Industrial Work

Another couple of weeks have passed and now I’m writing this from my hotel room on my first proper job in Alberta.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I got a job working as a medic on an industrial site. I’m 4.5 hours north of Calgary, at a little town called Westlock. I get up at 5am, have breakfast, drive to site which takes around an hour, then I sit in the MTC (mobile treatment centre) until around 5:30pm and drive back. Usually I’m tucked up in bed by 8pm and that’s my day.

Going back to the start of this venture, it wasn’t as smooth as I’d have liked. I got a flat tyre on my way up to site, which luckily only cost $166 to resolve. Then I was asked why I hadn’t brought coveralls/a hard hat/safety goggles with me, I found this slightly annoying as they knew I was new to Canada and wasn’t aware I needed this, nor was I told. The town of less than 10k had one work shop and they only stocked a men’s small, so I’m currently rocking coveralls with a very baggy crotch. The company dilly-dallied with me for the first 3 days meaning I earnt almost no money and wasn’t out yet. I arrived on Wednesday and by Saturday morning I had my first day on site.

The job has its pros and cons. Firstly this is a lonely world, I’m working on a small site so (luckily) nobody is getting hurt, but this also means I have almost 0 human interaction whilst on shift. I also have to spend my time in the MTC, I get out and stretch but otherwise it’s a looooong day. I’m being productive with my time, studying the new protocols and reading books but 2 days feels like 2 weeks. The hotel I’m being put up in is nice, it beats the motel I was in the first night I arrived before I came here. It does however limit your diet, I have a microwave but no cooker or kettle, McDonald’s is oh so temptingly close. The thing that bugs me most is the almost lack of respect, there are many different levels to medic here. Lowest is OFA (official first aider), then EMR, PCP and ACP but the guys on site just refer to you as a 'band aid' and to them your degree and experience mean nothing, this grinds my gears. Saying that, the job pays well and does allow me time to get ready for my COPR exam and just relax a little. Today I’m not working because the rain overnight means the site is too muddy to work on, so I’m sat in a hotel in the middle of nowhere currently earning $0. The countdown is on, 6 days to go.

Would I come back and do this? Maybe if I needed to earn money fast but otherwise I don’t think so. It’s a great gig but I became a paramedic to see patients, not to stare at a muddy pipeline site for 11 hours a day. My police check has now come back clear and they’ve deemed me safe to work with vulnerable people. Associated Ambulance (who I orientated with back in August) still won’t let me start without getting my restrictions removed, I have two training courses coming up for this. It all seems ridiculous to me as I’m working either under a lower skill scope or with another ACP but hey, I don’t make the rules.

ANYWAY as bumpy a journey as it’s been, I feel the end is in sight and soon the ‘Canadian dream’ will be reality. For now, more hikes before winter.

Hopefully next time I write I’ll have some real paramedic front line stories to tell you and I won't be moaning. But for now, McDonald's is calling.

Em x