SASKATOON — It may sound cliché, but Saskatoon paramedic Sean McGonigle said the most rewarding part of his career is helping people during some of the worst moments of their lives.
He reflected on his 15 years working in emergency medical services and the growing pressures facing frontline responders in Saskatoon, adding that paramedics are increasingly relied upon — not only in the city — to deliver advanced emergency medical care before patients even reach hospitals.
McGonigle said he originally did not plan on becoming a paramedic. After graduating from high school, he briefly played football with the Saskatoon Hilltops before tearing his ACL during practice.
“Of all the places, I got injured during practice,” he said with a slight smile. “After that, I was like, ‘It is probably time to find a job and start building a career.’”
It was never his plan, but it led him to explore programs at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, and he became interested in paramedicine. He later enroled in the primary care paramedic program.
“But I found it very interesting because it is challenging; at the same time, it is good for people who want to make a difference. You respond to calls from people having the worst day of their lives, and then you're going there to restore that order and calm them in their difficult situations,” said McGonigle.
Born in Saskatoon, McGonigle began his paramedic career in rural Saskatchewan, including serving in Rosetown, before advancing his training as an advanced care paramedic in 2014 and 2015.
McGonigle said Saskatchewan paramedics can perform advanced medical procedures independently, such as cardiac rhythm correction, airway management, sedation, seizure treatment and pain control. He noted that heart attack patients can sometimes bypass emergency departments entirely if paramedics identify a serious cardiac event early and alert hospital cardiology teams in advance.
He said those interventions help reduce pressure on overcrowded hospitals by starting treatment sooner and directing patients to the most appropriate care areas.
McGonigle, who is now in his fifth year working in the city, added that Saskatchewan paramedics are being entrusted with more responsibilities as health-care systems continue facing capacity challenges.
He also pointed to the increasing number of violent incidents emergency crews respond to in Saskatoon, including shootings, stabbings and assaults, with paramedics frequently working alongside police and firefighters during trauma calls, where rapid treatment and transport can make the difference between life and death.
The city’s overdose crisis has also added to the workload facing emergency responders, where he described some overdose and “man down” calls as significant. However, he noted that some of the suspected overdose calls involved people who were sleeping or unconscious rather than overdosing.
He encouraged the public to continue calling 911 if someone appears unresponsive or in medical distress, adding that dispatchers can determine whether paramedics, police, firefighters or multiple agencies are needed.
