Calgary paramedics experiencing burnout as shifts go unfilled
CTV
Calgary paramedics are already feeling the burnout of higher call volumes, but a lack of available workers has left dozens of shifts vacant over the holidays and into the first week of the new year.
Calgary paramedics are already feeling the burnout of higher call volumes, but a lack of available workers has left dozens of shifts vacant over the holidays and into the first week of the new year.
According to screenshots of the Alberta Health Services (AHS) employee portal obtained by CTV News, there were 64 vacant paramedic shifts in the Calgary Zone on Christmas Day.
Another 53 shifts also went vacant on New Year’s Eve. That means that with two paramedics per ambulance, the shortfall resulted in 20 fewer EMS units.
The large void in the roster has prompted some paramedics to speak out. One paramedic agreed to speak with CTV News, only if their identity was protected due to concerns about losing their job.
“There were countless vacancies on New Year’s Eve,” the paramedic said, pointing to a memo that was sent out by AHS acknowledging that the high demand of calls would be handled with extra staff.
“They said they were going to staff all of the ambulances, they were bringing in extra over time, extra supervisors working to clear crews from the hospitals, but in the lead up to New Year’s Eve, they could barely staff the ambulances they have regularly scheduled, they got no interest in their extra ambulances, no one extra came to work.”
The paramedic also claimed that AHS deleted ambulances from its schedule in an attempt to make it look like there were no vacancies on the roster.
