Our Mission:
To ensure quality patient care, by being accountable to the public through regulating the practice of paramedicine.
Our Vision:
- establish the educational requirements for each level of paramedicine,
- issue annual licenses to qualified applicants to practice paramedicine;
- establish and improve standards for paramedic practice;
- enhance the continuing competence of paramedics; and,
- investigate and take appropriate action on complaints about paramedics' conduct or competency.
The Minister of Health will appoint the first Council. This is normal practice for all colleges in its beginning stages. As well, new staff will be hired to manage the business operations of the College. The College will operate under a Registrar (equivalent to a CEO), who will be a paramedic. The office location is not yet determined.
Once the College is established, Nova Scotia paramedics will elect a council and a Chair of the council to govern CPNS.
Our History:
In April 2005 the Nova Scotia legislature passed the Paramedic's Act (Bill 158), allowing the province to establish a College of Paramedics of Nova Scotia (CPNS). Nova Scotia paramedics, Emergency Health Services (EHS), lawyers and analysts have formed a steering committee and an advisory committee to help write the College's draft regulations to submit to the Nova Scotia government for approval. Once these are approved, the Paramedic's Act will be proclaimed and become law. This means the College of Paramedics of Nova Scotia (CPNS) will operate as a professional, self-regulating College under the laws of Nova Scotia. The CPNS will: 1) set the criteria for paramedic licensing and re-licensing, 2) investigate and deal with complaints, and conduct and competency of its members issue paramedic licenses, 3) review paramedic registration, and 4) establish and improve professional standards. We anticipate CPNS will begin business operations by early 2008.
EHS has issued licenses and determined paramedics' scope of practice since 1997. When the College of Paramedics of Nova Scotia starts operating, EHS will no longer register paramedics. The College will operate in accordance with the Nova Scotia Paramedics Act (Bill 158) and its regulations. Anyone wishing to be employed as a paramedic in Nova Scotia must register with the College. They will be issued a license and practice paramedicine within the scope as outlined by the CPNS. Currently there are approximately 1,100 paramedics registered with Emergency Health Services, working in a variety of health care settings such as hospitals, community clinics, ground ambulance, business/industrial workplaces, schools, private homes, jails and the DND.
A group of paramedics formed an Association in 1997 called the Nova Scotia College of Paramedics (NSCP). Its purpose was to lobby for legislation to recognize paramedicine as a profession in Nova Scotia and to allow paramedics to self-regulate. The Paramedic Act was passed in 2005 and the Nova Scotia College of Paramedics dissolved to allow an official College to be formed.
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