Although some people may not like the thoughts of blood, muscles, bone structure and body functions, working with the body is a job loved by a certain few, especially one Paramedicine student at Holland College.
Sarah MacIntosh, a 23-year-old Holland College student is in her first year of Paramedicine and she absolutely loves it. She said the adrenaline rush of helping people out keeps her interested in her work and excited to start a new day.
MacIntosh has always been interested in the health field and she thinks being a paramedic would be an interesting job. She said it would be great because it would allow her to keep on moving and she wouldn’t be stuck in the office all day.
“They get different calls all the time, which keeps it interesting.”
MacIntosh’s teacher, Matt MacLeod, said there are lots of job opportunities for paramedics nationally and regionally. Whether its being in an ambulance in the Maritimes or in an airplane as a flight paramedic, “the vast majority of work placements are very high.” In other words, most paramedic students find jobs after their training.
MacLeod has been a teacher at Holland College for five years and said even during that time period there have been many changes.
“The college has made large investments on having more staff and more personnel here so we can deliver a high-quality course.”
Some of the equipment that got facelifts and updates are the truck simulator, which is something like a real ambulance, and the high-fidelity patient simulator, costing between $50,000-$60,000.
People and equipment aren’t the only changes in the paramedicine course. Within the last eight years the paramedics learned different ways to assess and treat a patient to keep up with changes in technology and medicine.
Paramedicine industry has grown, and will not slow down, MacLeod said.
“It will continue to grow in large way as we encounter the impending health care crisis.”
One time when MacIntosh was doing volunteer hours at a marathon, a runner passed out.
It was exciting bringing him back to consciousness and being able to use her skills she used in the classroom in real life, she said.
“Your adrenaline gets rushed because this guy needs your help and you can help him.”
It’s worth the effort and it feels great knowing she can help people rather than sit back and watch, Macintosh said.
Before deciding to take Paramedicine, MacIntosh wanted to be a doctor, but decided to do this as a stepping-stone to see if she would like the area of work. She plans on doing this for a while. If she enjoys it, she will stick to it as an enjoyable career. If not she’ll move on and try her skills as a doctor.
No matter what she decides to do in the future, she loves her class and won’t regret taking it, MacIntosh said.
“We’re learning things that really matter, and things we can always use.”
Things like doing dynamic CPR and giving IV are all part of her daily routine.
Her future plans include traveling to places like Africa and other poor countries that don’t have many doctors. She would love to join the Global Paramedic Association, which could take her far in her career. She would love to help places in the Middle East where there is flooding and other natural disasters where they could use the extra medical help.
No comments:
Post a Comment