OPPATTM
Beginning in January (2018) select Paramedic and Emergency Medical Services in Ontario will include the Ottawa Paramedic Physical Abilities Test (OPPATTM) as part of their physical demands testing of prospective recruits, paramedics returning to work, and special operations teams. Developed by Drs. Fischer, MacPhee & Sinden, the OPPATTM is a bona fide occupational test that emphasizes the tasks associated with being a frontline paramedic, including:
- lifting/lowering of a stretcher (with and without a weighted mannequin);
- performing CPR;
- walking a short distance while carrying a backboard with a weighted mannequin in place; and,
- loading/unloading of the stretcher from an ambulance (with and without a weighted mannequin).
