Centennial College School of Community And Health Studies
When Graham Mitchell graduated from Centennial College’s Paramedic program in 1992 the job market was in the doldrums of recession. So like many freshly minted college and university graduates, he found part-time work where he could.
It was during a contract with an air medevac service in Northern Ontario that Mitchell realized the extensive role private companies play in the public health-care system. He joined two partners who together purchased Parkview EMS, a small Toronto-based firm that had formed to provide medical emergency services at local horseracing tracks.
“Public services like Toronto EMS are mandated to respond to 911 calls, which means they may leave a stadium unattended,” says Mitchell, explaining the rise of private EMS services that are now fixtures at major sports events and concerts.
They grew the business to the point where today Parkview provides emergency medical services at events hosted by the Air Canada Centre, Rogers Centre, Molson Amphitheatre, BMO Field and other facilities.
More recently, Orangeville-based Parkview found a new market in “aeromedical repatriation,” providing travel insurance companies with physicians, nurses and paramedics to escort patients worldwide, typically bringing them home for treatment in Canada, the U.S. or England after a medical episode or accident.
Mitchell credits his excellent training at Centennial College for his successful career as a paramedic – and as an entrepreneur.
Centennial’s School of Community and Health Studies is recognized for its innovation, high academic standards and faculty-led applied research in the area of healthcare and educational technology.
Since 1973, when the Ontario government transferred responsibility for nursing education from the province’s hospitals to its nursing program college, Centennial has earned an enduring reputation for its health sciences programs.
The college teaches a full range of nursing programs, including a BScN Collaborative program with Ryerson University, Practical Nursing and RPN Bridging to University Nursing with flex options, and a Practical Nursing Certificate to Diploma program. The latter allow students to meet practice requirements in Ontario or upgrade their English communication skills while preparing for advanced training.
Programs are offered at the state-of-the-art Centennial Science and Technology Centre, which opened in 2004 on Morningside Avenue just south of Hwy 401. Students hone their skills in advanced lab and clinical simulation facilities – including a fully outfitted ambulance body installed in a classroom!
Students gain valuable experience through the college’s extensive network of clinical placement opportunities at hospitals and other community facilities, while enjoying a personalized school experience.
In addition to nursing and paramedic programs, Centennial offers a range of certificate and diploma programs including Pharmacy Technician, Food and Nutrition Management, Esthetics, Workplace Wellness, Massage Therapy and related disciplines.
Working professionals can also choose from a wide variety of part-time continuing education courses delivered in the classroom or remotely.
Centennial College will afford you every opportunity to transform your interest into a satisfying career where you can make a difference – just like Graham Mitchell did. At every point along the way you have access to the knowledge, expertise and personalized attention that will allow you to become a true helping professional.
Hazardous Materials Training – Keep Hazards at Bay
Some materials pose a serious threat to both human being and environment in the event of mishandling and that is why they are rightly referred to as ‘HAZMAT’. Therefore, special measures are adopted to avert the hazards while shipping the hazardous products. The slimmest negligence may lead to horrible havoc robbing the life of the HAZMAT handlers and decaying the environmental health. So, hazardous materials training is a necessity for those who are involved in the dealing of the dangerous goods. The training is arranged to educate the employees and enhance their efficiency level.
A formal training is what makes a wide chasm between life and death. Being well-familiar with the estimated risks and use of the protective materials provides the employees a safety belt against the possible hazards of the HAZMAT goods shipment. The hazardous materials training is designed to enrich the knowledge of the individuals with sufficient focus on the involved risk and how to avert it.
Hazardous materials training can be slotted into several levels depending on the type of operation and urgent response. The very basic training starts with the first responder operation which is a must for every government employee. Having a fair knowledge of how to respond to emergency saves both the precious human lives and the physical properties. These trained employees play a defensive role. They take the much required initiatives to recognize the occurrence of an unpleasant event due to the inefficient goods dealing and strive hard to save the civilians from the imminent troubles. The hazardous materials training tones up the competence of the employees so that they can properly diagnose the mishaps as well as take appropriate measures to prevent the harmful effects from spreading far and wide. The evils of the improper HAZMAT dealing inflict bad impacts on the surrounding. So, it is also an onerous task of the trained individuals to keep the perils at a minimum level.
The second level of the hazardous materials training is for those who want to be firefighters. This training is a must requirement for the individuals who have to deal with the chemical substances. These persons need an in-depth knowledge about the chemical properties of these goods and thorough understanding about how to handle them in an efficient fashion. The heightened skill in this regard includes knowledge of advanced control. The technicians must be well aware of successful implementation of both the decontamination and termination procedures. IMDG training is provided to those who are assigned the task of HAZMAT shipment through ocean. They are entrusted with the responsibility to deliver the hazardous goods with precise professionalism and in a harmless way. For more specific knowledge about the chemical compounds, it is a need to go for the specialist hazardous materials training program. The technicians are imparted hands-on training to identify the hazardous substances with the cutting-age technology and improved equipments. They are also required to develop the skill of sketching safety plan. They also learn to don the safety dresses and use the protective equipments as per as the on-site requirement. In more advanced phase of hazardous materials training , the employees are taught atmospheric monitoring. At this level, they are expected to detect the unknown substances with the help of till-date acquired knowledge. Incorporation of basic training is punched with the advanced learning to identify the potentially hazardous solids, liquids and vapors.
