Student takes lead to create Pay It Forward Paramedic Award

When Melissa Ade went for a walk in an off leash area along the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton in March 2007, she had no idea that what she would come across would confirm her choice of career path.

“A woman had ventured onto the ice to retrieve her dogs. Soon one of dogs had broken through the ice and then soon after, the woman broke through. She was shouting for help and no one would go to help her.”

In a split second decision, Ade ran down to the river to pull them out. This episode confirmed her decision to pursue a career in the emergency medical services field.

“At first it made me angry that no one would help but then I realized that everyone has a different purpose—some are called to be teachers, some are called to be doctors or parents,” says Ade. “But at that moment I knew that I wanted to work in the emergency medical services field so that I can help people. For me, I can't imagine a greater privilege the being invited into someone’s home when they or their family members are most vulnerable. I take pride in providing them with medical care and possibly even health education.”

After completing her training to become an emergency medical technician and working in the field, she decided to challenge herself more by enrolling in Lakeland College’s paramedic program. She began her studies in 2010 and is currently in the program’s second year. She’s also taking the lead to create a new award for paramedic students that she hopes will advance the profession and fulfill a need for more financial assistance for emergency medical services students.

Ade’s proposal for the Pay It Forward Paramedic Award valued at $1,000 would be awarded to one student per class. Student recipients nominated by their peers and supported by the instructors must demonstrate the intent of the EMS field with their commitment, performance, professionalism and vision for the future.
Ade’s hope is to raise enough funds from her program cohort, alumni and other supporters so that the Pay It Forward Paramedic Award can be an ongoing award. So far, the response to her proposal has been very encouraging.
 
“I made a formal presentation to our class in December while we were gathered in Camrose for our classroom portion of our training. The feedback received was very positive and right now, the graduating class of 2012 has agreed to contribute to the award. I am so grateful,” says Ade. “All of us recognize that we have high expectations of ourselves and that we want to advance our profession as much as we can. Being able to attract quality people to the field and helping them be successful is important.”
 
Ade’s classmate Alex Barkley agrees. In addition to being a full-time student, he works as an emergency medical technician at Rocky Mountain House.

“Becoming a paramedic has always been the career for me and I knew that I would do whatever it takes to become one--whether it was spread out over four years or eight, I would get it done. The financial burden that this has placed on me, though, is significant and there are few scholarships and awards available to us that could provide relief. This could be because the paramedic profession is relatively new. Considering how much the pre-hospital profession has evolved since its creation about 35 years ago, I'm excited to see what this award will encourage. It’s not all about the money. The prestigious honour of being nominated by your peers for this award is much more important to us. I hope once Melissa's idea catches on, more opportunities for paramedicine scholastic endeavours will be available across the country.”

Erin Hosaluk, also a second-year paramedic student, agrees and adds that the new Pay it Forward Paramedic Award is a great opportunity for students to celebrate each other’s achievements, sacrifices and vision in emergency medical services.

“I became an EMT 10 years ago. All I knew then was that I wanted to help people. In my 10 years as a basic provider I knew I wanted to do more--more to help the people who called me in their emergency, more to increase my knowledge of how diseases, injuries and illness affect my patients, and more to advance the still very young profession of paramedicine. Now as a second-year paramedic student, I see more than ever the value and importance of paramedics and how the pre-hospital care that we provide is invaluable. It’s an exciting time for paramedics and I can’t wait to see what more we can do,” says Hosaluk.

Ade hopes that the first Pay It Forward Paramedic Award will be granted to someone in her graduating class of 2012 and that an endowment can eventually be established to fund future awards. Alumnus Jarrett Chisholm, who graduated from Lakeland’s paramedic program in 2011, has already contributed to the award fund noting that he hopes the award will instill passion, personal and professional growth, and leadership among Lakeland students.

“This award created by paramedics for paramedics will reflect positively on our profession,” says Chisholm.

Anyone wanting to contribute to the Pay It Forward Paramedic Award should contact Debbie Neigum in Lakeland College’s Fund Development office at 780 853 8428 or debbie.neigum@lakelandcollege.ca.

“The creation of this award will be such an amazing accomplishment for our class, the college and the profession,” says Ade. “It will make a lot of people proud.”