I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Zach Cantor on the Critical Levels podcast to discuss – “What is a paramedic?”
In this hour-ish long episode, we dissect the evolving identity of paramedics. From the siren-blaring responder to the autonomous, research-driven clinician, we explore education, self-regulation, career pathways, and why it’s time for the profession to “move out of its parents’ basement” and embrace its full potential within Canadian healthcare.
Listen to the episode
Key Discussion Points
- Dual Identity – Emergency responder vs. community-centred clinician.
- Evidence Gap – Only ~3 % of calls are arrests; nearly 6 % are mental-health-related, yet curricula still over-emphasise resuscitation.
- Five Pathways – Clinical, Education, Leadership, Research, Policy/Strategy.
- Career Framework Levels – Context-bound specialists (Level 2) to autonomous paramedic practitioners (Level 3+) and consultant-level leaders.
- Education Roadmap – Three-year bachelor’s entry, one- or two-year bridge degrees for existing clinicians, postgraduate certificates, master’s, and potential PhD roles.
- Self-Regulation – Why current Ontario oversight “infantilises” the profession and how independent regulation could unlock practice autonomy.
- Retention & Flourishing – Creating goals, recognising prior learning, and funding academic advancement to keep talent in the field.
