Thursday, August 27, 2009

Losing paramedics before they even start training

I love paramedics.

Paramedics help people; they go into unpredictable situations and must deal with some nasty stuff; and they are generally very well-natured.

I've never seen an angry 'medic — even through this seemingly-endless standstill with the BC government.

According to the Ambulance Paramedics of British Columbia, CUPE Local 873, the "strike" they are currently involved in (although they can't technically picket or walk out because they are considered an essential service) is not just over wages, it is a culmination of factors: community paramedic shortages; working conditions; recruitment and retainment; and compensation parity.

The issue that average Joes have heard about most is the $2 on-call wage. From what I understand, in general, paramedics must work part-time at this rate for years before nabbing a full-time position.

Before I heard this, I was seriously considering the career for myself. As a volunteer member of 100 Mile House Fire-Rescue, I've found the "helping people" part of the job the most enjoyable.

Because I'm a tad on the small side — not very tall, not all that buff — I sometimes feel limited in my duties at the hall. Becoming a paramedic seemed like a seriously good path for me to follow and I would be fine with part-time to continue my other full-time career with the news.

I've been fortunate and have not needed ambulance services in an emergency; but I have had experience with their assistance on fire scenes: after so long with a breathing apparatus on (mask and air tank), firefighters must go to "re-hab" where their vitals are checked, their bodies re-hydrated and then vitals re-checked by the ambulance crew.

The paramedics I have dealt with in these situations have been great, supportive and professional.

Situations such as fire scenes have inspired me to look into becoming a paramedic; but the current situation with the government is, obviously, a big turn off.

I am not going to pretend I understand the situation fully but, judging from the website www.saveourparamedics.com, a big issue for the union is wage parity.

"Side by side, paramedics respond to emergencies with our colleagues from the police and fire departments in all corners of the province. We are on the frontline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, putting our lives on the line.

"BC Ambulance Paramedics have suffered the same drastic increases in call volumes, work load, retirement attrition and costs of living as other BC emergency services, yet have been allowed to fall far behind in compensations."

The union says on the website that they are looking for wage parity not only with other provinces but with BC police and firefighters.

Yes, paramedics should be in line with other provinces; but should they be earning the same compensation as police and fire?

From what I understand, paramedics have a list of limitations that hinder them from performing the duties police and fire are paid to do. Correct me if I'm wrong, please, but, in most situations, ambulance attendants must hang back while fire crews extract patients from vehicles, bring them up from embankments or lift them onto gurneys.

In no way am I suggesting paramedics are any less valuable than other emergency services; yes, the dedicated workers risk their lives — and lose them, as often sadly evidenced in the news — but if they are not allowed to do as much as other emergency workers there is a justified pay difference.

It's the pager call-out rate and wage parity with other provinces that I think the union should focus on. If wages are corrected, the recruitment and retainment problem will, most likely, solve itself.

However, the longer this drags on, the more likely people (like me, who has a real interest in becoming a paramedic) will be scared away.

"The Thompson-Okanagan-Cariboo are hard hit by the shortages of both ambulance resources and trained paramedics," states the union on www.saveourparamedics.com.

"Rural and remote stations are increasingly unable to staff their ambulances as it has become very difficult to attract new employees, partially due to the high cost of paramedic training in BC. It is also difficult to retain staff in rural and remote areas as the $2 an hour pager pay is not competitive compensation in today’s economy."

It is hard to justify spending over $5,000 to become a primary care paramedic when I'd be on a pager call-out wage of $2 for up to five years following.

As I am on the outside of this issue looking in, I would welcome feedback to clarify the facts.

But, from what I can see, the BC government needs to stop wasting money fighting the union in court and focus on fixing the BC paramedic situation before car crash victims have to hitchhike to the hospital and patients die in their homes while waiting for help.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Breast Gate example of 'entitlement' society

Last week, Kristen George was visiting Science World in Vancouver with her two young children when her eight-week-old baby got fussy.

To lull the babe's cries, she stuck a boob in his mouth; this, it seems, offended a teenaged volunteer for Science World, who approached the mother and suggested she use the nursing room available for patrons.

When George said she was fine where she was, the volunteer insisted she use the room, calling her natural act "immoral."

According to the Vancouver Sun article "Nursing mother 'humiliated' by Science World volunteer's comment," the volunteer continued to harass her by reprimanding her loud enough so others could hear; she was "laughed" at, she said, by people "from a culture that values being covered up" — whatever that means.

George was further offended by Science World's reaction, which was — according to the article — minimalist, offering her a three-month extension on her membership.

When contacted by the Sun, the president of Telus World of Science promised an apology was also on its way and said they have added breastfeeding guidelines to their orientation packages.

Why this is even a story is beyond me; this was obviously one young volunteer's opinion, someone who probably isn't even there anymore. Science World has revised its policy to include handling nursing mothers and they also have rooms previously available for moms.

The fact this woman came forward to cause this stir suggests she either has something against Science World or is trying to "milk" the situation for attention.

Granted, I may not be a mother; but if I was breastfeeding a baby in a populated area, (which I don't believe is wrong but not sure if I would do), and someone accosted me like that I may complain to management — but go to the press?

This "Breast Gate" just causes unnecessary attention for Science World, a family-oriented organization, and its other workers. That George thinks she is entitled to more than what she has received is greedy on her behalf.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Unrealistic ideals expected from women

I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to have lines under my eyes; no one is — and I don't even mean wrinkles. But everywhere I look, even in the mirror, it seems the natural look of a face has subtle scoops, bags or lines.
I'm not supposed to get shiny, so I carry powder foundation wherever I go in case — God forbid — I perspire. My skin should also be flawless, pores unnoticeable, without moles or freckles and definitely sans acne or other hideous imperfections.
I know my hair should be silky, shiny and without fly-aways, so I hang my head in shame when my naturally ringletty hair gets a bit poofy.
I am aware that I can never lose enough weight. I should never have a "muffin-top" (access skin hanging over my pants) and should work hard to stay at society's ideal size of 0, including excessive dieting and exercise beginning at the age of 12. I should also be toned and my arms should never jiggle when I wave at someone, no matter what how vigorous my greeting.
And, above all else, I know I am not supposed to age; I should cover, dye and hide any signs that show I am not 19 years old.
I learned these unofficial rules of beauty from magazines and other print ads so prevalent in our world; they are ideals I will never live up to because they are not realistic.
So what has caused me and millions of other women to become so shallow, to care so much about our appearances that we primp, cut and change our bodies to live up to standards decided by someone else?
Well, situations like the following don't help: on Aug. 13, Dove's Self-Esteem Fund released a statement.
"This month, Kelly Clarkson joins a long line of celebrities — including Kate Winslet and Mariah Carey — who have seen their images altered to meet the media's unrealistic standards of beauty, as a heavily Photoshopped Self magazine cover featuring Clarkson hit newsstands.
"While the magazine's editor-in-chief Lucy Danziger admits 'Did we alter her appearance? Only to make her look her personal best,' the magazine made dramatic changes to Clarkson's physical appearance."
Kelly Clarkson is a pop singer who made it big after winning the first season of American Idol. She's probably below average weight but, it seems, magazines don't agree with her rounder figure and constantly change her appearance.
This is the latest in retouching "scandals" that made news, joining Katie Couric's slimmer figure for CBS and Faith Hill's even thinner look for Redbook.
Digital photo retouching is commonplace in the graphics industry, but how far artists can change a photographed subject remains up for debate; come call it "beauty" retouching or digital surgery and others call it destructive manipulation.
Sometimes they take an already skinny model and make her even skinnier. Or erase Beyoncé's tummy. Or smooth Kim Kardashian's cellulite.
Humans seem to gravitate toward perfection, maybe because it's something no one could ever attain for themselves; but when society begins to see perfection as the norm, there's trouble.
Unrealistic ideals can attribute to eating disorders, unnecessary plastic surgeries and low self-esteem.
Those with physical imperfections, even minor ones, are looked down upon by others and are considered weak. When you see photos non-famous Myspace chicks have taken and retouched of themselves, they adjust the contrast so that it lightens their faces to hide any imperfections — sometimes even flooding out their noses.
If you think I'm overreacting, just watch one episode of America's Top Model; the artists who deal with the photos after the shoots blatantly manipulate the girls' features, without shame — it's just an accepted part of the industry.
So what does that mean for us regular gals who don't have a team of makeup artists and photographic retouchers at our disposal?
We gotta toughen up, accept what we have and not give any excuses to the contrary.

Check out these sites for examples of celebrity retouching. (True or not, they're interesting to view):

http://iwanexstudio.com/
http://www.flzine.com/photo-retouch-for-magazine-like-beauty/