People of Georgian: Award recognizes ‘mama bear’ paramedic co-ordinator

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‘Need anything, you know where to track me down’

Paramedic students are good people who went into paramedicine for all the right reasons when it comes to public service.

Our faculty and our support staff in the paramedic programs bring those qualities with them as well, and they’re all still working as paramedics out in the field.

Our students are going to be our peers in a couple of years and we may be working with them. Our paramedic faculty might be partnered up with them to work a shift. Those guys might be bringing me patients in the emergency department and have to hand off patient care.

My approach is: If you need anything at all, you know where to track me down.

Randi McDermott, Registered Nurse and Program Co-ordinator for Georgian’s paramedic programs.

This year, she won the Award of Excellence – Academic at Georgian’s Board of Governors Awards of Distinction.

People of Georgian: Meet Randi McDermott

There’s nothing more rewarding than sending a patient home from the emergency department who’s feeling better and you were actually able to make a difference.

I compare that to watching our students cross the stage when they graduate. That’s equally rewarding because both persons have worked really hard to get where they are.

Our students and staff consider me kind of the ‘mama bear’-type person: very protective of my people, and they know I’ll always have their backs.

When I won the Award of Excellence – Academic at Georgian’s Board of Governors Awards of Distinction… that was completely unexpected. What an honour.

It takes a lot to make me speechless, and I have to say that was one of the few times I was rendered speechless.

I’m really proud to be part of the Georgian team. We’ve gotten through several large projects in the last 10 years.

In typical paramedic fashion, all I have to say is, “I need your help,” and people are there, no questions asked.

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