Alan M. Batt, Pierre Poirier, Jeanne Bank, Jennifer\nBolster, Ron Bowles, Cheryl Cameron, Elizabeth Donnelly, Becky Donelon, No\u00ebl\nDunn, Tim Essington, William Johnston, Rene Lapierre, Tyne M. Lunn, Meghan\nLysko, Paige Mason, Mary Osinga, Dugg Steary, Ryan Strum, and Walter Tavares on\nbehalf of the NOSP Development Group, Working Groups and CSA Technical\nCommittee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For publication in\nCanadian Paramedicine, July 2022<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Developing the National\nOccupational Standard for Paramedics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n PAC has partnered with the CSA Group to manage the\nrenewal of the existing National Occupational Competency Profile (NOCP) and\nincorporate it into a new standard following accredited processes of the\nStandards Council of Canada \u2013 the National Occupational Standard for Paramedics\n(NOSP). Following on from our earlier update in March, in this article we will\nprovide an update on the development of the NOSP to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Development Group (DG)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ryan Strum, Tyne M. Lunn, Mary Osinga and Dr.\nElizabeth Donnelly have joined the Development Group. The DG has reviewed\nmaterials for presentation to the TC and appointments to working groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Technical Committee (TC)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Technical Committee met on two occasions since the\nlast update \u2013 once in March, and once in April. Additional members have been\nadded to the TC representing Indigenous perspectives in paramedicine, and\nprovinces that were not represented. The next TC meeting is provisionally\nscheduled for October 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Development process<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The development process is collaborative and ensures\nthe inclusion of diverse stakeholders\u2019 and end-users\u2019 views throughout the\nprocess. Each step of the six-step development model (1) is conducted in\ncollaboration between the DG and TC. The development of the NOSP is informed by\nthe principles guiding paramedicine in Canada (2), and will be structured\naccording to the paramedic profile roles (3,4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 1.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The DG drafted the purpose, intended uses,\nterminology, and scope of the Standard, along with identifying potential\nstakeholders, rightsholders, and end-users who should be consulted as part of\nthe development of the NOSP. This step involved collaboration with the\nconsultant leading the development of the Canadian Organization of Paramedic\nRegulators (COPR) Paramedic Essential Regulatory Requirements (PERRs) project\nto ensure the projects were aligned with regards to terminology and other\ndevelopmental considerations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The TC provided input and feedback on this step. The\nNOSP will <\/strong>outline the core\nactivities performed by paramedics, and the core competencies required to enact\nprofessional, patient-oriented practice in diverse contexts. It will not<\/strong> consider, or outline\ncompetencies related to service leadership, education, research, policy, or\nother roles that paramedics may fulfil. It\nwill not <\/strong>provide curriculum guidance or career pathway options. These will\nbe outlined in future documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Step 2.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The DG identified a number of contexts of paramedic\npractice in Canada for consideration in the Standard, via a systems thinking\napproach (5). The TC provided input and feedback on this step. These contexts\nare now being explored through 15 pan-Canadian working groups \u2013 see Table 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Table 1. Contexts of practice in Canada<\/p>\n\n\n\n