Training

Become a paramedic in Quebec: the DEC in Pre-Hospital Emergency Care

The DEC in Pre-Hospital Emergency Care, the public CEGEPs that offer it, then the PNIC, the national registry and the Class 4A licence.

October 10, 2026 · Lire en français

Training

To become a paramedic in Quebec, you need a DEC (college diploma) in Pre-Hospital Emergency Care, a pass in the national clinical integration program and registration in the national registry. The official title of the occupation is primary care paramedic, in French "technicien ambulancier paramédic", or simply paramedic. This text applies to women and men alike.

The DEC in Pre-Hospital Emergency Care

The program now has the code 181.A1. Inforoute FPT, the directory of vocational and technical training, states that it was approved in 2022 and that it replaces the former version, 181.A0. The name has not changed.

According to the same profile, the program lasts about 36 months and totals 2,865 hours, including 2,205 hours of specific training. The rest is general education: 420 hours common to all programs, 150 hours specific to the program and 90 complementary hours. These hours do not include personal study.

The profile lists 17 competencies. Among them: performing clinical examinations, determining care, intervening with people in traumatic situations, transporting people and ensuring equipment compliance.

Admission requirements

The ministry sets no specific prerequisite. Inforoute FPT states that applicants must meet the general admission requirements of the Règlement sur le régime des études collégiales, and it lists "Aucune" (none) under specific requirements.

Each cégep, however, adds its own requirements. Two examples, read on their pages on October 10, 2026.

The Cégep de Sherbrooke requires passing physical admission tests, at a cost of $60 per person, and holding a Class 4A licence before the end of the 5th session
The Cégep de Sainte-Foy invites up to 160 applicants to a paramedical aptitude assessment test (Kin-AP), at a cost of $60, and ranks applicants 50% on their academic record and 50% on this test

The Cégep de Sherbrooke recommends having basic vaccinations once admitted. It states that a criminal background check may be required by some internship settings. The Cégep de Sainte-Foy requires meeting the vaccination requirements of internship settings. The rules vary from one college to another. Read the page of the cégep you are targeting before applying.

Public cégeps that offer the program

Inforoute FPT lists the colleges that offer 181.A1. Here are the public institutions on this list, consulted on October 10, 2026.

Cégep Beauce-Appalaches, Lac-Mégantic and Saint-Georges campuses
Cégep de Baie-Comeau
Cégep de Chicoutimi
Cégep de l'Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Cégep de l'Outaouais
Cégep de Rivière-du-Loup
Cégep de Sainte-Foy
Cégep de Shawinigan
Cégep de Sherbrooke
Cégep de St-Hyacinthe
Cégep John Abbott
Centre collégial de Mont-Laurier
Collège Ahuntsic
Collège Lionel-Groulx

The list also includes one private college.

The former ambulance technician program and the AEC

Before the DEC, people entered the occupation through an AEC (attestation of college studies) in ambulance techniques. The regulation on the national registry no longer names this attestation among its registration conditions. It mentions it only in a transitional provision, for an AEC intended for the Canadian Forces obtained no later than December 31, 2015.

People already trained keep their place. Urgences-santé (the ambulance service for Montreal and Laval), on its careers page, still accepts the AEC in ambulance techniques, the DEC in Pre-Hospital Emergency Care or an equivalent.

After the diploma: the PNIC

The diploma is not enough. Section 2 of the regulation requires having taken and passed the Programme national d'intégration clinique, or PNIC (the national initial certification exam), established by the national medical director. Section 6 gives 2 years from the date the diploma is obtained.

Québec.ca describes the program in three parts, on a page updated on March 24, 2025.

A theory exam of about a hundred multiple-choice questions, with a pass mark of 60%
An assignment of 30 questions on professional ethics and legal responsibilities, mandatory and with no pass mark
A practical part in the workplace, with clinical assessments and 10 complete interventions

Registration is done online on the Préhospitalier Québec portal. It costs $500, payable by credit card only. You must attach a job offer signed by an employer and dated less than six months earlier. In other words, you look for your employer before the PNIC. See our article on paramedic jobs.

The national registry and the Class 4A licence

No one works as a paramedic without being registered in the national workforce registry. The regulation (chapter S-6.2, r. 1) sets three conditions for a Quebec graduate.

Hold the DEC in Pre-Hospital Emergency Care
Hold a valid driver's licence, other than a probationary licence, that authorizes driving an emergency vehicle
Not have been found guilty of an indictable offence related to the practice of the occupation, unless a pardon has been obtained

Québec.ca names the documents to gather: a birth certificate, the Class 4A licence, the diploma or certificate of completion, and the criminal background check. Report cards are not accepted. Our article on the Class 4A licence explains the process with the SAAQ (Quebec's driver licensing and auto insurance board).

Registration gives an active status card, valid throughout Quebec. To keep it, section 10 of the regulation requires completing all mandatory continuing education within a 4-year period. This text is not legal advice.

Did you like this article?

Share this article

Facebook LinkedIn Reddit X Email

Frequently asked questions

What is the path to become a paramedic?

The path has four steps: the DEC in Pre-Hospital Emergency Care (181.A1), the Class 4A licence, the national clinical integration program and registration in the national registry. The DEC lasts about 36 months according to Inforoute FPT. The PNIC must be passed within 2 years after the diploma.

How can I become a paramedic quickly?

No shortcut gets around the DEC. The regulation requires it. A person who has already completed college general education can take the accelerated DEC at the Cégep de Sainte-Foy, which lasts 2 years (2,205 hours). Its page announces the next cohort for August 2027, with registration in March 2027.

What is a paramedic's salary in Quebec?

The Government of Canada's Job Bank gives a median wage of $35.00 an hour for a primary care paramedic in Quebec, between $25.56 and $40.00 an hour. These figures were updated on November 19, 2025. The details are in our article on paramedic salary.

What studies do you need to become a paramedic?

Technical college studies: the DEC in Pre-Hospital Emergency Care, code 181.A1. Inforoute FPT gives it 2,865 hours, including 2,205 hours of training specific to the occupation and 660 hours of general education. The list of public cégeps that offer it is above in this article.

What are the prerequisites to become a paramedic?

The ministry imposes no specific prerequisite course. You only need to meet the general admission requirements for cégep. The requirements come from the colleges, for example a $60 admission test at the Cégep de Sherbrooke and the Cégep de Sainte-Foy. To work afterwards, the regulation on the national registry requires a driver's licence that authorizes driving an emergency vehicle and no conviction for an indictable offence related to the occupation.

What is the difference between an ambulance technician and a paramedic?

Both words refer to the same occupation. The Act respecting pre-hospital emergency services and its regulation on the national registry use "technicien ambulancier" (ambulance technician), and the word "paramédic" does not appear in the Act, up to date as of August 12, 2026. The Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS), Quebec's health ministry, uses "technicien ambulancier paramédic" in its documents, and Urgences-santé posts its jobs under the title "Paramédic". None of these texts describes two separate occupations.

What is the accelerated DEC in Pre-Hospital Emergency Care?

It is the same diploma, without the general education courses. The Cégep de Sainte-Foy offers it through its continuing education to people who have already passed these courses at college: 4 French courses, 3 philosophy, 3 physical education, 2 English and 2 complementary courses. The training is full time, during the day, Monday to Friday. The Kin-AP test is part of the admission requirements.

Is it hard to become a paramedic?

No official source measures the difficulty of the path or publishes a success rate. The texts show three filters. Entry to cégep may involve a selection, as at the Cégep de Sainte-Foy, which invites up to 160 applicants to its test. Then come 2,865 hours of training, then the national clinical integration program, whose theory exam requires 60% and whose practical part includes 10 complete interventions.