Paramedics relish their profession’s challenges and rewards
The week of May 21-27 is National Paramedic Services Week in Canada
As with many who work in health care, paramedics never know what their work day will bring. The call comes in and it could be a routine call for medical assistance or it could be a serious emergency that will put their skills and emotional capacity to handle the situation to the test.
The week of May 21 to 27 is National Paramedic services Week in Canada. Like most health-care professionals, they’re also feeling pressures in an already highly stressful job.
Before being elected to the Legislative Assembly of P.E.I. in this year’s provincial election, Souris resident Robin Croucher had been a primary care paramedic since 2011, holding positions in both Montague and Charlottetown throughout his career.
He had joined the Souris Fire Department in 2002 and took an interest in the medical first responder program. He played a big role in moving the department over to a medical first response department.
“In responding to medical calls through the fire department, I realized that it was something I was good at and really enjoyed, so I enrolled in the paramedic program at Holland College,” said Croucher.
He acknowledged he is fortunate to have always been able to separate emotion from his duties while performing them.
“I have a good support system at home,” he noted. “I utilize the programs and resources that are available to us. It is a stressful job and, as paramedics, we need to be cognitive of our mental health and well-being.”
Croucher feels the public is beginning to realize the integral role paramedics play in health care.
“We deal with so many different scenarios in our daily work,” he said. “We can go from standing in the coffee line and, in an instant, be running a cardiac arrest or delivering a baby. It can be the most rewarding, yet the most heart-wrenching, career all at the same time.”
ALL IN THE FAMILY
According to Croucher, the profession is seeing similar challenges just like other health-care sectors.
“Staffing shortages play a huge role in the ability to find work/life balance, morale, etc.,” he said. “That being said, it is an exciting time to be a paramedic, with so many new initiatives and responsibilities being placed on us. There is so much growth occurring right now in our profession.”
The profession no doubt gets discussed over the supper table at the Croucher residence as his two daughters are also paramedics. His daughter Jenna works full time in Charlottetown and his youngest daughter Lesley is just finishing up her first year of the program.
“I am very proud of them and their commitment to serving the people of P.E.I.,” he said.
ALWAYS HAD A DESIRE TO HELP
Derrick Dunne of Grand Bank, located on the toe of the boot-shaped Burin Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, has been a paramedic for 25 years.
“In 1997, I was employed in the fishery during the moratorium and, at that time, I was a first aid attendant in the fish plant,” he explained of his career beginnings. “When I was displaced from the fishery that year, I fell into a parttime ambulance driver job and it snowballed from there.”
Within a year, Dunne was enrolled in a paramedic program.
“I’ve always had a desire to help those who are in need — I’m a volunteer firefighter, also — and knowing I can make a difference in someone’s life at their most vulnerable time is something that drives me to do what I do,” he said.
Dunne said he deals well with the stress that comes with the job.
“I have great family support and I enjoy salmon and trout fishing, ATV rides, boating and walks with my wife, son and doodles (dogs) Maddie and Rosie,” he said. “We also work closely with the ER staff and I find them to be a very good support system for those calls when you need a listening ear.”
PATIENTS ARE OUR FRIENDS
Dunne hopes people realize paramedics give their all on every call.
“Our patients are our friends,” he said. “Don’t always judge us by how we appear on the outside because nobody knows what our last call was or how we’re feeling on the inside.”
He asked the public to be respectful of the profession.
“We are here to help you and to get the help you need in a timely manner,” he commented.
According to Dunne, Newfoundland and Labrador has been on the right track for the past several years when it comes to patient care.
“Primary care paramedics here in Newfoundland have a broader skill set than our counterparts on the mainland,” he explained. “With the transition to a single operator system on our doorstep, the disparity we’ve seen over the years with regards to pay, benefits, work schedules, etc . ... should be taken care of.
“I really think we are headed in the right direction.”
BEING THE CALM AMID CHAOS
Chantelle Gillam, another Newfoundland and Labardor paramedic, works in Stephenville with 72351 Reliable Ambulance Service.
Although Gillam has been a paramedic for 15 years, it was not her first career choice.
“I wanted to be a firefighter and was waitlisted for the course after high school, so I applied for the paramedic course and got in,” she recounted. “Since working as a paramedic, I have never looked back. I always knew I wanted to help people in their time of need and enjoyed the thrill of the fast pace and adrenaline.”
Gillam acknowledged that being a paramedic is very stressful.
“I am very thankful for having supportive family and friends who have come to understand the huge need for downtime,” she said. “Spending time with them on days off truly helps. I love exploring this beautiful island with my husband and two dogs.”
Gillam noted that paramedics work long hours, most of which are considered as on-call.
“We do this job because it’s a calling and we truly want to help others, being the calm to all the chaos,” she said. “But, no matter what, at the end of the shift, we are still human, too.”
During the past 15 years, she has seen a lot of positive changes to the paramedic profession.
“Expanding our scope is always good,” she said. “But the system is still broken and the government seems to never listen.”
AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE SYSTEM
Doug Allen is an advanced care paramedic and paramedic recruiter for EHS Operations in Nova Scotia. The Greenwood resident has been working as a paramedic for almost 24 years.
Allen’s ambulance shifts are out of Coldbrook, but he also works extra shifts throughout the Annapolis Valley. In his role as recruiter, he works out of the provincial office in Dartmouth and travels throughout Nova Scotia and beyond.
Allen’s journey to becoming a paramedic was not a linear path.
Upon finishing high school, he studied both engineering and then journalism.
“I was not a good fit for either,” he said. “I always had an interest in medicine and regretted not pursuing medical school instead. I then realized paramedicine was an option. I applied to paramedic school and the rest is history.”
One way to cope with the stress of the job, according to Allen, is to focus on the positive.
“The job can be stressful, but it can be extremely rewarding as well,” he said. “It is best to focus on the people we help and the difference we can make. I can say, in all humility, that I have kept people from taking their last breath and I have helped someone taking their first breath. That means a lot.”
Allen wishes more people understood a paramedic’s scope of practice.
“The EHS system in Nova Scotia is quite progressive,” he said. “One example would be our use of Tenecteplase (TNK), a clot-busting medication that can stop and possibly reverse the damage caused by some types of heart attacks. We are experts in dealing with medical emergencies using evidence-based guidelines. We are much more than ambulance drivers. We are an integral part of the health-care system.”
Like many other aspects of the health-care profession, Allen feels paramedics are undergoing challenges right now.
“We are rising up to meet those challenges by expanding our role and skill set,” he said. “Our profession will continue to evolve and be a rewarding career.”