“I was born in the Philippines and lived in Thailand for eight years before coming to Canada.

I come from a family of medical professionals, and I too was drawn to a career helping people. I wanted to give back to Manitoba, a place where I had been received with open arms.

At nearly 40, I was the oldest in my class and school was a bit tougher for me as I analyzed everything in my first language of Tagalog before saying it in English.

It was a challenging course, but I told my wife and my son, who was 10 years old at that time, that I would pass. I didn’t want to be stuck in a job I didn’t like — I wanted to be a paramedic. That was my inspiration and I’ve never looked back.”

“I’ve always been drawn to helping people and I love learning new things and working through new challenges, which is what lead me to a career as a paramedic. I have the training and skills to be calm in moments of chaos and I can help people – even if that means just holding their hand – through some of their toughest experiences.

Being able to provide a high level of care to my community where my friends and family live means a lot to me.

To be a paramedic, it’s so important to dedicate yourself to continuous education, and to look after your physical and mental health so that you can provide the best possible care to everyone you meet along the way.”

“When I was younger, I drove a medical van and looked after dialysis patients. I was motivated to do more so I enrolled in the EMR course in my community of Peguis and became a paramedic.

Many of my family members are also in the health-care field; including both of my sisters who became nurses and my daughter who followed in my footsteps and became a paramedic too.

You meet a lot of different people in this job and every call is a different situation. I enjoy taking care of people, and the best part is when you see a family with smiles on their faces after a good outcome. It’s a very rewarding job.”

“Since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to be a paramedic. As I got older, I really liked the idea that every day in this job is different – even every hour can be different in what you’re doing, where you’re going and who you’re meeting. What I find really special about this career is the patients you meet and the stories they tell you.

As a rural paramedic, we have the opportunity to use a lot of our skills. We are constantly learning and every day we are challenged to put our education and knowledge to use. EMS can be intimidating but your team really has your back, and when you get on that truck for a call it’s a pretty rewarding feeling.”

“I started out as an emergency medical responder but pretty quickly decided to pursue training as a primary care paramedic (PCP). Ten years later I still love having a career that allows me to help my community.

How I feel at the end of the day in this job is very different from any other. It can be unpredictable in that I deal with different people each day, but it’s also very rewarding because I get to make a true impact on our patients’ lives.

Working in rural Manitoba as a PCP, I am able to work to a full scope of practice, including taking the lead on different calls, starting IVs and administering some high alert medications. Because of the time and distances that we spend with our patients before transferring their care to a hospital team, our training and approvals to provide certain types of care is actually beyond what we might be able to do in a larger city setting.”

“I knew that I wanted to work in a medical field, but I also wanted a job that gave me some freedom to move around and some variety in the work I performed. Becoming a paramedic – especially working in rural communities – I found all of those things in one job.

If you are someone who loves variety, enjoy being outside and like connecting with people in your community, this is a career to consider. It’s really rewarding to know that while the care I provide to a patient might be a small part of my day, it’s a really important part of theirs.

There is a real sense of community. Both within our team of paramedics as we support each other and our patients through intense, fast-moving and stressful situations, but also with the extended care team, the doctors, nurses, x-ray techs and others who care for our patients at hospitals in the area. You see these people more often, so you get to build a relationship with them on the job. Having people you can trust and lean on is really important.

It’s really rewarding to know that while the care I provide to a patient might be a small part of my day, it’s a really important part of theirs.”

“I was born and raised in a rural community and spent a lot of my childhood around ambulance stations with my dad. He was a paramedic too, and his job gave me a view into a career that would allow me to live and work in rural Manitoba.

As a paramedic, every day is different. You never know what kind of a call you’re going to get or where it might take you. Working in rural Manitoba, I’ve had the chance to see a lot of our beautiful province.

I’ve been on many calls that have taken me down a road I would otherwise not have traveled. I’m often surprised at the beauty I see right here in Manitoba.

You spend so much time with your crew that they become your second family. I come to work knowing that I am spending 12 or more hours with friends.”

“My favourite part about being a paramedic in rural Manitoba is the extra time we spend with our patients.

With longer transport distances, we have time to get to know them, we have more time to see the results of our treatment, and because we may be called upon to transport or transfer them again, we sometimes have the ability to see them later in their recovery.

It’s my co-workers that make this the best job. We spend 12 hours at a time together, often four days in a row so it’s like a family. If it’s a tough day, they get it and will help get you through it. Great relationships are made here.”