The province of Ontario needs more paramedics, and Durham College (DC) is answering the call.

Last September, DC added 10 extra seats to the popular Paramedic diploma program in response to the increased demand for paramedics in Ontario and nationwide.

That demand remains high, and last month, Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones announced that the province’s community colleges would be adding 300 new spaces in their paramedic programs in order to bolster the workforce of this critically important sector. DC is doing its part by adding 30 seats in a compressed stream that will be delivered over four consecutive semesters.

DC’s highly regarded Paramedic program is always competitive and oversubscribed. The popularity of the program is due to many factors, including DC’s state-of-the-art facilities and equipment, 24/7 access to the lab, a team of passionate and dedicated instructors, and a willingness to innovate and change with the times.

After investing in additional lab space and simulation equipment, DC is ready to accommodate more students while maintaining the high quality of the program, according to Gillian Dunn, associate dean in the Faculty of Health Sciences.   

“The faculty and staff, they’re so dedicated and committed to the program,” she said. “We’re always in close contact with our external stakeholders and partners, making sure that they’re being informed about our curriculum and have the opportunity to provide input on how we prepare our graduates. We have really strong partnerships with many of the paramedic services, both in and outside of Durham Region.”

Those partnerships allow students to get experience in long-term care facilities, hospital clinical rotations and on-ambulance preceptorships, where they ride along with professional paramedics. The amount of experiential learning has been a pleasant surprise for Zachary Lash, a student in the program who will enter his second year in September.

“One thing that caught me off guard was how often our faculty are throwing opportunities at us to get out there on the streets and work with paramedic services around Ontario for training,” he said. “The fact that DC gives us that opportunity almost every month means that we’re just practicing and getting better and better and better.”

Sabrina Chapman and Jaime Philips are also entering their second year of the program in September, but they’re not taking the summer off. Instead, they’re furthering their education as summer students in the logistics department of the Region of Durham Paramedic Services. The experience they gained in the program’s first year is one of the reasons they were able to beat out other students for the coveted opportunity.

Learning from instructors who are working paramedics has been particularly influential for the pair.

“The fact that you have that exposure to them and their stories from what’s happening on the road, it really helps you gain a better perspective,” said Philips.

Another reason the pair chose DC is that the program is recognized by Accreditation Canada, which means they’ll be eligible to work as a paramedic anywhere in the country.

Their classmate Lash has also been impressed by the program; particularly its focus on the mental and emotional toll the job can take.

“Going into this line of work, it’s important to have a resilient and strong mental health background, and DC has provided us with the necessary tools and classes on how to stay on top of that stuff and maintain our wellness,” he said.

The program is hard to get into and harder to complete, but students who are willing to work hard will excel, according to part-time faculty member Joseph Barrett, who teaches the program’s Crisis Management course.

“What you put in is what you get out. It’s a very intense, demanding course. I would argue it’s even harder than some university courses,” he said. “But if you put your time in, dedicate yourself to the material and trust the learning process, you will get out 100 per cent of what you put in to the program.” 

For Chapman, all of the hard work has been well worth it.

“I couldn’t be happier with the choice that I’ve made. I’ve loved every minute of it so far.”