Frustrated with EMR training

More paramedic and EMR training sounds great, but what about more provincial exam locations and additional dates?

The EMR training is usually for a national certificate but then you must take three exams to be licensed in B.C. My son took his EMR class in September and then waited several weeks for the provincial website access to do the online written exam.

He was then told the two practical exams were not available until February and possibly in Victoria, Vancouver or Fort St. John. None were scheduled for Vernon.

So the exam costs $500 plus possible travel expenses (after paying close to $2,000 for the EMR class and certification.

Is the province going to accelerate the testing process too? My son thought he'd be working on ambulances soon after the class. He chose to re-certify at a lower level to work in the first aid field, for the time being.

Many people have given up waiting to test as they need to work now and may not be able to take time off to travel and test. The field is changing quickly, so they may have to take EMR refresher classes beforehand, at more expense.

This is a really sad situation as there's such a need for more ambulance staff and first aid staff in other areas such as remote locations they can help with.

These are my thoughts after seeing the frustration my son is experiencing in trying to head towards EMR work on ambulances.

Barbara J Lyttleton