‘A dangerous model’: Former paramedic voices concerns about their new role in N.S. – GLOBAL

January 8, 2024

There have been mixed reactions to last week’s provincial announcement about emergency medical responders as a new role within ground ambulance response teams.

Emergency medical responders working on ambulances can assess, stabilize and transport patients to hospital. In a news release, Nova Scotia says the responders may also work in teams of two to “transfer low-risk patients who have been assessed and do not require medical care during transport, or in emergency department offload areas, freeing up paramedics to focus on and respond to emergency calls faster.”

Former paramedic Matthew Williams called the move “dangerous.”

“It’s a dangerous model and it’s a slippery slope,” he said.

Williams was a paramedic in Cape Breton, N.S., for nearly four years before leaving the profession in October 2022 — due in part to burnout.

Now hearing of the province’s plan to train 200 emergency medical responders to partner with paramedics, he fears for the well-being of his former colleagues and the overall care of Nova Scotians.

Read more: https://globalnews.ca/news/10211873/nova-scotia-emergency-medical-responders-paramedic-speaks-out/