My journey into the Paramedic world didn't happen the way I thought it would, but looking back over the past year I wouldn't change a thing about it! I had intended on going to Conestoga to get my diploma in Paramedicine, however sometimes things are out of our control, and I'm so thankful!
May 1st, 2017 I started school at OCHT. OCHT is a privately owned school that I was told about through my cousin (supervisor Paramedic at NEMS). He told me that I needed focus 100% on getting in at OCHT as their reputation was so well respected in the EMS circles.
I will admit I was skeptical, but once I met the Dean and toured the school, I knew this is where I wanted to attend. I had very little notice as I was finishing up a certificate course at Conestoga. My final exam was April 27th, 2017 and classes started May 1st, 2017, but that didn't seem to hold me back!
First semester was a lot of learning and stretching of character. It was a busy first semester that proved to be a lot of positive personal development, but my colleagues and I became very close, very quickly, and our clique was made!
We were all encouraged to get a job with a patient transfer company as it would be very beneficial for us in our future career development. There were a few different companies that came to the school for recruitment, but somehow all of us chose Voyageur - which has proven to be a life-changing decision for me, but we will get to that later! It was great to start driving the de-commissioned ambulances and familiarizing myself with the different hospitals in the Hamilton/Niagara Region. Also, it was really neat to get INSIDE the hospitals and interact with the staff - whether it was the ER nurse, different floor nurses, dispatch, or other medics. It's all great experience to have under your belt! It also put us in the right mindset as we "started" interacting with patients.
First semester ended with a bang! We were all ready for a little break. Most of us worked for the majority of it, but I was able to get away for a few days! I rented a cottage for a few days for my family and then we headed north for our annual Labour Day weekend at McCrae Lake - it was definitely different this year, but I was so excited to show my favourite spot on earth to my two youngest siblings! They loved almost every minute of it! It was just nice to be on the water!
Second semester started in full swing three weeks later! It was quite a jump up from first semester and within the first few weeks we already had done our first set of heavily weighted exams - this is what happens when you agree to go to an accelerated program (I honestly wouldn't change it)! I was dreading cardiology as I heard that it was a very difficult class, but I fell in love with it right away! The way the heart works and the intricacy of it fascinates me. To top it all off we can see so much of what is going on in the heart through these wires - who'da thunk! Science will never cease to amaze! Pharmacology was another class that I was really looking forward to as well. I find it so interesting how we can manipulate what the body is doing through different agonist or antagonist! It's just memorizing which one does what that will likely continue to be a challenge for the rest of my days in the health field!
I continued working for Voyageur and was up to 3 - 12hr shifts/week. It was a little challenging fitting everything into my week, but it really helped to pay for school and the incredible amount of gas that I was using on a weekly basis. My favourite shift quickly changed into working every other Sunday with this guy that I couldn't seem to tire of! We had so much fun working together and we never seemed to run out of things to talk about. We worked quite a few shifts together and FINALLY went out on our first date beginning of October. I will never forget it... I wasn't planning on going out that night! I didn't feel at all decent enough for a date. I was at school and only had my gym bag as a change of clothes! Needless to say: we met at Starbucks for Ben's first ever Pumpkin Spice Latte - 7hrs later the barista came up to us and let us know that they were closing the store. I knew then that this was going to go somewhere...and that I definitely wanted to spend a lot more time with this incredible guy that I was getting to know so well! 
This is the man that stole my heart. He has been the most patient and has showed me in more ways than I could have possibly imagined how much he cares. I honestly don't know how I found this gem, but it happened when neither of us were looking; which is when I'm told is the best time!
I couldn't imagine my life without Ben!
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