Advanced Care Paramedic

Diploma

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Are you a Primary Care Paramedic looking to take the next step in your career and enhance your skills? If so, our Advanced Care Paramedic (ACP) program is the perfect pathway for you.

Our program is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills required to provide advanced patient care in critical or complex medical situations. You will learn how to assess a patient’s condition and provide treatments such as advanced life support procedures, medication administration, obstetrical care, advanced airway management, mental health crisis interventions and much more.

As a student in our program, you will be taught by expert instructors and train in our Centre for Advanced Medical Simulation, active treatment hospitals and ambulance services to ensure that you receive the highest quality education and training possible.

As the demand for Advanced Care Paramedics (ACPs) continues to rise, and the role of paramedics evolves, enrolling in our ACP program is an excellent way for you to advance your career and broaden your professional opportunities. Our program boasts a nearly perfect employment and licensing exam success rate, with employers consistently praising the quality of our graduates.

Upcoming Intakes

Select your preferred intake to see relevant program information. Program details, including tuition and course information, may vary by intake.

Selection Start Date Delivery Mode Time Campus Length Domestic Status International Status
Sep. 02, 2025 (Fall) In-person Weekdays - Daytime Main 2 Years (Full-time) Open Open
 
             
 

Swipe table to view more information for each intake.

Delivery Mode

  • In-person - All your class activity will be delivered in person, on campus.
  • Online - All your class activity will be delivered online.
  • Hybrid - Your classes will be a mixture of in person and online learning. You must be able to come to campus and participate remotely online.
  • Your choice - Your program offers a variety of class delivery options (in person, online, or a mixture of both) and you can select which type of classes to take. If you wish, you can complete your entire program either in-person or online.
  • HyFlex - All your classes are delivered for simultaneous participation in person and online. You can choose daily to attend your classes in person or join remotely online.

Time

  • Your choice - You can select class times and days that fit your schedule. There are a variety of class options for you to choose from including daytime, evening, weekdays or weekends.
  • No set time - No set class days or times, content is access on-demand. You can complete your studies on your own schedule within the scheduled class dates; may have set due dates and deadlines.
  • Evenings & Weekends - Classes are scheduled after 5 p.m. on weekdays or anytime on weekends.
  • Weekdays - Daytime - Classes are scheduled on weekdays, typically start before 6 p.m.
  • Weekdays - Evening - Classes are scheduled on weekdays, typically start after 6 p.m.
  • Weekends - Classes are scheduled on Saturdays and Sundays.

Campus

Any in-person components of your courses will be delivered at this campus location.

View Campus Map

Length

  • Full-Time - This is the standard length to complete the program, with a full course load per term.
  • Part-Time - Students follow a structured schedule of classes so they can progress in their studies part-time while balancing everyday life.

Domestic Status

The program availability status for domestic applications is updated as applications are reviewed and assessed. Program availability is subject to change without notice.

  • Open - Program intake is accepting applications. If you apply and are qualified, you may be offered admission or be waitlisted. Open does not guarantee a seat.
  • Waitlisting - Program intake is accepting applications, but qualified applicants will be placed on a waitlist.
  • Closed - Program intake is not accepting applications.
  • Upcoming - Applications will open soon for this intake. View the upcoming terms for open dates.
  • N/A - Not available for this intake.

International Status

The program availability status for international applications is updated as applications are reviewed and assessed. Program availability is subject to change without notice.

  • Open - Program intake is accepting applications. If you apply and are qualified, you may be offered admission or be waitlisted. Open does not guarantee a seat.
  • Limited - For international applicants, the program intake is now only available if you already have a valid study permit.
  • Waitlisting - Program intake is accepting applications, but qualified applicants will be placed on a waitlist.
  • Closed - Program intake is not accepting applications.
  • Upcoming - Applications will open soon for this intake. View the upcoming terms for open dates.
  • N/A - Not available for this intake.

Credit programs that accept international applicants also meet the eligibility for the Post-Graduation Work Permit program, including programs with a Hybrid delivery mode. Each student is responsible for maintaining their eligibility throughout their studies.

Hands-on, industry-relevant training 

In this 2 year diploma program you will build on your prior learning as a primary care paramedic and learn about providing advanced emergency care, including assessment and treatment of patients with a variety of medical disorders and injuries. Your learning environment will consist of lectures, labs, clinical simulations and practicum. Areas of learning will be focused on but are not excluded to:

  • Human anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology
  • Advanced life support skills including medical and trauma management
  • Pharmacology
  • Child birth and neonatal care
  • Pediatric patient care
  • Diverse patient populations
  • Professionalism, inter professionalism, and medical legal aspects

You will also be trained in physical and mental health self-care, to ensure you are prepared for a demanding patient care environment.

Practicum will consist of placement with ambulance services and a variety of acute care hospitals. You will be expected to work shifts including evenings, nights and weekends, and you may be required to travel outside of Edmonton for your practicum placement.

The first year of the program consists of lectures, labs and clinical simulations. The second year of the program consists of some lectures, labs and clinical simulation in advanced courses, as well as approximately 1200 hours of practicum.

You can expect to spend, on average:

  • 28 hours per week attending classes over the course of a semester
  • 15 to 20 hours per week studying and completing class assignments
  • 40 hours per week on practicum

Program Goals

  • To foster an environment of clinical and academic excellence that prepares students to function as competent and active members of, and leaders in the health care community.
  • To graduate students who demonstrate entry‐level skills necessary to competently and safely perform procedures as specified in the National Occupational Profile (NOCP).
  • To graduate students who demonstrate professional and ethical behavior.
  • To provide an educational experience that instills in the graduate a commitment for continued learning and an inquiring attitude.
  • To develop the students communication, critical thinking, problem solving, and leadership skills.
  • To graduate students who demonstrate compassionate, safe, and quality health care to a diverse population.
  • To graduate students who will experience a high degree of satisfaction with their learning journey in all program components.
  • To graduate students with whom employers will experience a high degree of satisfaction.

Pushing the limits of simulation training

NAIT's Simulation Centre re-creates the real world of health-care careers

A look inside Canada's only ambulance simulator

Built on a motion platform, NAIT students get to learn emergency response in a one-of-a-kind ambulance box simulator giving them the chance to respond to virtual, life-like situations.

Career Outcomes

Employment as an Advanced Care Paramedic is subject to licensing requirements for the province you work in under the respective college. Please refer to the Alberta College of Paramedics website to learn more.

Alumni profile: Veronica Ryl

Veronica, a former instructor at NAIT, now works as a paramedic in both Edmonton and Maskwacis

Build your resume before you even graduate

Explore work experience opportunities that help grads get hired even sooner.

View Work Integrated Learning

Work Experience Placements

Courses and Advanced Credit

Current and recently admitted students can find information and updates about their program on their My Program page in the MyNAIT Portal. To monitor your course progress and the courses still needed to graduate, visit your Academic Progress Report.

Advanced Credit

You may apply for advanced credit once you have been accepted into the program. Advanced credit can be Transfer Credit (for completed post-secondary courses) or PLAR (Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition).

Transfer Credit

In addition to the common guidelines outlined on the Transfer and Credit Options section, your program has other advanced credit requirements that are applied to each request including:

  • You must have completed the course or program no more than 5 year(s) ago unless a formalized articulation agreement is in place
  • You must have a minimum mark of C in the course(s) or program

Students from the following colleges are eligible for transfer credit to the Advanced Care Paramedic program.

  • Northern Lakes College
  • Portage College
  • Northwestern Polytechnic
  • Medicine Hat College

Read more about advanced credit or contact us about applying for credit for this program.

Scholarships & Awards

NAIT awards over $6 million in scholarships and bursaries to more than 4,000 students each year, with the support of donors and the government. A variety of awards are available, including ones for academics, community involvement, equity/diversity grants, bursaries for financial need, program-specific awards and more!

Learn how to apply for awards

International Applicants

This program accepts international students.

PGWP Eligibility: Graduates of this program are eligible to apply for a Post-Grad Work Permit (PGWP), following Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) field of study requirement effective November 1, 2024. Students must still meet all other PGWP eligibility requirements, including full-time and in-person study requirements.

Want to learn more about this program?

Thank you for your interest! We want to get you in contact with the right person to answer your questions. If you are a current or recently admitted student you can find program and course information as well as contact details for your program on the My Program page on the MyNAIT Portal.








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