Tim Houston Premier of Nova Scotia

Our medical first responders provide critical care in emergencies and are an essential part of our healthcare system.

But for too long Nova Scotians have not had access to enough paramedics. Those working in the field have said that decades of burnout and feeling undervalued have discouraged more people from entering the profession.

There is good news.

We’re recruiting. Thirty Australian paramedics will join our healthcare system thanks to the province’s first in-person healthcare recruitment effort in that country earlier this year.

We’re training. We’re covering the cost of tuition for more than 460 people who want to become a primary care paramedic or an emergency medical responder. This means more Nova Scotians will be able to work in their communities and save lives.

We created a new temporary licence so paramedics can start working while they wait to write their licensing exams, getting more people on the job, faster.

We’re also training emergency medical responders who can assess, stabilize and transport patients to hospital. They won’t replace paramedics – they will work side-by-side with them to expand the number of teams available to respond to emergency calls.

This role is new to Nova Scotia but is working well in other provinces to increase the number of paramedic teams available and reduce wait times. Over the next two years, 200 people will be trained to do this important work.

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