Why are we number 2?

How Canadian paramedics can become the most trusted profession.

Angela Anderson

Consistent branding, transparency, education and reality television may be among the reasons why paramedics in Australia are the number one trusted profession – and may be why Canadians, though they regard paramedics as among the top most trusted professions, don’t feel quite the same as their counterparts down under.

Each year, Reader’s Digest Canada, along with the magazine’s version in Australia, runs a story based on a consumer survey that ranks that nation’s most trusted profession. In Australia, for the past seven years, paramedics have placed number one. In Canada, though, paramedics have yet to surpass – you guessed it – firefighters, as the number one most trusted profession.

According to Joe Acker, a Canadian who lives and works in Australia at the well-known and respected Charles Sturt University, there are a few reasons why Canadian paramedics just can’t get to number one in this survey.

“Unlike in Canada, each (Australian) state typically only has one ambulance provider,” Acker acknowledges. “These state services are among the largest in the world and have a very strong brand that the community recognizes. The ambulances look the same, the uniforms are the same, the messaging is the same, and the level of care is consistently the same regardless of where you live in the state.”

In the marketing world, much of building a brand is based on brand consistency and standards – and for good reason, case in point. Branding is such a huge part of building an organization, and paramedics are no different. A strong, consistent brand equals trust and professionalism.

In Canada, each province follows a different model when it comes to service providers – because the management falls under the provincial governments’ portfolio.

In Alberta, there are more than 50 service providers of ground ambulance and 12 providers of fixed wing air ambulance. In British Columbia, there is one provider, BC Ambulance Service. In Ontario, there are approximately 65 land ambulance operators and one air ambulance provider. With so many different providers—in some provinces funded by the government, in some private contractors—it may be difficult to maintain brand consistency, unless of course, every provider agreed on a uniform, ambulance, and branding.

So becoming consistent across provinces would likely help, but what else could paramedics possibly do to get ahead of firefighters in this particular list?

“Paramedics and EMS systems need to do a better job telling our story. We have traditionally been very humble and too busy to boast about the great things we do in our communities. I think this needs to change. Paramedics are an integral part of the health and public safety net and we shouldn't be shy about telling our citizens about the services we provide and how well we provide these services,” Acker says.

How many of you have a good relationship with your local newspaper reporters? Because this is integral to being able to tell your story to the public.

And of course, education plays a part in any profession being more trustworthy – the general consensus in our society is that more education equals better decision making.

“Canadian paramedics are becoming more educated and with postgraduate degrees and specialist skills they can be more active in doing research into their own profession. This is key to evolving as a profession and developing credibility in the health care system,” Acker adds. This is good – but more can be done. In fact, there is a lot going on in terms of advancing paramedic education and trying to make interprovincial transfers easier.

In Australia, paramedic education has moved largely to universities and an undergraduate degree in paramedicine is needed to get a job in most ambulance services.

“I believe that the university degree helps paramedics to grow as a profession and makes our education par with nursing. We also see paramedics with degrees go on to take postgraduate courses, masters degrees, and doctorates,” Acker says.

While many think of television as flaky, uneducational and to make the point, useless entertainment, this all may be true, but in Australia reality television shows provide a look into the lives of paramedics that the public otherwise would not get to see.

“There are very popular shows like Rescue Special Ops, Chopper Rescue, Bondi Rescue, Help, New Recruits: Paramedics and many others that provide real insight to the career of paramedics. The general public can now see how important paramedics are in a community, they see the full range of services that paramedics provide, and by watching real paramedics treat real patients they see the empathy, compassion, calm, competence, and confidence that paramedics demonstrate every day,” Acker says.

While some may question the accuracy and thoroughness of the Readers Digest survey, you must admit, much of what Mr. Acker says not only rings true, but echoes the voice of many leaders in the profession.

Something to keep in mind as paramedics move forward.