EMS Profile: David DutchakBy CEN Staff Published: Sat March 20, 2010
1. What's your current position?
I am the President and CEO of M. D. Ambulance Care Ltd in
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I have been on the Board of Directors of the Emergency
Medical Services Chiefs of Canada (EMSCC) since 2002 and continue to hold...
1. What's your current position?
I am the President and CEO of M. D. Ambulance Care Ltd in
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. I have been on the Board of Directors of the Emergency
Medical Services Chiefs of Canada (EMSCC) since 2002 and continue to hold that
position. I also served as President of Saskatchewan Emergency Medical Services
Association (SEMSA). As well, I served as president of the Saskatoon Chamber of
Commerce and Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce.
2. When did your first job commence as an EMS professional?
I was between the ages of 13 and15 and I was dispatching for
our ambulance service in our home town at Blaine Lake. Pretty interesting, hey?
There were no standards in place and I started dispatching at a very early age.
I then moved to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan in 1977/1978 and dispatched on the
weekends. In 1979 I moved to the "big city" (Saskatoon) and began as an
Emergency Medical Technician. When I look at the growth and development of our
communications department and the integral role of emergency medical
dispatchers, it's hard to believe at one time there was a 13-year-old kid
answering the "call for help". Now MD Ambulance is in the process of acquiring
our fourth EMD Accreditation. As well, in 1979 as an EMT and now 30 years
later, you can see the developments of M.D. Ambulance Care Ltd. (Check us out
on our website - www.mdambulance.com).
3. Why did you decide to pursue a career in EMS?
My first thought is "Because my dad made me do it!" Honestly
though, it was partly because of our family culture and how we grew up. My parents
taught us from a very young age the importance of helping and serving others. I
remember our Christmas suppers and how disjointed they could be as my father
would be up and down responding to EMS calls. It was a learned behavior at a
very early age and then it became something that I wanted to do. I guess you
can say it was in my genes and then became a part of who I am today.
4. Who was the biggest inspiration to you when you were
first starting in EMS?
My biggest inspiration would be my father, Michael Dutchak,
the founder of M. D. Ambulance Care Ltd. My dad was a visionary, leader and
mentor. He instilled these qualities in his children. My brothers and sisters
were an integral part in making me the person I am today. My brothers and I
were of the next generation to serve and help others. I looked up to them! Don
Brickner, Don Hunt and Dennis Osler were major parts of my earlier years as
well.
That was then. Now, in the past 10 years it has been the 125
EMS professionals who are part of MD Ambulance Care Ltd. I work with my
Director Team and they are my inspiration that help to continue this journey
and to help "Align and Advance EMS in Saskatchewan and in Canada." For that I
am eternally grateful!
5. Please provide a brief description of your career.
I followed in the footsteps of my father, Mr. Michael
Dutchak, by continuing the legacy of his Emergency Medical Services vision,
which my dad cultivated in 1957. My involvement in Emergency Medical Services
began in the communications department in Prince Albert in 1977 and I began my
career in Saskatoon in 1979. I started out as an Emergency Medical Technician.
I became the General Manager in 1982 and the CEO/President in 2001 at M. D.
Ambulance Care Ltd. I served in the provincial capacity, which helped form SAA
(Saskatchewan Ambulance Association) and then a leadership forum merged and
became SEMSA. In 1999 I began serving on the EMSCC Board of Directors, trying
to advance and align EMS in the province of Saskatchewan.
6. What was your most memorable situation while on the job?
It was my very first ambulance call and it was the double
homicide shooting at the Capri hotel in Saskatoon. I had no orientation or
structure to draw upon. Talk about being "thrown into the mix." As much as it
was a scary situation to be in, I knew this was the career for me. What a world
of difference between then and now, with our orientations and processes that
are in place today, some 30 years later.
I recall the first major fundraiser that MD Ambulance was
involved in. We were attempting to gather funding in 2002 for Saskatoon's first
pediatric ambulance. I was doing a telephone interview with C95 radio station
for the Children's Health Foundation, while I was touring the Maple Leaf
Gardens looking at pictures of my favourite sports team. I was able to merge
two of my favorite things, the love of my job and the love of the Maple Leafs.
(Well at least one is successful!)
Another memory that stands out is the year that I felt our
integrity at MD Ambulance was being challenged. In 1997, we were confronted
with questions regarding delays in sending the appropriate emergency resources
to EMS calls. I have always had a strong belief in team work and collaboration
with other agencies. The allegations that came forth caused a great deal of
contention for our people at M. D. that took years to resolve. Our team fought
hard to stand up for what was right with a high degree of professionalism and
integrity. It was proven that our position was correct and standing up for our
purpose was an honour and a privilege for myself and our "team." Experiences
from this incident have played a huge part with my development as CEO and a
leader. It helped make us a stronger team.
7. What's the biggest challenge facing EMS today?
Clear core identity in EMS in Canada is a major challenge
and a major opportunity within the country. Without a lot of history we have a
great opportunity to establish a great future. Emergency Medical Services
continues to be innovative in new models of health care delivery. Leadership is
evolving and a commitment to the development of both administrative and
clinical leadership is essential to effectively manage and lead the
complexities of EMS services. Enhancement of multi-disciplinary health care
teams and the future of mobile health services is becoming a fundamental part
of the future of EMS and I do look forward to the future.
8. If you could change one thing in EMS, what would it be?
Sustainable funding for the stakeholders to support the
theory of "Keep the best and fix the rest." Support for EMS needs to be done in
a sustainable manner. With limitations in health care funding, we need to make
adjustments and utilize the best of EMS's resources and the best of health
care's resources in an effective and efficient manner. EMS is not just a ride
to the hospital. It is the delivery of health care by trained professionals who
are an essential part of the health care team. The delivery of mobile health
services, such as our Health Bus, is proving to be a successful and effective
delivery of health care by a multi-disciplinary team for the community, in the
community.
9. What's your favorite tool/technology available to EMS
professionals and why?
Communications and IT would be my favorite tools/technology.
And this is in a multi-faceted manner. Beginning with our communications
department, patients essentially receive a zero-minute response time.
Pre-arrival directions are given to begin the delivery of health care by our
emergency medical dispatch team. Our Communications Department collaborated
with our IT Department to develop its own Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system,
which is now utilized in many areas of the province. Our communications
department is currently the only accredited centre of excellence in Saskatchewan
and one of two centres in Canada that has held the longest standing
accreditation since 2000. We are currently in the process of obtaining our
fourth accreditation designation. Our IT, Operations and Professional
Development departments have developed and are implementing a seamless
computerized feedback system through "Team Track." The importance of
communication through real-time feedback is something that has become a key
component of personnel evaluation.
10. What does the future of EMS look like?
Community medicine, mobile health services (eg., the Health
Bus), regionalization, smart and effective customer service. We need to
identify how to best serve our patients and give them high quality patient
care. After all, we are customer service. Those are just a few of the things I
think of when I look to the future. Looking at the "Taking Healthcare to the
Patient" model in the United Kingdom, their focus is providing "the right
response, the first time, in time." We need to define, establish and implement
what the best service is for our patients, in the right environment, at the
right time, by the right providers. The future of EMS is a collaborative,
multidisciplinary, dynamic approach with a broadened integration to become more
of an essential element in the health care system.
11. Paramedics see a lot of strange things in their work.
What's the funniest thing you've witnessed in EMS?
Many years ago, at the end of a 24-hour shift, my partner
was sitting in the back of the unit with a patient. As he looked out the
window, he thought he saw flying turkeys, flying in the middle of the city.
Wow! Not mentioning any names (Dennis Osler).
12. What do you do when you're not working?
I try to balance work and family. It's very important to me
to support my family's interests, as much as EMS, whether it is wake boarding,
hockey, rodeo competitions, golf, or just hanging out at home. We try to spend
time in the summers together at Osoyoos, BC, and Emma Lake, SK. These have
become our family summer vacation spots. My family has been so supportive of my
work over the past 30 years and my life partner, my love of my life Shannon,
(my Boss at home) is a real "Life Saver!" My heroes are my family and I am so
lucky to be a part of their lives and I love them very much!
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EMS Profile: Andrew MoffatBy CEN Staff Published: Tue November 10, 2009
What's your current position?
What's your current position?
I am finally retired - after a series of professions; military, animal genetics, rancher and EMS. Now my days are filled with golf, authoring books and enjoying great grandchildren.
When did your first job commence as an EMS professional?
In 1979. For the first three months I was an advanced first aider, then an EMT and finally, in later years, an EMT-P.
Why did you decide to pursue a career in EMS? We were ranching in the West Country in Alberta where there were neither doctors nor clinics. At that time the north-south Highway 22 had not been completed, so access to both Sundre and Rocky Mountain House hospitals was restricted most of the year. Our nearest hospital and doctors were in Innisfail - approximately 65 kilometres away. One Saturday evening at a legion dance a comrade dropped with a heart attack and there weren't even first aiders to help him. That is when I decided to start an ambulance service. That was not easy as no one outside of the community was prepared to give advice or assistance - and most certainly not for free! (I was given ‘advisory' quotes in the thousands of dollars!)
Even the minister of hospitals stated in writing that we did not need a service as the Alberta Air Ambulance (which did not exist at that time) was the finest in Canada and served our area well! St. John Ambulance said they would train eight of our volunteers for $2,800 and take about 11 months to run the courses. When I threatened to go on television and express my views of their position, they recanted and ran the first aid and CPR courses within 10 days and only charged $225.
Who was the biggest inspiration to you when you were first starting in EMS?
Bill Coghill, without question. Bill was managing Edmonton at the time, but he went out of his way to help in acquiring excellent equipment and vehicles and in giving sound advice. On the training and ethical side, Ron McManus was a solid inspiration throughout our development.
Please provide a brief description of your career.
Following high school I had my commission as a Captain in the Militia. In 1946 I joined the Regular Army as a Gunner (high class Private!) in the Artillery. About 18 months later I was selected to attend the Naval College at Royal Roads - the first person from the Army Ranks to be chosen. I then attended the Royal Military College and on graduation I married and left from my honeymoon to spend 13 months in the Korean War.
In my 32 years of service I had excellent postings throughout Canada, Germany, Italy and Korea. My final posting was as CO of Base Calgary. I retired from Calgary and bought a small ranch west of Caroline, Alberta where we conducted a sheep genetics program as a follow-on program run by a Sundre-area family.
After starting the ambulance service and running it as a teaching/volunteer service, there was not time to continue the ranching operation, so we concentrated on the ambulance service, dedicating about 90 hours each week! On my 77th birthday I decided it was time to let others pick up teenagers from the roadside, and retired to Red Deer.
My wife Daphne, daughter Kathleen, and son Chris all became EMTs as well. I now have 19 books in print, and I hope time to write many more. Themes range from historical fiction, to mystery, to love stories. What is your most memorable situation while on the job? There are a great many, including the Pine Lake Tornado. The most satisfying was probably seeing to the delivery of five-week premature breech twins - and then seeing them on their sixth birthdays when they entered Grade 1.
What's the biggest challenge facing EMS today?
EMS personnel are not employed to their capacity! There should be openings in hospitals and clinics. We are short of RNs and yet ignore the skills and education of paramedics. Both EMTs and EMT-Ps have the capability for skills and practices well beyond those currently permitted in most provinces. Together with this, nation-wide standards and portability are, in the long run, imperative. Had we run a long-term PR program, as fire has done, we - and the public - would be in an infinitely better position today.
If you could change just one thing in EMS, what would that be?
False pride! Our EMS personnel are good; the best in the world. They do not need to flaunt their skills before the public and certainly not to each other. As a national team we are the best there is - as a fractured, competitive bunch of groups we only diminish ourselves and reduce our public image (including before our medical counterparts), We are in every sense a "profession" but we still have far too many personnel who fail to act and perform as such. A national medal and ribbon for communication personnel should be created. Most would not qualify for the EMS ESM because they have not served for 10 years in a capacity of risk. This is a huge oversight.
What's your favorite tool/technology available to EMS professionals and why?
The ‘needle' - it is through the catheter that we exercise most impact on our patients' survivability. Other equipments may give us guidance or allow us contact with senior advisors, but in the final analysis it is most often the administration of a life saving fluid or drug that really matters.
What does the future of EMS look like?
Our future is, regrettably, in the hands of bureaucrats and politicians who are neither medically knowledgeable, nor interested in acting for the long run - beyond the immediate emergency/election - solutions.
Until we can convince politicians, bureaucrats and emergency physicians to do extensive ride-alongs, there will never be an adequate knowledge base for our full development.
What's the funniest thing you've witnessed in EMS?
The most humorous was stopping on the highway at 10 a.m. to help a chap doing CPR on a lady by the ditch - only to find they were not doing CPR!
What do you do when you're not working?
Play 18 holes of golf three times a week. Write books on a wide range of subjects. Write nasty letters to the editor and my MP. Travel to visit family - four children, 20 grandchildren and five great grandchildren (four more in the offing!).
To suggest an EMS professional, past or present, to be profiled in a future issue of CEN, e-mail cen@emsnews.com
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EMS Profile: Lynn B KleinBy CEN Staff Published: Thu August 20, 2009
What's your current position?
I retired on June 29, 2006 but continue to work part time in the Vancouver Island Communication Centre for the British Columbia Ambulance Service. My role in the centre is as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher...
What's your current position?
I retired on June 29, 2006 but continue to work part time in the Vancouver Island Communication Centre for the British Columbia Ambulance Service. My role in the centre is as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD).
When did your first job commence as an EMS professional?
I began my EMS career in December of 1967 in Calgary, AB working for Starr's Ambulance Service (not to be confused with the current STARS air ambulance presently operating).
Why did you decide to pursue a career in EMS?
I did not choose this career. It chose me. I literally became involved in EMS by accident. I was tuning a friend's motorcycle when a car struck me. My leg was fractured and Starr's Ambulance picked me up. En route to hospital the medics found out I had a B.C. industrial first aid ticket and said they were desperately looking for qualified people. I was working in the oil patch at the time making huge money but with a leg in a cast I was out for the time so I gave EMS a shot by working in the Starr's call centre (well, actually it was more like a call closet). I became hooked on wanting to help people in need.
Who was the biggest inspiration to you when you were first starting in EMS?
A person now deceased by the name of Bob Connolly. Bob was with Starr's for many years, and we took up an instant friendship. It was Bob who encouraged me to become a medic. Even at a $1.35 per hour the idea had a very strong pull. Over my 42 years, many others locally, nationally and internationally have dramatically influenced my personal and professional life.
Please provide a brief description of your career.
• 1967-1968 Starr's Ambulance Calgary, AB.
• 1968-1969 Universal Ambulance Service and Arron Ambulance and Resuscitation Service in Calgary, AB.
• 1970-1972 Garden City Ambulance Service Victoria, B.C.
• In 1973, I spent almost the entire year doing a research project for the Government of B.C. on the creation of a provincial ambulance service with my colleague Larry Tuttle. We submitted a report entitled Twice an Orphan.
• From 1974 to present, I have been with the British Columbia Ambulance Service (BCAS). During my career I have held positions as a paramedic, paramedic instructor, the first superintendent of media and public relations for the BCAS, and I have presented at local, national and international conferences. I have also written many articles for EMS publications.
What is your most memorable situation while on the job?
On December 25, 1972 with my partner George Moffat, I delivered twin girls. I have other memories, but like many events in EMS they are memorable for all the wrong reasons.
What's the biggest challenge facing EMS today?
It is a lack of funding and lack of public perception of the vital role EMS plays in both public safety and public health. While we have perhaps moved from being an orphan of public safety and health EMS, with few exceptions, still does not command the same level of attention our colleagues in fire and law enforcement are accorded by politicians and the public. If you need to see an example of what I'm speaking of, take a look at the fire and police stations in your city or community, then take a look at where many EMS crews are housed.
Fire and police have the World Police and Fire Games. EMS/EHS (unless attached to a fire or police agency) is exempt from such a high profile event. There are endless examples of how police and fire have captured the attention of their public and political masters, including wages and benefits.
If you could change one thing in EMS, what would it be?
It is actually on the same topic by two items. The title of "dispatcher" should be changed to emergency medical resource coordinator (EMRC). The title "dispatcher" is long passed as a reference of what is done in a modern EMS communication centre. It is like using "ambulance driver" to describe the role of present day paramedics. The other change is still about communications.
A national medal and ribbon for communication personnel should be created. Most would not qualify for the EMS ESM because they have not served for 10 years in a capacity of risk. This is a huge oversight.
What's your favourite tool/technology available to EMS professionals and why?
The Internet. Through this medium all of us in the EMS profession can keep up to date and find out almost instantly about virtually anything we need to know about our profession, past and present and even some great ideas for the future. It is also a huge source of information about EMS from all over the world. However, I still greatly enjoy journals such Canadian Emergency News and other printed materials.
What does the future of EMS look like?
It will greatly depend on how well the EMS profession entrenches itself in the minds of our political and health care leaders, and the general public. Perception becomes reality in the mind's eye.
Paramedics see a lot of strange things in their work. What's the funniest thing you've witnessed in EMS?
It was during the 1993 Vancouver Interphase conference. The conference occurred the same time as the Clinton –Yeltsin summit. As part of the public display, the BCAS landed one of its Bell 222 medevac choppers at the museum across from the conference hotel in Vancouver. This was a restricted air space and caused a horde of secret service and other law enforcement personnel to descend on the site as the chopper was landing. As the chopper got lower to the huge water fountain and cherry trees in full blossom the rotor wash caused a huge mist from the fountain mixed with cherry blossoms blown from the trees and deposited them on a large group of secret service men dressed in black. They looked at each other in amazement, or shock, not sure which, and promptly left the area, no questions asked.
What do you do when you're not working?
I am the proud parent of five grown children, six grandchildren and one great grandchild. The only real thing in life is family. Much of my time is spent with family. I also derive great enjoyment from designing special pins and insignia for various organizations, including most of the insignia and special pins for the BCAS. I'm an avid cyclist, and work out most every day as part of my general lifestyle. Keeping in shape is one of the most important aspects of maintaining a long career in EMS.
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EMS Profile: Michael McKeageBy CEN Staff Published: Sat July 11, 2009
EMS profile Michael McKeage
1. What’s your current position?
Director of Clinical Development and Disaster Planning for Emergency Health Services Nova Scotia.
2. When did your first job commence as an EMS professional?
In...
EMS profile Michael McKeage
1. What’s your current position?
Director of Clinical Development and Disaster Planning for Emergency Health Services Nova Scotia.
2. When did your first job commence as an EMS professional?
In the spring of 1977 I was offered the position of emergency vehicle operator with the Ambulance Division of the City of Calgary Fire Department. After a taking a six-week course I graduated as an EMT—a new concept at that time—in Alberta. Prior to this I had volunteered in emergency rooms in both the Ottawa General Hospital (1971 to 1973) and Victoria General Hospital in Halifax (1974 to 1977) starting at age 16.
3. Why did you decide to pursue a career in EMS?
The emergency department of the Victoria General Hospital in Halifax in the early ‘70s was a truly unique and energized environment, consisting of emergency room physicians who had been to America (BTA), and emergency room nurses recruited from around the world. These personalities, combined with their passion for learning, as well as the hospital-based ambulance driver attendants, drew me to the field. The stark contrast between the competence and caring provided by this hospital-based ambulance service compared to that provided by many of their private contemporaries fueled my passion to see a better level of prehospital care come to Nova Scotia one day.
4. Who was the biggest inspiration to you when you were first starting in EMS?
Dr. Tony Williams, Dr. Margie Edwards, Dr. Ron Stewart, Paramedics Anne Slaunwhite, George Porter, Paul Morck, Bill McComb, Ron McManus, Nurses Nancy Lynch, Jan Foster, Nancy Kline, and Sister Marthe du Sauveur were all huge influences during the early years of my practice. While unknown to many now, all possessed three remarkable qualities. First, they all possessed a fierce commitment to patient care and advocacy. Second, all continually demonstrated a constant dedication to learning and a commitment to teaching others. Finally, none took joy in the behaviour known today as “dissing” associates. They build their greatness on their work, not the weaknesses of others or by putting down colleagues or associates.
5. Please provide a brief description of your career.
I graduated from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in 1979 with Honours and enjoyed two subsequent years of downtown practice with what was known then as the City of Calgary Fire Department Ambulance Division. During this time I developed a love of teaching, through my work with the Calgary Police Academy. This love would take me to the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in 1981 where Lyle McKellar, Paul Ramer and I would develop NAIT’s first paramedic program. My two years at NAIT taught me how much more there was to learn about paramedicine, so I returned to practice in Grande Prairie, AB.
Grande Prairie would be my first experience in a rural practice and hospital-based system. Unlike the heavily resourced Calgary system, in Grande Prairie paramedics did it all—ground transportation, vehicle rescue, air medical rescue and transport. My curiosity about EMS management would be explored in 1986 as a natural evolution because of my predisposition to build things and systems. The creation of Project Outbound, teaching ACLS to non-traditional groups and working with the Registered Emergency Paramedic Association of Alberta, served me well as I began as assistant director for the Grand Prairie Ambulance Service.
My background in education and hospital accreditation experience acquired in Grande Prairie would allow me to accept a position with the Calgary EMS Department in 1988 overseeing their Clinical Quality, Continuing Medical Education, and PR and Safety program for that department. The City of Calgary’s staff development program would open doors to more teaching, as well as board positions with what was known then as the Alberta Ambulance Operators Association and the Alberta Prehospital Professions Association. In addition, I was able to finish my degree from Dalhousie and acquire a certificate in adult education from St. Francis Xavier University. These blessings would in turn lead to independent consulting contracts for several provinces and EHS organizations, as well as international speaking engagements.
The passion to return home to Halifax and assist with the long-awaited overhaul of the Nova Scotia Ambulance Service was realized in 1997 when I returned to Nova Scotia to consult and assist in the implementation of the Murphy Plan as the director of Ground Ambulance and First Responder Programming for the Nova Scotia Department of Health. Since 1999 I have worked for the ambulance contractor in Nova Scotia having the privilege of being the director of operations for that organization during the first nine years of its existence. I have been a board member of the Emergency Medical Services Chiefs of Canada, an advisor to Health Canada and a member of the Canadian Medical Association Committee on Conjoint Accreditation.
6. What is your most memorable situation while on the job?
Hurricane Juan—I lost one of my staff on my watch, that night. Paramedic John Rossiter, an excellent teacher, was killed by a falling tree. John’s death was one incident that taught us all how fast the end can come in our line of work. Equally memorable was the outpouring of support, kindness and love from the public and paramedics from all across Canada during our hour of need. We Nova Scotia paramedics will always be grateful for that caring.
7. What’s the biggest challenge facing EMS today?
As a profession, I truly believe we have to figure out what we want to be “when we grow up” very soon. Paramedics over the last 37 years have been trained in varied and sometimes controversial processes from technical institutes, to colleges, and now even stand alone schools. Paramedics have experienced many types of full-time, part-time, distance and online educational programming—most without ever darkening the doors of Medical School or the Health Science faculty. The end result has been that many paramedics today graduate only with technical skills without education on what the Canada Health Act is, how to define health, how to conduct research or how to analyze the changing needs of their communities. If we compare the evolution of our educational and formation processes in the last 20 years to other health care professionals, I see us severely lacking and stuck in the paradigm, described by a wise paramedic faculty member as “thinking only with our hands.”
8. If you could change one thing in EMS, what would it be?
Change the title of EMS to EHS (Emergency Health Services), and embrace and celebrate the significance of that one letter change. It was not until I arrived in Nova Scotia that I saw what could truly be done when paramedics were engaged not as a public safety service but as members of the health care team. In my opinion, it is only when we have successfully infiltrated and have become full partners in our area/district/regional health care team that we will be able to evolve to the next level of professional activities and innovation.
9. What’s your favorite tool/technology available to EMS professionals and why?
With apologies to my communication colleagues for classifying them as a “tool/ technology” I truly believe that medical communication centres have been underutilized for too long. I see a future where the communications officer truly becomes the third partner on each call. Communication officers could provide things that far exceed what is currently being done in many areas, including call response planning, pre-arrival clinical coaching and health resource gatekeeper services. The enhanced use of CAD technology as a syndromic and injury surveillance tool is another example of how the resources and expertise of these centres could be further engaged.
10. What does the future of EMS look like?
As I look back over the last 32 years of my Canadian ALS experience I do not see the academic development of practitioners, field innovations or research in my profession that I see in sister professions such as diagnostic imaging, respiratory therapy, or the nursing profession. As of this date we still do not have a national definition of what a paramedic is. Despite this, the development of a national registration exam will soon be driven by external influences as the need for international registration becomes increasingly apparent, and as Canada’s paramedic human resources dwindle.
The increased demand for service performance, better ROI equations for monies provided to EHS systems and the generational needs of paramedics will eventually cause EMS to develop more non-traditional services, which in turn will see credential bridging programs into other health professions as we now see in Australia. We will see increasing international sharing of solutions and cooperation in EHS as we begin to realize how easily accessible sources of wisdom and experience are for the price of a phone call. Lastly, we will increasingly have to think for ourselves as we fall under self-regulating legislation. In the near future, all Canadian paramedics will have to set our own codes of conduct, criteria for our college’s membership and ensure we protect patients from practitioners ill-prepared to care for them. No longer will we be able to be dependent on medical directors for this type of judgment.
11. Paramedics see a lot of strange things in their work. What’s the funniest thing you’ve witnessed in EMS?
The look face on my preceptor’s face when his bare feet hit the lobster I had placed in the bottom of his bed, on my last night of practicum, still ranks as a very memorable moment that I thought was funny.
12. What do you do when you’re not working?
My Creator has blessed me with my wife Lynne and our three very special children Christina, Matthew and Micah. In my time off I try to repay the debt I have incurred to them, over the years of countless hours away, on call, etc.
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