No doubt there will be lots of talk over the next few days about staff shortages affecting rural EMS services in Manitoba. The phone calls started today...by the end of the week there will most likely be a number of rural paramedics advising their managers that they have been offered employment with Winnipeg EMS.
In the big picture, this is a good thing. For many years WFPS refused to consider hiring paramedics who were not trained as firefighters. PAM has long argued that this practice served to have a detrimental effect on EMS in our province. Young Manitobans looking at paramedicine as a possible career option undoubtedly look at career progression when making decisions about where best to begin their education and employment. When Winnipeg was refusing to hire paramedics who wanted only to be paramedics, career progression was seen to be hampered by many throughout the province and that had a negative effect on both recruitment and, as a result, the long-term sustainability of our system as a whole.
But the Winnipeg hirings will open the door to criticism by some who see this option as "raiding" from already suffering rural services. The last time Winnipeg hired a large number of rural practitioners (5 or 6 years ago if my memory serves me) it drew bad press and serious criticism from many regions. WFPS was accused of stealing paramedics whose training had been paid for by rural employers. Winnipeg was blamed for "crippling" many services already struggling to keep ambulances on the road. The Winnipeg management was chastised by many, including government officials, for something that should have been recognized as good for the system and our profession.
I realize that services across the province are desperate for staff. And I know that many paramedics are both frustrated and tired as a result. But the Winnipeg hirings are a good thing. Anyone wanting to lay blame for problems these hirings might create should stand in front of a mirror.
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