Provincial investment to help recruit N.B. paramedics

A $6.5 million investment from the province to help recruit paramedics for New Brunswick

A bursary program is being offered for students who choose to train in the province.

Extra Mural/Ambulance New Brunswick CEO Craig Dalton says recruitment is a struggle everywhere, “Like any other healthcare profession, we struggle just like our neighbouring provinces and in fact across the country. It has been like that for five plus years. It’s a challenge to get that small group of talent, and this is a huge tool in our toolbox to be able to do that.”

A total of 273 bursaries will be available to primary care and advanced care paramedic students. 75 of them are currently enrolled in primary care paramedic training programs. The others will be offered during the 2025/2026 academic year.

Bursaries will also be available for up to 39 graduates of emergency medical technician courses. Fourteen students are enrolled in an English language course beginning later this month at Medavie HealthEd in Moncton. A French-language emergency medical technician course will be offered through Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick, with more information available online.

Primary care paramedic and advanced care paramedic bursary recipients must sign a two-year return-of-service agreement, while emergency medical technicians must sign a one-year agreement. The first half of the bursary will be paid when they begin working, and the second half will be paid upon completion of their return-of-service.

“We’re down by around 200 (paramedics) currently. With an announcement of around 273 being trained, that will move us along to a more comfortable environment, “Health Minister John Dornan says.

“It’s not likely that our need for paramedics will go away. Paramedics age out or pursue other careers. We think that the need will continue. We’re going to study the impact of this announcement today on those needs and reevaluate that. This announcement today is for the next one to two years, and we’ll evaluate the value there after.”

Being a paramedic comes with a lot of daily stressors, and this announcement aims to alleviate at least one, which is the pressure of being short-staffed, with paramedics working long days.

“This investment is going to address one of the key pressures, staff shortages that they confront daily. We’re excited to be able to move forward with this and better enable them to support New Brunswickers,” Dalton adds.