Burnout, staffing shortages, and stalled contract talks are pushing paramedics out of the field

Emergency crews place someone into the back of an ambulance after responding to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017.

Paramedics in Saskatoon say the system is at a breaking point, citing burnout, staffing shortages, and long wait times that are impacting both workers and patients.

Now, with contract negotiations ongoing and a strike mandate in place, many are speaking out about why they’re leaving the profession altogether.

The number of paramedics who have walked away from the job between 2021 and now is nearing 50 per cent. Karen Bobinski is one of them. She left the field this past May after 12 years as a primary care paramedic in Saskatoon.

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“The job doesn’t love you back. And while we’re caring for our patients, we’re not being cared for by the industry,” she told CTV News.

Bobinski says she left long before she intended to.

“It’s not a sustainable career with the current industry model.”

As paramedics prepare for more talks with their employer this April, after members voted in favour of a strike mandate, the Saskatoon Paramedic Association says the situation has reached a critical point.

Vice-president Davis Roach says the vote reflects deep frustration among workers.

“That strike vote that we held was pretty damning evidence of how our members are feeling,” he said.

Roach says the average paramedic now lasts only about three years on the job.

He says the strain is also being felt by patients.

“People are getting the answer of ‘we have nobody to send,’ and there are people waiting six, seven, eight plus hours. This isn’t being taken seriously.”

Among the key concerns is recovery time between calls. Paramedics often get as little as 45 minutes according to Roach, even after responding to traumatic emergencies like cardiac arrests.

The association says workers have also been without a contract for two years, while dealing with rising call volumes and limited mental health supports.

Medavie Health Services West, which operates paramedic services in Saskatoon, declined an on-camera interview due to ongoing negotiations.

In a statement, the organization said “it remains focused on providing safe and reliable emergency medical services.”

Even if a strike were to happen, paramedics would still respond to emergencies as their version of a strike would look quite different than other professions on the picket lines, Roach clarified.

For Bobinski, the situation is disheartening.

“As people who get into this industry because we care so much and want to be of service, we feel like we’re failing the public.”

With mediation talks continuing and pressure mounting on both sides, the future of paramedic services in Saskatoon and the people who provide them remains uncertain.