Greater Sudbury is facing a critical juncture in its paramedic services as Cambrian College has discontinued its Advanced Care Paramedic (ACP) program. This decision, effective August 2024, has prompted the Greater Sudbury Paramedic Services to explore alternative training avenues to maintain their staffing levels and ensure the provision of advanced pre-hospital care to the community.
The cancellation of Cambrian College’s two-semester Advanced Care Paramedic program, a crucial follow-up to its four-semester Paramedic program, comes at a challenging time for healthcare in Northern Ontario. Deputy Chief Melissa Roney of Greater Sudbury Paramedic Services highlighted the instrumental role Cambrian’s program played in sustaining their workforce. The program’s absence creates a significant gap in the region’s ability to train and retain these highly skilled professionals.
Image: Tyler Clarke, author of the original article, reporting on local Sudbury news.
While Cambrian College is shifting its focus towards a new three-year Primary Care Paramedic degree program, anticipated to launch in September 2026, the immediate concern remains the lack of an Advanced Care Paramedic program in the interim. This transition, while forward-looking, does not address the urgent need for ACP training in the short to medium term.
Advanced Care Paramedics are vital to emergency medical services, providing a higher level of care than Primary Care Paramedics. They are equipped to manage complex and life-threatening medical emergencies, including cardiac arrests, severe respiratory issues, and major trauma incidents. Greater Sudbury strategically deploys these specialists to handle high-acuity calls across the region. Currently, the service employs 52 full-time and six part-time ACPs, alongside a larger team of Primary Care Paramedics.
The demand for Advanced Care Paramedics is significant. In 2024 alone, Greater Sudbury Paramedic Services experienced the resignation of nine ACPs, many of whom transitioned to roles at Ornge, Ontario’s air ambulance service, based at Sudbury Airport, or to neighboring services with expanded ACP staffing. This outflow underscores the critical need for a consistent pipeline of ACP graduates.
Cambrian College has been the sole provider of Advanced Care Paramedic training in Northeastern Ontario since 2001, making its program cancellation particularly impactful. The geographical challenges faced by paramedics in the Northeast to access training programs outside the region further exacerbate the issue.
Looking ahead, Greater Sudbury Paramedic Services is actively seeking solutions to bridge this training gap. They are considering developing an in-house ACP training program, similar to models employed in larger urban centers like York Region and Toronto. Another potential avenue is partnering with another local college to deliver a new Advanced Care Paramedic program in Sudbury.
The paramedic service plans to present a comprehensive report outlining these options to the city council in the first quarter of 2025. The aim is to ensure that Greater Sudbury continues to have access to highly trained Advanced Care Paramedics, essential for delivering critical pre-hospital care to its residents. Finding a viable alternative to the Cambrian College program is paramount to maintaining the high standards of emergency medical services in the region.
