NORTHERN LAKES COLLEGE
NLC receives Accreditation Extensions for Primary and Advanced Care Paramedic Programs

Northern Lakes College is pleased to announce that it has successfully received accreditation extensions for the Primary Care Paramedic and Advanced Care Paramedic programs. Northern Lakes College's (NLC) paramedic programs are evaluated against national health education standards in an extensive accreditation process.

The accreditation process included evaluations conducted by two organizations, the Canadian Medical Association and Accreditation Canada. In April, an on-site evaluation was conducted at the Slave Lake Campus and the site visit went very smoothly. NLC successfully received its accreditation extensions; the Primary Care Paramedic program received the maximum accreditation of six years and the Advanced Care Paramedic program received a two-year accreditation. Accreditation has a positive impact; it signals that NLC meets national health education standards and graduates from both paramedic programs are eligible to register for licensing across Canada.

The Primary Care Paramedic program is a one year, full-time diploma program with independent study, on-site sessions, and two site practicums. Upon graduation, Primary Care Paramedics can perform a number of skilled medical acts for patients who require emergency care. The Advanced Care Paramedic program is a two year, full-time diploma program, which is very intensive and requires weeks of in-class training, independent study, and hospital, intermediate and advanced care practicums. Graduates from the Advanced Care Paramedic program are in high demand in northern Alberta.

"I am very proud of everyone at Northern Lakes College," said Ann Everatt, President and CEO of Northern Lakes College. "Our faculty and staff work incredibly hard to continuously improve the quality of our programs. These accreditation extensions are a testament to the fact that we prioritize quality education for our students."

Kathy Reid-Soucy, Chair of Allied Health programs at Northern Lakes College has been directly involved in the accreditation process. "There is a significant demand in northern Alberta for emergency care services. Our paramedic graduates are stepping into careers that will have a huge impact on prehospital care in communities across northern Alberta. The accreditation process is a way for us to measure our programs against established health education standards. Our objective is to produce highly qualified paramedics that are skilled in all competencies and ready to enter the work force," she said.

NLC's Advanced Care Paramedic program is the only one of its kind offered in northern Alberta and will be celebrating its first cohort of graduates in June 2018. The Primary Care Paramedic and Advanced Care Paramedic programs are scheduled for September 2018. Both programs are full to capacity and are wait listing students.