(Submitted photo/Parkland Ambulance)

By Nolan Kowal

Paramedic Services Week

Young person’s game? Paramedicine now a more viable career, attractive to young people

May 22, 2024 | 3:17 PM

A new trend is emerging in the paramedicine field as the province and country celebrates Paramedic Services Week.

Lyle Karasiuk, director of logistics and public affairs with Parkland Ambulance in Prince Albert, said he’s seen more and more young people enter the profession over the years.

“We are seeing younger people in our profession… I’m considered what we call one of the older guys,” Karasiuk joked. “Certainly the average age in our profession… I call them the 20-somethings and I say that with the utmost respect. Lots of younger people are coming into our profession.”

“It’s a profession that allows you a lot of opportunity for growth. It’s going to challenge you in your own mind, your own thinking, physically, mentally. It’s going to provide you with an opportunity to learn some new things, to apply a lot of new skills.”

Karasiuk added the career is more attractive now than it was previously.

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“I can honestly say when I first started, you wouldn’t have used paramedic language and a career in the same sentence,” he said. “The pay grade wasn’t there, the opportunities weren’t there, you got into it for similar reasons that you might get into our profession now, but certainly you didn’t get into it because you wanted to really be paid well.”

“Just like any other profession, things have evolved and technology has evolved, pay standards and better working conditions…all of that have factored in to making paramedicine a great profession now.”

Karasiuk also said paramedics are busier now than ever before.

“We are significantly busier as a service just because of the changing needs of healthcare, and there’s a whole lot of factors that go into that,” Karasiuk said. “It’s not just the changing demographics that affect our communities and our areas around us, but it’s things like the lack of people having a personal family doctor and not knowing what to do.”

“Those are all factors that increase our call volume.”

Paramedic Services Week runs until Saturday. It will include a provincial awards ceremony for Saskatchewan paramedics. Parkland Ambulance will have several of its members honoured at that event, which takes place Thursday afternoon in Regina.

“Very proud of our team,” Karasiuk said.

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nolan.kowal@pattisonmedia.com