Interested in being a paramedic? Learn more about the requirements

Haldimand County Paramedic Services is comprised of 66 paramedics (32 full-time and 34 part-time) who operate seven ambulances from four stations. They respond to an average of 10,000 calls per year. Paramedics also participate in many community events and public relations activities each year that focus on emergency medical service awareness and injury prevention, including through a bike medic program that deploys paramedics on bicycles at community events, fairs, and festivals throughout the county. 

Are you interested in a career as a paramedic? Then it’s time to consider the requirements for this rewarding career.

Ontario Government Requirements

The Ambulance Act Of Ontario has certain criteria that must be met prior to being certified by the government to work as a paramedic in Ontario. The Ontario Government requires all paramedics in Ontario to have:

  • An Ontario secondary school graduation diploma, or equivalent.
  • The ability to read and write the English language fluently.
  • A valid driver’s licence that authorizes the person to drive an ambulance (e.g. Class F) that is maintained during the past two years prior to employment and during employment.
  • Not have been prohibited from driving under the Criminal Code of Canada in the three years prior to employment.
  • Not received in the year immediately prior to hiring six or more demerit points on their driver’s licence.
  • A valid certificate signed by a physician that states a person has up-to-date immunization against disease. 
  • Be free of all communicable diseases.
  • A criminal record search proving the person has not been convicted of any crime of moral turpitude for which the person has not been pardoned.
  • Valid certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to the basic rescuer level. This must be maintained on a yearly basis after hire.

You also have to graduate a two-year college course: the Primary Care Paramedic Program. This course includes classroom time, hospital practicum, as well as ride outs on an ambulance with a fully qualified crew of paramedics. For more information about the paramedic program, contact one of the many colleges in Ontario that offers the course.

Two medics aid a patient on a stretcher at the rear of the ambulance

Admission Requirements for Primary Care Paramedic Program

For high school students, your guidance counsellor can also help you find information on the paramedic course.

An example of admission requirements for the college course may include:

  • High School Diploma (general or advanced level) 
  • Grade 11 or 12 Biology is required
  • Valid CPR and First Aid
  • A criminal record check
  • Immunized against Hepatitis B, Tetanus, Polio, and Diphtheria. Must also have proof of immunization against flu and chickenpox (or must have had chickenpox)
  • Must pass a Canadian Physical Activity, Fitness, and Leisure Assessment.

After completing the college program, all graduates must write and pass a provincial exam. This will enable them to be able to work as a paramedic in the Province of Ontario, assuming they meet the previously mentioned requirements for hiring.

Further training will be required once a person is hired by an ambulance service.

If you’re interested in becoming a paramedic, talk to someone at your local service, and find out all you can about the job.