Advanced Care Paramedics (ACP) are senior practitioners within BC Emergency Health Services Most of the career opportunities exist in Vancouver but there are vacancies in Prince George. ACP’s career opportunities in Kamloops, Kelowna, Victoria and Nanaimo are normally filled through transfers of qualified employees currently working for BCEHS.‎

Yes, all new ACPs work in full-time positions and are designated as Irregularly Scheduled Employees.

Irregularly Scheduled employees fill work vacancies that cannot be predicted such as short term book offs, training, Continued Education (CE), extended sick leave, WCB and other leaves that may be paid, or unpaid by the Employer.

Paramedic training is offered by a number of educational institutions throughout British Columbia. The accredited institutions that offer training within the province can be found on the Emergency Medical Assistants Licensing Board (EMALB) website.

Yes, in 2007 the Ministry of Health Services established the Emergency Medical Assistants Education Fund, an over $5 million dollar bursary program to support students enrolled in EMA programs accredited by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) and approved by the EMA Licensing Board. Further information on this bursary program is available on the Justice Institute of BC website.

The Emergency Medical Assistants Licensing Board (EMALB) is responsible to issue paramedic licenses within the province of British Columbia. If you hold a valid EMA licence in another province or territory, you can get a licence in B.C. without further training or experience. You are required to successfully complete the B.C. jurisprudence exam which is administered by the EMALB.

Please contact the Emergency Medical Assistants Licensing Board (EMALB) to apply for an ACP license in British Columbia. Information regarding the BC licensing process can be found on the Emergency Medical Assistants Licensing Board (EMALB) website.

If possible, we suggest that you complete your program and write your ACP exam in Ontario. Once you have obtained your Ontario ACP license you can then apply to the Emergency Medical Assistants Licensing Board (EMALB) for your BC ACP license. In this instance the EMALB will require you to submit your paperwork and challenge the Jurisprudence Exam.  If this is not feasible, you can complete your program in Ontario and write your ACP exam in BC. In this instance the EMALB will require you to submit your paperwork and challenge a comprehensive ACP written and practical exam.‎

BCEHS supports new ACPs joining the Service through the ACP Residency Program, an initiative that pairs each new candidate with an experienced ACP who introduces and orients them to the BCEHS, guides and supports them in field practice and shares experience and knowledge through a variety of interactive learning situations. Learn more about the ACP Residency Program Overview