The Australasian College of Paramedicine
The Australasian College of Paramedicine
Kerbside Conversations: Jordan Gray
Welcome to Kerbside Conversations – the College’s podcast capturing authentic voices and stories from across the world of paramedicine.
In this conversation, Jordan Gray, a paramedic stroke clinical training officer from New South Wales, shares his journey from Canada to Australia, discussing the differences in paramedic practices between the two countries. He emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and professional growth in the field of paramedicine, highlighting his commitment to lifelong education through his master's program. Jordan also shares insights into the challenges and rewards of his career, as well as his personal experiences.
Laura Hirello: All right, so to get us started, I will get you to tell me your name, where you are from, and what your current primary role is.
Jordan Gray: My name is Jordan Gray. I am from Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada and my current primary role is as a paramedic stroke clinical training officer with New South Wales Ambulance on the mid-north coast of New South Wales.
Laura Hirello: Okay, so many questions. Whereabouts is the mid...
Jordan Gray: The Mid-North Coast is, as the name suggests, on the Mid-North on the Mid-North as I guessed. So primarily in Port Macquarie. So if you were to envision the state of New South Wales, Sydney is to the south. Mid-North Coast is anything from Newcastle to largely the border between Queensland, and then that encompasses the North Coast as well. But primarily my area of concern is between the communities of Foster and Tuncurry and...
Laura Hirello: North Coast.
Jordan Gray: Woolgoolga to the north, which is just outside of Coffs Harbor.
Laura Hirello: Okay, and for those people who may be curious, so you're from Vancouver. I'm from Halifax, which is the exact opposite side of the country. It's about a seven hour flight, so we have not met before. Not at all. Shockingly. Exactly. They all live in Toronto. So how long have you been in Australia for?
Jordan Gray: You probably have a cousin I know or something to that as is the case.
Jordan Gray: I moved to Australia in 2019, January 21st, 2019 I arrived in Australia.
Laura Hirello: Okay, and so then how long did you work in? Did you work in
Jordan Gray: So I had the privilege of working for the British Columbia Ambulance Service. started with that organization in 2015, having completed the vocational training in 2014. And then I got to travel all over the province before coming to Australia in 2019.
Laura Hirello: And so what made you decide to make the jump?
Jordan Gray: I still do have an absolutely wonderful wife that has a funny accent and she sounds like she's a Australian. So she provided me the opportunity to say, let's go to Australia and see what's happening down there. And I wholeheartedly accepted.
Laura Hirello: I love that. And have you found that there's a lot of differences between the countries or like is it sort of what you expected here?
Jordan Gray: From a clinical practice standpoint, it is night and day, different practices. At least in British Columbia, at the time that I trained, it was largely a vocational system. To become a primary care paramedic in British Columbia is a year of study. It's usually through an institution called the Justice Institute of British Columbia that has developed pretty significantly since the time that I went through those doors.
Jordan Gray: But it was, yeah, here's a 12-month course you apply to work for the British Columbia Ambulance Service. You're a crest on your arm keys to an ambulance and off you go with very little oversight. And in the instance of me, was sent to a tiny community on the north of Vancouver Island called Port Hardy, where I was entrusted with the emergency care and... health needs of a community of 4,000 people. Yeah, it's fantastic. That differs drastically from an Australian context in that obviously it's a university where we've transitioned to a post-secondary educated workforce and the considerations that are made in Australia, the independence, the autonomy of practice that exists in Australia, just at the time didn't exist within the British Columbian context.
Laura Hirello: That's really interesting. And so you've been doing the job for just over 10 years now. And so my question is, do you think you're going to be, is this your forever career? are you like, how are you feeling about it? Are you going to take it somewhere? Are you going to?
Jordan Gray: Yeah, they're both.
Jordan Gray: Yeah, so I'm currently completing my masters in critical care. So I'm enrolled in the program through Edith Cowan University. And I'm loving it. That's a fantastic program. I also work in a very casual, sessional academic with CSU, Charles Sturt University in Port Macquarie. And in short, yes, this is my forever career. I would argue that there's no direct line in paramedicine, especially now. The number of our speakers today at the conference have discussed the growth of our profession and the streams in which you can develop in my limited time with New South Wales Ambulance. I've explored multiple avenues through a clinical training officer role, through a mentorship role, and then as bread and butter paramedic role as well. yeah, to answer in short, this is my forever role.
Laura Hirello: I think that's great. And so you just recently started a critical care program. did, yeah. What made you, how did you know that you were ready? Or like what made you feel like you were ready to sort of grow in that way and take on something new?
Jordan Gray: That's a very good question. I don't know if I am ready. Exactly. I haven't confronted a time in education yet where I've thought, I don't understand this. To apply it to a clinical context, I've always been very comfortable in high stress situations, exceedingly more so than some of my colleagues. And I was developing a trend in that people were asking me for my opinion. I felt it was valued. I felt I was respected amongst my peer cohort. And I thought I've had such a huge jump in education between my initial vocational training in Canada and now my undergraduate training. Why not? It's the logical progression to make the next jump then to master's level qualification. I think also in line with the theme of the conference is that it's a necessity, right? You have to grow. You have to grow in your profession. as I've said, I intend to do this for my entire life. So grow or stagnate and I pick the former.
Laura Hirello: No, it's so true. And I think that it's such an inherent paramedic quality to just constantly be like, I'm learning, I'm growing, I'm doing new things, I'm taking on new things and that sort of thing. So I love that your first instinct to respond to that question was like, I don't know if I am ready. I'll figure it out when I get there. Exactly right. I'll get through it. And I think that's great.
Jordan Gray: I don't know, yeah.
Jordan Gray: I think it's not dissimilar to skiing. You don't ski an entire mountain. You ski turn at a time. And I think postgraduate study is the same. You just tuck in. You've got to start and then make a turn and make a turn and make a turn, so on and so forth. But perhaps a bad analogy in Brisbane, 30 degrees. It's windy today.
Laura Hirello: I think people will get it. They're they're skiing in some parts. All right, so our final question for you. what is your go-to guilty pleasure on a night shift?
Jordan Gray: Go-to guilty pleasure on a night shift is a bag of crisps. Yeah. Yeah, a bag of crisps and or one or two coffees, I reckon. Yeah. Yeah. Usually I'm going to... What's the Smith's? Smith's Plain. Yeah.
Laura Hirello: early in the night, late in the night.
Jordan Gray: about midnight, I reckon. Midnight, depends how we're going. Probably won't get any sleep. Let's have that, like, midnight crunch. That's what you want, in the absence of Tim Hortons.
Laura Hirello: Fantastic. Well, thank you so much for chatting with me. hope you have a great time at the conference.
Jordan Gray: My sincerest pleasure. I will indeed, thank you. It's brilliant.