

"We try to prepare [students] properly psychologically," McKinnon said. "Make sure that they're feeling well and make sure that they have really good outlets so that they can feel well, post doing either bad calls or difficult calls and help them find healthy outlets."

Despite the program's success rate, McKinnon said there's an attrition rate on par with most of Ontario's colleges. Around 400-500 applications are received every year. By the end, between 15-25 students earn their diploma. 

Of those graduates, several go on to the advanced care paramedic post-graduate program. 

So far, McKinnon said employers have been pleased with the students' successes.

"We hear from employers within the province that these students that come out of Cambrian College are ready for work, that they're highly employable."

A test score of 70 per cent is considered a pass on provincial exams, the college said.