(Photo: NB Paramedics Association)
New Brunswick’s paramedics have won a battle they’ve been fighting for the past three years.
They are now officially classified as medical-science professionals.
Paramedic College Owner Joel Mattatall, who chaired the reclassification committee, views this as a major victory, “This reclassification essentially respects the evolution of the Paramedic to that of a medical professional. So now, when you call 911, it respects the fact that a Paramedic Clinician is arriving at your house and essentially bringing the emergency room right to your living room.”
Mattatall says prior to this, paramedics were viewed as a fast transport service back to the the hospital, “Our evolution is rapidly expanding. Mere decades ago, paramedics weren’t even paramedics, we were ambulance drivers. This was someone working in a funeral home or as a janitor at the hospital. When someone called the ambulance number, they would go to someone’s house, and bring them to the hospital. So now we have the expertise of paramedic clinicians working in our ambulance system system, and this classification, this upholding of the board, really respects that.”
This reclassification also means they will now be a part of the New Brunswick Union with other medical professionals, instead of CUPE, where Mattatall says they were represented alongside those occupied in roles such as janitorial and service staff.
This could also include a wage increase of over seven per cent, “There’s no guarantee of a wage increase, and this was never about a wage increase. It was about recognizing the valuable contribution paramedics make to their community everyday and also giving them access to a shared community of interest along side other healthcare professionals in the system. Obviously, we are hopeful it might result in that, but that ultimately wasn’t the goal here,” Mattatall says.
He also believes this is the first time in the country where an analysis has been done of the paramedic profession, that has resulted is a reclassification as medical professionals.
“It has been a three year battle with a ton of hills and valleys, but the cohesion of the memberships is ultimately what drove this home. I have never witnessed paramedics as united as they are now and I think it is because truth is on our side. I don’t think the public or anyone would disagree that Paramedics are medical professionals and are vital in the delivery of healthcare,” Mattatall says.
With the additional work being done by healthcare workers in the pandemic, Mattatall feels this comes at the perfect time, “The morale of the Paramedics has decreased and the system is overwhelmed. So, this is a much needed moral boost to the province’s Paramedics to really continue us on to the finish line of this pandemic.”
