RPPEO News & Updates

As part of our ongoing work to strengthen medication stewardship and controlled substances oversight, RPPEO has completed a review and revision of several internal policies. While most changes were administrative or formatting in nature, we made one substantive revision that may affect clinical work:

The Regional Paramedic Program for Eastern Ontario (RPPEO) is pleased to introduce the Fall 2025 Continuing Medical Education (CME) course Critical Interventions, Critical Thinking: From Emergency Childbirth to Medication Safety.

Starting on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, paramedics will have access to the Fall 2025 CME online module via MedicLEARN. This hybrid CME session is designed to enhance your critical thinking and skill mastery in essential areas of paramedic practice.

Are you passionate about evidence-based practice? Do you want to collaborate directly with physicians and clinical leaders to guide the next evolution of paramedic care? Here's your chance.

The Regional Paramedic Program for Eastern Ontario (RPPEO) is excited to announce recruitment for the Clinical Practice Evidence Panel (CPEP) — a select group of paramedics who will help lead the Comprehensive Medical Directive Review (CMDR).

RPPEO has issued a new Medical Advisory (MA-2025-02) providing clinical guidance on STEMI Hospital Bypass by Primary Care Paramedics (PCPs) with Autonomous IV (AIV) certification. The Medical Advisory comes into effect on July 22, 2025. 

This advisory recognizes that PCPs with AIV certification are equipped to effectively manage hypotension, enabling them to safely apply STEMI bypass criteria under circumstances previously limited to Advanced Care Paramedics. Specifically, it outlines when bypass to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) is appropriate for stable STEMI patients treated by PCP-AIVs.

A new RPPEO Medical Advisory is in effect.

Medical Advisory on Bougie Use Through Suction Catheter 2025-01 provides clinical practice guidance for RPPEO-certified paramedics.

The Ministry of Health has released ALS PCS version 5.4, which will come into force on Monday, June 2, 2025. This update includes meaningful changes to both core and auxiliary medical directives that impact clinical practice across the region.

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Sara-Pier Piscopo has joined the Regional Paramedic Program for Eastern Ontario as a new Associate Medical Director.

Dr. Piscopo is a pediatric emergency physician with a strong background in prehospital and transport medicine. She completed her fellowship in Prehospital and Transport Medicine (PTM) at the University of Ottawa, where she developed a keen understanding of EMS systems and care delivery beyond the hospital setting.

The Regional Paramedic Program for Eastern Ontario (RPPEO) has released a Clinical Bulletin on Measles Management, developed in response to the 2025 Ontario measles outbreak.

This Clinical Bulletin reflects collaboration with paramedic services across Eastern Ontario, with particular thanks to the Ottawa Paramedic Service for providing valuable feedback on infection control and transport practices.

Measles is a highly infectious disease transmitted in the air. 

The bulletin focuses on core best practices in suspected measles, including:

The Regional Paramedic Program for Eastern Ontario (RPPEO) is excited to announce the return of Trauma Days for 2025! Following another year of success, Eric Gagnon is back to deliver his popular and informative Trauma Day Continuing Medical Education (CME) sessions.

The online module for RPPEO's Spring 2025 Continuing Medical Education (CME) program is now available on MedicLEARN!

All Advanced Care Paramedics and those Primary Care Paramedics participating in Spring CME are encouraged to complete the online portion as soon as you can. The module available on MedicLEARN must be complete before paramedics undertake the classroom portion. 

The Ontario Base Hospital Group (OBHG) is recruiting Paramedic Advisors to provide frontline paramedic perspectives on key provincial committees. This is an opportunity for paramedics to directly influence education, data quality, and medical advisory decisions that shape paramedic practice across Ontario.

The Spring 2025 Continuing Medical Education (CME) program is launching on March 31, 2025, bringing a high-impact, skills-focused training experience designed to help paramedics refine rare but essential interventions.

This year’s CME, "The Competency Challenge: Mastering Rare but Essential Skills," takes a hybrid approach, blending online learning with hands-on, in-class training. The focus is on building confidence and mastery in high-acuity skills that paramedics must be ready to perform, even if they are used infrequently in the field.