New partnership expands critical training for northern Ont. paramedics

A new partnership between Sudbury's Collège Boréal & Thunder Bay's Confederation College is increasing access to advanced paramedic training in northern Ontario

Provincial funding has unlocked new and critical training opportunities for paramedics across northern Ontario.

A strategic partnership between Confederation College in Thunder Bay and Collège Boréal in Sudbury is now actively working to increase access to advanced learning for already certified professionals, directly addressing a significant gap in educational resources for the region’s first responders.

Bridging a critical gap in advanced paramedic education

The driving force behind this collaborative effort is the acute shortage of advanced training available locally. For years, paramedics seeking to elevate their skills faced limited options.

Rene Lapierre, the Paramedic Program‘s coordinator at Collège Boréal, explained to CTV News the necessity of the new program.

“There has been a lack of education for advanced paramedics for the last few years in Sudbury,” he said.

“The only program left in the North was Confederation up in Thunder Bay. So, the demand is getting higher and higher from service operators locally.”

This partnership effectively brings a proven curriculum to a new central location, making it accessible to a wider cohort of northern paramedics.

Hands-on learning

The Advanced Care Paramedic Program offered through this partnership provides unparalleled hands-on experience for practising paramedics.

Training is conducted within a sophisticated virtual reality lab and a state-of-the-art ambulance simulator, allowing students to master complex procedures in a controlled, high-fidelity environment.

Students like Chris Bentley, a paramedic from Little Current, are already applying these advanced techniques.

“We have recently been authorized to get advanced care paramedics, so I applied to the program to be able to have more skills and have more lifesaving abilities on the island in my home community,” said Bentley.

Elevating patient care

For the paramedics enrolled, the program represents a significant expansion of their capabilities in the field. They are learning to perform interventions that were once typically confined to a hospital setting.

Alexie Dennie, a Sudbury paramedic advancing her skills, described the shift in perspective to CTV News.

“We are looking at medical calls, traumatic calls in a new lens, a new way with new skills,” she said.

“Skills that you would see potentially in the hospital we are doing out in the field now.”

This enhanced scope of practice is directly linked to a profound commitment to patient care.

Both students emphasized their core motivation is to provide the best possible assistance during critical moments.

“Just to be able to give just a little bit more to our patients being right there and then in their time of crisis is really important to me,” Dennie said.

Bentley highlighted the broader impact for northern Ontario.

“Super beneficial to northern Ontario to have this expansion of scope, especially in the rural communities where we are starting to see it now.”

Each student in the one-year program brings a minimum of 1,000 hours of experience as a primary care paramedic and will return to their home communities equipped with vital new lifesaving skills.