General Information

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The ACP program is delivered over 22 calendar months and contains 88 weeks of instruction, divided into 3 terms.  Each term length varies (breakdown below), but includes an average of 29 weeks of instruction, plus a 2 week mid-term break each term.

Term 1 (26 weeks, plus 2 week mid-term break): Development of fundamental skills, delivery of foundational ACP knowledge and practicing classic case simulations 
The first practicum takes place immediately following the initial workshop and sees students responsible for performing technical skills while their preceptor manages all other aspects of the call.  Throughout the term students will also work to acquire the foundational knowledge needed to manage simple ACP calls for select systems (ex. cardiac, then respiratory, then GI/GU, etc)

Term 2 (37 weeks, plus 2 week midterm break): Delivery of advanced ACP knowledge and continued classic case simulations
This term builds on the foundational knowledge acquired in term 1 by introducing more advanced material and cases with a particular focus on several areas of study such as pharmacology, paediatrics, geriatrics, etc.  Significant time is also spent on professional practice pieces such as crew resource management, inter-professional Floating practicums continue, but students will now be expected to take the lead on any classic ACP calls that are encountered. 

Term 3 (25 weeks, plus 2 week midterm break): Complex case simulations and final practicum
Students spend the final term of the program studying, discussing and simulating complex ACP cases that prepare students for some of the most challenging real-world patients they will soon be expected to care for independently.  Following the final didactic phase of training students will complete an extended practicum lasting several months where they will be expected to show increasing ability throughout and a readiness to perform independently as safe, competent practitioners by their final blocks on ambulance.

Course Assessment Model
Each term consists of several courses, all of which must be passed in order for a student to successfully complete the term.  A course specific syllabus is provided to each student at the start of each term, and includes a breakdown of how students will be evaluated. 

That said, the assessment model for each course is based on a common format which has been detailed below.  Note that each course will simply remove any not relevant areas and the remaining areas will simply see their weighted value adjusted accordingly.  For example, a pharmacology course will not have any practical examinations or practicum placements, so those would be removed.

To successfully complete a course, students must:

Assignments

• Earn at least 70% on each assignment, AND
• Achieve an overall combined average of at least 75% on all assignments

Written Quizzes & Examinations

• Earn at least 70% on each quiz, AND
• Earn at least 75% on the final written examination

Practical Examinations

• Achieve a “Satisfactory” or better rating on any OSCEs, AND
• Achieve a minimum of 75% on each final practical exam (typically 1 medical, 1 trauma)

Clinical & Ambulance Practicums 

• During any clinical placements, demonstrate competent practice for all required clinical NOCPs, AND
• During on-ambulance precepting, demonstrate competent practice for all required precepting NOCPs, AND
• Earn an overall rating of “Satisfactory” or better from preceptors each block, AND
• For the final practicum only, be recommended by your preceptor for independent practice on, at least, the final 2 blocks

Learning Plans
Students who fail to meet any of the above objectives will be required to complete a Learning Plan with the academy.  Learning Plans are built collaboratively, with the student, their Lead Instructor and a member of the academy’s Education Committee all taking part.  They have 3 goals:

• • Critically review the student and academy’s performance to date to identify likely reason(s) for the failure
  • Set a plan moving forward that addresses the identified reason(s)
  • Establish a plan to remedy the identified gaps in the students knowledge, skills and/or behaviour
    • Note this can involve anything from a simple re-examination or additional precepting, to repeating the course in question. 

Each Learning Plan is unique to the student and situation, as the challenges each student faces will vary.  Repeated failures, or a failure to abide by the terms of a Learning Plan will result in the student being referred to the academy’s Education Committee for a final decision on the student’s status.  The committee has the authority to take whatever action they see fit, which may include requiring additional training, setting up another Learning Plan, or exiting a student from the program.

Attendance
Finally, it should be noted that students are required to attend 100% of the in-person training and mandatory online sessions.  That said, we understand life happens and for extraordinary/unpredictable events (personal illness, weddings, sick family member, broken down car, etc.) we will work with individual students to replace any missed time with additional tutoring, simulations, assignments or some combination of the three.  However, if circumstances result in a student missing enough time that it can not be made up through other means the student will be deemed incomplete for the class(es) involved and will be required to repeat them, at no cost to the student.

Delivery format is a critical consideration when choosing a paramedic program that suits your learning style, work/life commitments, and timeline.  ‘Blended delivery’ is a generic term referencing a mix of online, classroom and practicum learning.  However, not all blended learning programs are created equal.  The ACP program at Columbia was envisioned as a blended learning model from the start, which means that throughout the development process our team was able to build courses in a way that makes the most of this approach.  This isn’t a case of an existing classroom program simply shifting some classroom lectures to Zoom and calling it blended learning… the ACP program at Columbia was purpose built from scratch using best practices in blended learning. 

Workshops are the in person classroom component of the program and typically take place every 2 months, lasting 5-10 days each time.  Apart from the initial workshop delivered over the first 2 weeks of the program, these take place following the online component for a unit, and are meant to deliver the physical skills portion of the training while also reinforcing student’s academic knowledge through practical simulations. These workshops will be offered at a variety of locations throughout BC, allowing students to train close to home.

Online Learning takes place through a variety of synchronous and asynchronous methods, including: interactive self-paced modules, facilitated and recorded online lectures, assigned readings, discussion forums, and more.  Students largely  study on their own schedule when convenient to them, apart from occasional live events (lectures, discussions, etc.).  The workload has been designed to target 20 hours of study per week, allowing students a considerable amount of time for work-personal-family commitments around their academic obligations.

Floating Practicums provide the final piece of the delivery model.  While traditional ACP programs pause classroom education to complete precepting in a defined period (ie. the entire class performs their 12 shifts in a fixed 24 days), our floating practicum approach continues classroom education while students perform the same shifts but at a pace that fits their work-life schedule.  For example, in term 1 students have 3 months to complete their 12 shifts.  Those who are able to commit full time to precepting can be done in a matter of weeks – while those who need to spread it out around other commitments can take up to 3 months. 

As much as we believe in this blended learning approach, it is certainly not the best choice for every learner.  Students should consider their own academic strengths and weaknesses and how they align with each delivery model before committing to any school or program, including this one.  While many students will thrive in a relatively independent and self-paced environment, some who find self-motivation difficult may benefit from a more traditional and structured program that is delivered in person.  

Several of our school’s leaders completed their ACP training in the past and it was their shared experiences that served as the genesis for this ACP program.  Each recounted the difficult choices they had to face when considering an ACP program, such as:

• “How can I afford to take 2 years of unpaid leave when I also have to pay for tuition and normal living expenses like my mortgage, daycare, utilities and groceries?”
• “Am I better off leaving my friends and family behind in BC so I can take an out-of-province program that closer aligns with my needs, or should I stay here and take the only option available even if it’s not an ideal fit for me?”

As an organization led by paramedics our shared experiences as students drive all that we do.  Our “Student First” approach impacts all aspects of our training programs, from curriculum development and program delivery to pricing and administrative support… and everything in between!

We recognize the amount of time, money and energy our students must commit in order to be successful, and our commitment in return is to provide a learning experience that is second to none in terms of support, content quality and outcomes.