REMEMBER TO USE YOUR PHSA ID # WHEN APPLYING (BCAS employee # no longer valid)

 

Posting: EB 25:160

Position: Full Time Irreg Scheduled I-EMD

Location: Patient Transport Coordination Centre (PTCC)

Position(s): 5 (five) 

Posted: April 22, 2025

Closed: May 05, 2025

Training: August 19, 2025

 

 

BCAS intends to fill 5 (five) vacancies for a Full-Time Irregularly Scheduled Interfacility Emergency Medical Dispatcher (I-EMD) in the Patient Transport Coordination Centre (PTCC).

 

Open to all post probationary EMDs, I-EMCTs / EMCTs, as noted below

 

Applicants to both EMD and EMCT positions are selected based on Article 13.01 for qualified bargaining unit applicants and 13.04 for unqualified internal and external applicants.

 

 

Please note, employees accepting any Regular position under the Collective Agreement will not be entitled to rescind an accepted offer after 61 days of accepting the offer.  Regular and Irregular employees may only rescind within the 61 days after acceptance.  You will also be required to report to your new position within the 61 days of acceptance.  Employees that rescind an offer at any time are not guaranteed to be placed back into their current/prior position.

Job Summary

 In accordance with the Mission, Vision, Values and strategic direction of BCEHS and PHSA, safety, including both patient and employee safety, is a priority and a responsibility shared by everyone at BCEHS and PHSA. As such, the requirement to continuously improve quality and safety is inherent in all aspects of this position.

The Patient Transport Coordination Centre (PTCC) is a 24/7 provincial operation that specializes in the planning and coordination of interfacility transport requests as well as critical and traumatic events that require air resources.

The Interfacility Emergency Medical Dispatcher (I-EMD) facilitates the coordination of all logistical aspects of Provincial inter-facility air/ground patient transfer and critical care scene responses. The I-EMD obtains critical information for emergency calls for service, determining and down streaming/transferring to the appropriate regional hospital, and providing comprehensive instructions, and recommending alternate resources where required in collaboration with the BC Patient Transfer Network, Regional Dispatch Operations, Aviation, Pilots, Critical Care Teams, Sending/Receiving facilities, Health Authorities and Emergency Physician Online Support (EPOS).

The I-EMD has in-depth knowledge of the Interfacility transfer coordination processes, knowledge of Health Authority referral patterns and transfer processes to plan, coordinate, and dispatch all air ambulance transport requests and ground inter-facility patient transports, including those requiring specialized Critical Care and Infant Transport Teams and/or life threatened emergency transfers, ensuring the patient is transferred to the appropriate location. The role maintains situational awareness and patient confidentiality when assessing risks related to calls from health care professionals, physicians and nurses for service, prioritizing tasks and continually reassessing circumstances in response to single or multiple events. The I-EMD seeks opportunities to shift activity to manage constantly changing priorities with unpredictable emergent workload due to external factors such as the weather, nature of calls and the urgency of response required.

Duties

1. Determines nature and urgency of requests for service from health care professionals, physicians and nurses, and prioritizes transport relative to algorithm chart procedure. Plans, coordinates and documents all aspects of critical care transfers, transfers requiring neonatal/pediatrics/maternal care, interfacility ground transfers, all air transfers and requests for scene response. Assigns appropriate resources to the event, in accordance with Dispatch policies & procedures as well as Crew Resource Management.
2. Communicates with pilots, crews, partner agencies such as police, fire, JRCC, Parks Canada, Corrections, and Health Authority sites. Liaises with other communication centers to ensure safe landing zones and timely ground support.
3. Coordinates all logistical teleconferences that may include sending and receiving physicians, transport advisors, out of province agencies such as Canadian Armed Forces Joint Rescue Communication.
4. Monitors the progress of all assigned air and appropriate ground ambulance resources, including patient and non-patient legs. Monitors and tracks BCEHS contracted aircrafts using navigation websites such as Skytrac and FlightAware.
5. Maintain educational requirements of BCEHS while demonstrating a commitment to continuing professional development and education.
6. Perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications: 

Education, Training and Experience
•Qualified Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD) or;

•Qualified Interfacility Emergency Medical Call Taker (I-EMCT) or;

•Qualified Emergency Medical Call Taker with a minimum of 1 year experience or;

•Current relevant equivalent dispatcher experience

  

Skills and Abilities

• Thorough understanding of BC Health Care system including the provincial air and ground ambulance system and emergency services communication.
• Familiar with British Columbia’s vast and diverse geography.
• Working knowledge of Health Authority referral patterns and transfer process.
• Working knowledge of the patient transfer coordination process and/or dispatching process.
• Demonstrated ability and dexterity in handling call-taking, multi-line telephone and/or radio communication systems.
• Knowledge of hospital specialty services and common diagnoses.
• Ability to manage, listen to and decipher detailed and graphic clinical details regarding the patient condition during teleconferences all while acting on emergent transfer requests in a timely manner.
• Understanding of the phonetic alphabet, commonly used for radiotelephone communications.
• Ability to multi-task and manage changing priorities and competing demands to accomplish objectives and adapt quickly in a dynamic, busy, fast-paced environment.
• Ability to remain calm and have mental resilience in a fast-paced and high stress environment.
• Ability to analyze and solve problems, identify key factors and underlying causes and generate solutions.
• Technology literacy across various platforms and devices.
• The ability to type 45 wpm with high accuracy.
• Demonstrated the use of critical thinking and sound judgment when making decisions along with active listening.
• Ability to communicate effectively (both written and verbal) under stressful conditions and maintain professional, courteous, respectful relationships with all callers & patients, colleagues, other partners.
• Exceptional customer service experience and the ability to cooperatively interact with diverse work teams.
• Work to the organizational requirements regarding patient safety events, and in identifying risks inclusive of capturing any appropriate information on database which will assist with investigations or complaints.
• Self-motivated to ensure that all relevant training identified by the employer is completed, ensuring you are fully conversant of changes in working practice that directly impact the individual’s responsibilities
• Flexibility to work extended shift work including nights, weekends and statutory holidays in a 24/7 Dispatch Operations Centre.
• Support the organization with developments and initiatives by being fully involved and engaged in trials of both role and organizational changes.
• Ability to operate related equipment.
• Physical ability and mental resilience to carry out the duties of the position.

 

Application Tip:  After applying and clicking on submit – please go to your profile page and confirm that you see your application in the Application History section (go back to job page, log in at the bottom of page and this takes you directly to your profile page, your application history is at the top of the page).  Please reach out to internalrecruitment@bcehs.ca if you have any questions.

 

BC Emergency Health Services employees are advised that Talent Acquisition will only contact employees regarding this employment bulletin using the employee’s contact information contained in the Employee Records & Benefits (ERB) HR system or BCEHS Email.

 

It is very important that your contact information is up to date with ERB. If you would like to make changes to your contact information, you can complete a form to do so and submit it to Records and Benefits. You can find the form at: Employee Address Change Form (the form may take a few minutes to load).

 

If you expect to be away, or unable to answer your telephone after the posting closing date please email a proxy acceptance to the BCEHS Recruitment Help Desk at: InternalRecruitment@bcehs.ca.

 

We are here to help – If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the BCEHS Recruitment Help Desk:

 

Phone: 604-675-7470

Toll Free: 1-844-675-7470

Email: InternalRecruitment@bcehs.ca

Hours: 08:30 – 16:30, Monday to Friday (excluding Statutory Holidays)

 

We invite you to apply by clicking the "Apply Online Now" button where you can register for the first time or enter your Username and Password in order to re-access your profile on our system.  REMEMBER USE YOUR PHSA ID # AND PLEASE ENSURE YOUR CURRENT CONTACT INFORMATION IS ON RECORD.