One More Term?

The Annual General Meeting of the Paramedic Association of Manitoba is just days away, and among the items of business to be conducted at the January 12th meeting is the election of two Directors and the Chair. As my current term concludes, it marks the end of my seventh year as Chairman of the Association...and what many, including myself (and certainly my wife), expected would be my last.

In January 2001, a group of eight paramedics gathered in a meeting room at the Hotel Fort Garry, and with the help of the Paramedic Association of Canada formulated a plan to resurrect a pre-hospital professional association in Manitoba. Since that time, the face of emergency medical services in our province has undergone significant change, and PAM has been front and centre through much of that evolution. An increase in career opportunities, higher educational requirements for paramedics, improvements in continuing education, revised legislation, alignment with the National Occupational Competency Profiles, improved communication and dispatch systems, discussions around the concept of self-regulation...PAM has played a very important role in the betterment of emergency health care available to Manitobans today.

The establishment of a professional association for paramedics in Manitoba has served both our patients and our profession well. No doubt there have been frustrations along the way, and there is still much more to accomplish than what we've managed to achieve to date. But I think there is a greater willingness today than ever before, both politically and within the profession, to continue to strive for improvement, and that's exciting! As a result of that excitement I have decided to seek re-election as the Chairman of the Paramedic Association of Manitoba for one final term.

Now I need to go explain this decision to my wife :)