EMS Profile: David Dutchak

 

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 favourite 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!