Calm in the storm: how one childhood emergency shaped a decade of service
For Kelsey Kotylak, a paramedic with 10 years with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, the calling to serve began in childhood. That’s when she experienced an emergency, and it was the calm paramedics who responded to it that stayed with her.
"The paramedic was calm in the storm," Kotylak recalls, "and I feel like that's always stuck with me, of me wanting to be that person for somebody else."
Now a mentor to others entering the profession, Kotylak is quick to remind those she works with that compassion has to anchor every call.
"It's not my crisis, it's their crisis," she said. "It's an emergency to them, and they called us for a reason."
Kotylak highlighted the important role of paramedics, ensuring patients receive critical treatment long before they reach the Emergency Department.
As Paramedic Services Week is recognized across the province, Kotylak wants her colleagues to know their work doesn't go unnoticed.
"Keep up the good work and keep grinding."
Interested in a career in Emergency Medical Services? See our career profile here.
