Australian paramedic rides along with Essex-Windsor EMS

Kent Jackson, an Advanced Care Paramedic with Queensland Ambulance Service in Australia, is riding along with Essex-Windsor EMS Paramedics overnight as part of an international effort to improve patient care at home and abroad.

Jackson, who provides rapid response and medical assessment and transport in Brisbane and its surrounding suburbs, will ride along with local paramedics from 8 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Saturday. Earlier in the day, he met with Essex NDP MP Tracey Ramsey and Essex NDP MPP Taras Natyshak.

“It’s a great opportunity to see how paramedics care for patients in Canada,” said Jackson, who worked as a paramedic in Thunder Bay before moving to Australia. “We can share knowledge and best practices to improve patient care in both countries.”

The International Exchange Program, hosted by EMS Team Ontario and supported by Essex-Windsor EMS, is an emergency medical exchange program, where paramedics and dedicated emergency medical professionals from around the world are invited to travel to Canada to learn from local paramedics.

In exchange, local paramedics have the opportunity to travel around the world to learn from other pre-hospital medical providers.

EMS Team Ontario’s underlying goal has always been “to promote the continued learning and education of emergency medical providers both locally and internationally.” The International Exchange Program exemplifies these values.

With gold medal wins at the Rallye Rejviz in 2016, 2017, and 2018, EMS Team Ontario is always striving to improve.