PCP Refresher Course

Primary Care Paramedic Program

The PCP Refresher Course, or PCP-R, is a standalone course that has been designed to offer a pathway for eligible students to earn a Primary Care Paramedic certificate without having to complete a full PCP program of study. It is important to note that this program is intended to refresh existing knowledge and skills, rather than to deliver initial training. As such, participants must meet the eligibility requirements defined below.

Eligibility Requirements

Successful completion, within the past 2 years, of all didactic training in an EMALB recognized PCP program, OR
Successful completion of PCP program approved/recognized by a Canadian province within the past 5 years, OR
Previously held a PCP (or higher) EMA license from a Canadian regulator that has been expired for no more than 5 years, OR
*Direction from the EMALB or their employer to complete remedial training

*Note – students required to take this course at the direction of the EMALB or their employer will have different costs, typically lower thanks to less intake assessments being required and potentially different completion requirements. As such, these students should contact us directly to discuss their unique circumstances as the information below will likely not apply to them.

Application Fee

$25

Entrance Assessment Fee

$200 (proctored, in-person)
$225 (proctored, online)

Course Fee

$1600

Program Format

The PCP Refresher Course (PCP-R) has been designed in a modular fashion, which allows us to tailor the training to a student’s particular needs rather than having to use a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Through this, we are able to go into significant depth where needed, while skipping over other areas where a student has demonstrated they possess a PCP level of skill or knowledge. Because of this, the length of the program will vary from one student to the next based on the strengths and weaknesses identified through the intake application and assessment process.

The program is built around 8 modules, which include:

Module Title	Format	Hours
Principles of Paramedic Practice	Online	25
Respiratory Conditions	Online	10
Cardiac Conditions	Online	10
Medical Conditions	Online	12
Trauma Conditions	Online	12
Special Populations	Online	12
Trauma Skills	In-Person	40
Medical Skills	In-Person	40
	TOTAL HOURS	161

Every student must complete the first module, Principles of Paramedic Practice, and at least 1 of the other 7 modules. The rest of the modules are assigned as-needed based on the intake assessment. This means a student may earn a new PCP certificate after as little as 35 hours of training or it may require as much as 161 hours. Likewise, a student may only be required to complete online, self-paced knowledge modules or they may need to attend in person skill training modules.

What module(s) a student will have to complete can only be known after the application and entrance exam are completed. Our team review the results and set the requirements based on what is found.

Note that the in-person modules will be delivered infrequently, and only in urban locations to ensure class sizes sufficient to run the training. Dates for the in-person training will not be finalized until Nov. 15th, but we expect 2025 options in January and April for Victoria & Langley, and in March for Cranbrook & Prince George.

Initial Assessment

Those interested in taking the PCP Refresher course (PCP-R) start by applying to the program, which includes pay a $25 non-refundable application fee. This application will collect a variety of data in order to allow us to determine which stream(s) the candidate may be eligible for.

Within 1-2 business days of submitting an application the candidate will receive confirmation that they are eligible to attend the program. At this time they will also be sent an invoice for their proctored entrance examination. For those who can attend a Columbia Paramedic Academy location, the cost is $200. For those requiring a proctored online examination, it is $225.

Upon completion of the entrance examination our PCP Program Team will review the results and, after combining them with the information gathered in the initial application, will determine which module(s) the student must complete. Decisions are made based on the stream applicable to the student, found below:

STUDENT STREAM	STUDENT DEMOGRAPHIC	COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS
SKILLS	Those requiring only skills refreshing (passed COPR and no areas of knowledge weakness found on entrance exam, but have not passed practical exams)	The skills module(s) that were failed at EMALB, or For those who completed EMALB exams previously but are attending training due to an absence from practice > 18 months, both skills modules must be completed
KNOWLEDGE	Those requiring only knowledge refreshing (ie. failed COPR and/or area(s) on entrance exam, but passed EMALB practical exams)	The knowledge module(s) relating to areas where they failed at COPR, and/or Any modules for which they scored below 75% on in the entrance exam Note: students in this stream have a min. 2 online modules (Principles of Paramedic Practice + 1 other), and a maximum of all 6 being required.
MULTI	Those requiring both knowledge and skills refresh (ie. failed COPR and/or EMALB exams, and/or entrance exam)	Skills module(s) related to the exam type(s) failed at EMALB practicals, and Any online module(s) in areas they failed at COPR and/or scored less than 75% on entrance exam
RETURN TO PRACTICE	Those who had relinquished OR lost their PCP license > 1 year prior	Both skills modules, and Any knowledge module(s) where they scored below 75% on the entrance exam

Preceptorship

In addition to the above streams, some students will also have to complete a preceptorship component lasting up to 192 hours (ie. the same length as standard PCP program). This includes students who:

Have never successfully completed a preceptorship
Have been without a license or suspended for practice for more than 18 months *will only be required to complete 8 shifts (ie. 96 hours)
Have not completed scope update training, leaving restrictions on their license * will only be required to complete 4 shifts (ie. 48 hours) of precepting

To successfully complete precepting, students must complete the hours above and obtain all outstanding C & P competencies that had not previously been demonstrated in a prior program. For those who had obtained, but been out of practice for >18 months, they must obtain at least 1 exposure for all C & P competencies for sections 4 and 5 of the 2011 PAC NOCP guidelines.

Completion Requirements

Upon successful completion of all required modules, and preceptorship (if applicable), the student will be issued a Primary Care Paramedic certificate. This certificate will allow them to apply for licensure with the EMALB, if so desired, and will reset their attempts at practical and written licensing exams.

There is no final examination (written or practical) for this course as testing has been incorporated at the module level. Students are unable to progress through their modules unless and until they pass the built in quizzes and assessments, meaning a final examination isn’t needed.