32102 Paramedical occupations

What this occupation covers

Workers in paramedical occupations administer pre-hospital emergency medical care to patients with injuries or medical illnesses and transport them to hospitals or other medical facilities for further medical care. They are employed by private ambulance services, hospitals, fire departments, government departments and agencies, manufacturing firms, mining companies and other private sector establishments. Paramedics who are supervisors are included in this unit group.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 10 main duties for this code.

• Assess extent of injuries or medical illnesses of trauma victims, patients with respiratory disease and stress, overdose and poisoning victims, industrial accident victims and other ill or injured individuals to determine emergency medical treatment
• Administer pre-hospital emergency care to patients such as oxygen therapy, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), spinal immobilization, bandaging and splinting
• Establish and maintain intravenous treatment (IV), apply adjunctive equipment for ventilation and circulation complications, administer medications and provide other advanced emergency treatment to patients
• Transport patients by air, land or water to hospital or other medical facility for further medical care
• Collaborate with ambulance dispatch centres, hospital staff, police, firefighters and family members to ensure relevant information is collected and proper treatment is administered
• Document and record nature of injuries and illnesses and treatment provided
• Assist hospital personnel with provision of medical treatment, if necessary
• Maintain emergency care equipment and supplies
• May train and supervise other workers in this unit group
• May assist with triage of emergency patients.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 10 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 33102 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates
• 33109 Other assisting occupations in support of health services

Excluded from this code

• Emergency medical care assistant (See 33102 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates)
• Emergency medical care attendant (non-paramedical) (See 33102 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates)
• Emergency medical responder (non-paramedical) (See 33102 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates)
• Other assisting occupations in support of health services (See 33109 Other assisting occupations in support of health services)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

advanced care paramedic · advanced emergency medical assistant · advanced life support attendant · advanced life support coordinator · advanced life support paramedic · ambulance attendant · ambulance attendant trainee · ambulance attendants supervisor · ambulance driver · ambulance driver-attendant · ambulance services field supervisor · ambulance services supervisor · ambulance services unit chief · ambulance technician · assistant paramedic · chief ambulance attendant · critical care paramedic · drilling rig medic · drilling rig medical technician · drilling rig medical warden · drilling rig medical worker · emergency medical assistant · emergency medical attendant (EMA) · emergency medical technician - paramedic/advanced care paramedic (EMT - P/ACP)

Employment requirements

• Completion of a one- to three-year college, hospital-based or other recognized paramedical or emergency medical technology program is required.
• Licensing by a regulatory body is required in all provinces.
• Those operating emergency vehicles require an appropriate class of licence.