It's worth pointing out that given the entry requirements at the CivU PA courses, joining as a Sgt or WO wouldn't make much sense to an applicant. If I was required to do 2-4 years of post-secondary education before even getting into the PA program, I'd be looking at DEO, or CF-sponsored MOTP. I think Prairie Dog is correct in assuming Civ PAs would have little incentive to join up. Going up the ranks and becoming a PA would be a more natural transition.
I would not be surprised if the CF sees a major overhaul to their medical structure in the near future, especially with PAs rolling out. Major urban centres are now frothing at the mouth to see more ACPs fill the ranks. It is my humble prediction that PCPs will not exist a decade from now in the civilian world...ACP will become the standard. I speak mostly of Ontario services, who are currently hiring p/t PCPs with no guarantee of f/t unless they work for 2 years continuous. There are such things as f/t PCP for sure, but ACP is the direction most services are trying to push their staff to attain (either by themselves, or through sponsorship). Some services sponsor their own PCPs through ACP training, so obviously that is the direction they'd like to see their staff go.
Anyway, not looking to kick the hornet's nest here on what SHOULD be done, but I'd say if the CF wants to keep Med Techs (or potential civ applicants) interested, mirroring the civilian world closely is the way to go. Just look at MPs getting Cpl rank at BMQ grad - a move to make the trade more comparable to the civ trade. When I took my AEMCA, I wrote it with a few Med Techs who were itching to get certified in ON, then leave the Forces. The medical sector is exploding, and inventing all sorts of new jobs and qualifications that the CF would do well to try and recruit, Registered Respiratory Therapists come to mind, as they are essentially ER personnel specializing in life support, but aren't quite nurses or paramedics, nor PAs.
Can someone flesh out the comparison between Civ medics (PCP) and Med Techs? I'll break down PCPs for reference:
- CPR level C (infant, child, adult)
- First Aid cert. (I'll just lump all bandaging and maintaining sterility here)
- BVM and resp. assistance
- spinal (board, collar, Kendrick Extrication Device [KED] in some services)
- MAST pants
- 4 lead ECG (some services allow 12 lead but NO INTERPRETATION) *Ottawa has a pilot study where PCPs can look for STEMI and bypass ER to go directly to the local Heart Institute
- Nasal and oral airway (some services have combitube or LMAs...anything short of full intubation with the Miller blade)
- medication (this area is tricky as it varies from service to service...I'll just list a few with the caveat that some are not used, where they are elsewhere)
---- ventolin by spacer, BVM, or humidified air
---- O2 (any percentage) by nasal, simple mask, venturi hi-flo, BV, etc.
---- ASA 81mg
---- Narcan
---- Epinephrine SC or IM
---- Benadryl
---- Nitro
---- Nitrous Oxide gas
---- * IV endorsement is possible with some services, however there are drastic differences on what can be delivered. Some services don't allow PCPs to start IVs, just maintain them, others allow IV starts but saline only, or D5W
---- glucagon
---- glucose gel
---- semi-automated defibillation
Please compare that to MTs...I can see right away that MTs get casting training, which would never be a paramedic job.
Also, ACP cert. through the CF is a pipe dream in my opinion...it will just never happen. ACP training covers so much more on the care of infants and children, cardiac conditions, and various other skills that are more geared to a civilian setting. Skill stagnation would be quite high at the ACP level if MTs were expected to maintain the civilian standards...which require regular recertification.
The end result is two careers with different aims and skills attached to them, and a medical field having a bit of an identity crisis as it grows exponentially for different reasons in and out of the CF.
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