NOW!
Each and everyone of us have undoubtedly come from differing backgrounds. Some are lucky enough to have come fresh out of a bachelor's program while some of us are fresh out of nothing! All kidding aside we all come from different walks of life which doesn't negate what our future employers will be looking for in our resume! We all hear different things. What are they actually looking for on a resume? I'm still wondering how my resume stands out from others, but it inevitably does!
Patient Transfer. Wait, what? Do I really have to be a patient transfer attendant to be a paramedic one day? The easy answer is no, because I have seen people get hired straight out of college (with no work experience). That being said, those people are the lucky few! You want to put work and volunteer experience on your resume that makes you stand OUT! Patient transfer attendants need at least there EFR certificates to be hired or one semester complete of your paramedic program! You can start before you even go to school, if this is something you are considering! For me, the patient transfer job was really beneficial in a few different aspects.
It introduced me to the different hospitals, ALL over! Yes, that's right. It doesn't matter if your company is based out of Kitchener, Niagara, London, or Owen Sound, you will be driving ALL over. You will be expected to communicate with many different people in various aspects of your job (e.g. nurses, doctors, receptionists, patients, co-workers, dispatchers, paramedics, police, and even people you'd never expect to have to communicate and reason with). One of my favourite stories that is all encompassing and reflects the many different elements of my job took place near the end of a very long shift. My partner and I were on our last call of the day (or so we were told). We arrived at the hospital and while I was finishing up some paperwork in the front of the truck my partner jumped out to get the stretcher ready. A few seconds later I was alerted to this man, who was a slightly bewildered, advising me that my partner needed me. "Of course he needs me", I'm thinking to myself, he can't get the stretcher out by himself! "Now!" the man yells at me! I jumped out the truck in time to see a man approximately 50ft. from the back of he truck collapsing in my partners arms. I rush over to both of them and total instinct hit me. There was blood every where, a security guard yelling at someone to move their vehicle, but somehow I was able to assess and find the problem quickly. Pinched the unfortunate mans brachial artery that was fully exposed and had significantly decreased in pulse output. I called out to the security to help my partner carry the man into the ER. Paramedics met us at the entrance as they were ready to go to the next call. ER nurses were all rushing around trying to get a bed. It was all a flurry of activity, but because of excellent communication between my partner and I, and everyone else we were able to get the man into a bed, where the ER team was able to take care of him, as quickly as possible.
The patient transfer job also gives you the opportunity to learn the quickest routes between different nursing homes and hospitals, which is a huge benefit when starting your career as a paramedic. Yes, every truck is equipped with a GPS, but the familiarity you'll have with the area will put you and your partner at ease. It also provides you with the opportunity to handle some of the different equipment paramedics are required to use each and every day!
Volunteer. Volunteering is something that I absolutely love doing and wish I had more time and resources to be involved in a lot more of the goings on in my community. Volunteering within your community shows prospective employers that you care about your community and this will go a long way! Volunteer whenever, however, in whatever capacity you are able to!
Personally, I volunteered at every event possible with my school (ambassador, testing, events). I love every minute that I get to work with my school. I had such an amazing experience at OCHT and I want to pass on that positive experience to everyone! All of our instructors are active paramedics, so working with them all the time will only produce positive effects! I was also part of the Rotary Club (the one for college students :)) all throughout college. We put on different fundraising opportunities to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House (McMaster), had bottle drives, and brought awareness to our community. One of my favourite volunteer experiences was with Odyssey (which I am now an employee of). They are an event medical team of doctors, nurses, paramedics, and students of all the above fields. An incredible wealth of information and really cool people to work with! We provide support at concerts, races, sporting events, and functions.
Education. I took a few extra weekend courses to add to my resume. International Trauma Life Support (ITLS) is a weekend course offered in Toronto. It is an international standard that a lot of services hold to for trauma related calls. Some services require it, some will send you to the course after you're hired, and some will just add a few bonus marks to your score when they are deciding who to hire. CPI (Crisis Prevention Intervention) was another course I took. This was a course on intervention with physically aggressive patients. Again, some services require it, others will bring in any educator and do an in house training. There are a few other great courses to take, but anything to give you an added edge in comparison to your competition!
Your experience will look a lot different than mine did! I wish I started building my resume earlier than I had, but can't go back and change the past, only can change my future and hopefully speak into a little of yours! Anything that shows you are a caring person and are interested in always learning will go a very long way when it comes down to it! Show you are a faithful, loyal, and committed person!
Looking forward to seeing each and everyone of you out there!
