How to Make a Complaint
Members of the profession or members of the public may make a complaint to the college where the conduct or competence of a member could amount to professional misconduct and/or professional incompetence. Whether you are a member of the College or a member of the general public, you may contact the Saskatchewan College of Paramedics to discuss your concerns and the process for registering a complaint.
Should you make a complaint?
It is not possible for the College to correct behavior that it is not aware of. For that reason complaints are important and should be considered. The investigation and discipline process will sort out whether there is a valid concern and how it should be addressed. If you are a member of the College, it is your duty according to the Code of Professional Conduct, to “report any activity deemed non-ethical or illegial to the appropriate authorities.”
Some issues are so significant and so clearly a risk to the public that the complaint should be filed with the College straight away. In other cases, the issues may be more workplace or personnel management issues. In these cases, consider, before you make a complaint to the College, whether it is an issue that should be resolved at the local level. For example, have you raised your concern with the EMS Director, the Fire Chief or some other senior manager of the organization where the paramedic works.
For assistance in ascertaning whether to report a member's conduct, please see the document "Professional Incompetendence and Misconduct Reporting Guidelines".
If you are still not sure as to whether you should make a complaint, please call the Executive Director, or Investigations and Research Coordinator at the College to discuss your issue.
What should you do if you want to make a complaint?
You can put your complaint in writing and send it to the College. Please mark the information as confidential and address it to the Chair of the Professional Conduct Committee.
Alternatively, you can call or email the college to discuss your concerns. If you call the College, you will be encouraged to put your complaint in writing and will be advised of the general process for investigating and responding to complaints. It is important that you understand the process that will be followed and what your role will be in the process.
When you are submitting a complaint please try to provide as much detail as possible. Information like the name of the member, the date and time of the incident being complained of, the place where the incident occurred and a detailed description of the complaint, is very helpful. If there were any witnesses to the incident, names and contact information should also be included. Please make sure you give your full name and contact information so that the Professional Conduct Committee can contact you to clarify your complaint and to keep you informed of progress.