NIPAWIN — Cumberland College is expanding its health programming for the 2023-24 academic year.
The college is one of 18 healthcare training programs throughout the province that’s receiving more than $5.5 million from the province.
Locally, Cumberland College will see an increase in the total number of seats for the continuing care assistant programs and the addition of a primary care paramedic (PCP) program for the 2023-24 academic year. The continuing care assistant program will see an additional 22 students added because of this additional funding.
“We are excited and proud to train more students in these two programs because we know our region desperately needs more skilled workers,” said Alison Dubreuil, the college’s interim CEO and president. “As a regional college, our mandate is to provide education and training to students in our region that enables our communities to thrive.”
According to Dubreuil, the primary care paramedic program was last offered at Cumberland College in 2019-20.
There is a demand for primary care paramedics across the province. The wait times for EMS has increased and can be on occasion, no ambulances are available in specific service areas and other ambulances are driving from even further distances adding to the longer wait times.
The program will run out of Cumberland’s Nipawin campus with an expected enrolment of 12 students. Jeff Fisher, chair of post-secondary education for the college, said the small class size ensures students get adequate instructor support.
“This is an intense program with a great deal of hands-on learning involved, so we take great pride in being able to provide personalized support to our learners in order to help them meet success in their program and beyond.”
According to Jessica Brost, owner/operator of North East EMS, there is a significant demand for primary care paramedics in the area.
“There are paramedic positions open in every service in the Northeast region,” said Brost. “Paramedics can now educate, train and work close to or in their home communities. Hopefully this entices people who were thinking about becoming a paramedic but moving away wasn’t feasible.”
More information about the new program can be found on Cumberland College’s website.
