• What is the purpose of the MedVent program?
    • The program is for youth and young adults who are interested in exploring the career opportunities related to Paramedicine.  The program promotes an understanding of the operations of the Emergency Medical System and the practical skills that Paramedics and First Responders utilize in their daily work.  It is built upon the traditional Scouts Canada program elements such as leadership, citizenship, community service, personal development, and growth.
  • The name MedVent is the concatenation of the words "Medical" and "Venturers", so does that mean it is Venturer only program?
    • Originally the MedVent program was only for Venturer age youths.  When the program was imported into Ontario from British Columbia, the program was expanded to include Rover age young adults.  However, the program name was not changed.  In some groups, the Rovers call themselves MedRovers.  In others, the Rovers call themselves MedVents because that is the program they are in.
  • Where is 1st Markham York Region MedVents located and which is the area we service?
    • Our group accepts youths who are interested in the program where ever you live.  Youth tends to join a MedVent that is closest to their home.
    • 1st Markham York Region MedVents is actually located in the Town of Richmond Hill and not in the City of Markham.  This was due to us obtaining a meeting location in Richmond Hill.  We share the meeting location with the 5th Richmond Hill Scout Groups.
    • Our group mainly accepts members in southern York Region.  We have a partner group in northern York Region, 1st York Region MedVents.  We jointly training and volunteer together in York Region.  Although our volunteer/service area is York Region we do travel to wherever a service event is located.   MedVents have traveled from coast to coast to volunteer their services as Offer of Service (OOS).  The limiting factor is the cost of travel and accommodations.
    • MedVent groups help each other at service events.  We all train under the Red Cross system so our skills knowledge is the same.  Although we are located in Richmond Hill we have traveled outside our area to assist other MedVents to fulfill their manpower needs.
  • Do I have to be a Scout member to join?
    • You do not have to be a member of Scouts Canada to join.  It does help if you have some Scouting or a Guiding background.  You will need to know how the aims of the Scouting and Guiding movements and have camping abilities as per the organization.
    • The MedVent program is a Scouts Canada program. You must be willing to register as a member once you are accepted into the MedVent group.
    • You must be in good standing with your respective organizations.
    • All our members are members considered entrust members who work with youths.  All MedVents, regardless of age or section membership, must satisfy the Scouts Canada's adult volunteer requirements.  Please refer to the items in the "Policy and Safety" section at Scouts Canada Online Support Centre.
  • Do I need first aid certificate before I join?
  • How are our members trained?
  • Other than the registration fee are there additional fees?
    • Yes, there is an additional fee to join a MedVent group. The amount varies, but in the first year, you would pay a higher fee than the subsequent years.
    • The first year fee includes a uniform fee, training fees, and some equipment fees.
  • I am already a member of a Scout group do I need to change groups?
    • It is up to you. The MedVent group can be your primary or secondary group.
    • Our MedVent group has a Scouting program, you may choose to fulfill your Scouting program within our group, or you may choose to fulfill your Scouting requirement in your existing Scouting group or another group of your own choosing.
  • Is there a minimum time commitment?
    • Yes. The number of hours will depend on the group you join.
      • Many groups, like ours, expect you to commit to a minimum of one year of membership.
      • We expect at MedVent Level 1, we expect an annual minimum of 24 hours of community service and another 48 hours of medical service.
      • At the MedVent Level 4, we expect we expect an annual minimum of 24 hours of community service and another 96 hours of medical service.  Plus at least one 5-day residential camp.  At this camp, we assemble a small emergency clinic.  You may work with our Scouters who hold medical certifications, like Medical Doctors, Dentists, Chiropractors, Registered Nurses, Registered Practical Nurses and Paramedics. 
    • Our volunteers and our youth members put in a lot of our time to train you.  So we expect you to volunteer for service hours.  This is where you can solidify your training with actual live cases.
    • The program consists of training and putting your training into practice.  The hours you need to remain in good standing with a group will vary by your MedVent level. Your annual volunteer hours can go as high as 120 or more per year.  Your hours are split between community and first aid volunteer hours.
    • There is usually a minimum number of hours of Scouting and training meeting you must attend.
  • Can I use these hours for my Secondary School Volunteer Hours?
    • Yes, you can.  Our volunteer tasks fall within the guidelines of the school board requirements
  • Can I just attend the first aid training only?
    • Unfortunately, no.  This is a Scouting program with first aid / medical program.
  • Can I join if I am younger?
    • The minimum Venturer age is 15 years old.
      • We do not have younger sections in our group. We share our meeting location and night with the 5th Richmond Hill Scout Group's Scouts section.
    • We also need a certain level of maturity to handle the situation that you can run into that requires a certain level of maturity.
    • Our members work with youths a lot, so it is a more demanding role.  Therefore all MedVent members must fulfill the adult volunteer requirements.    This means all MedVents go through the same vetting and training as an Adult Volunteer.  The one difference is a Venturer does not need to go through the Police Records check until they turn 18.
  • Can I still join if I am over 26 years old?
    • Yes, you can but you will be joining as an adult volunteer.  Adult volunteers work with the youth in their training.  So you will be required to put in additional hours.
  • Are all Adult volunteers trained in first aid?
    • It is up to you.  You can join us as an adult volunteer and only help us with the Scouting program.  You may also decide to take first aid training just like any other MedVent member.  In this case, you would become a MedVent Advisor.  This is actually more rewarding when you attend events with the youth.
  • What is the difference between a MedVent vocational program and the regular Scouting program?
    • Our members complete both a Scouting and a First Aid training program together.  This means our meetings alternate between scouting meeting nights and first aid training nights.  Our members generally spend a lot more time with our group than a regular Scouting member. All our members must commit to agreeing to perform additional voluntary hours performing first aid service. Some of our camps are medical training camps so this will involve further time commitment. Those that do not meet our high standards and time commitment are subject to be temporarily suspended from our program and group. They are asked to join another Scout group to continue with the Scouting program.
  • How much does it cost to get the Markham MedVents to help out my event?
    • The Markham MedVents volunteer at events free of charge; however, we do rely heavily on honorariums to keep our kits stocked and program running.