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Two years ago we launched our first ever virtual Annual Members’ Meeting in the midst of the first wave of the pandemic. Although the virtual platform was planned well before the onset of the pandemic, it could not have come at a better time. We were able to practice social distancing while connecting with many of you. Our theme that year was Redefining Resilience and it rang true. How do you navigate a pandemic for the first time? How do you adjust to changing restrictions and new PPE every day? How do you grasp the gravity of this situation? Resilience.
As we were preparing for the 2021 AMM there was a massive amount of uncertainty. The two-week lockdown had somehow reached the year mark. Vaccines were slowly being distributed and this brought a glimmer of hopefulness to many. But there was a heavy weight of separation among us; there was a large divide emotionally, politically and physically. We were all exhausted from trying to navigate the easing and lifting of restrictions and dealing with the depth of being separated from loved ones. We were experiencing The Impact of Togetherness or the impact of the lack of togetherness.
Over the past few years, the focus has been on being in the eye of the storm of this pandemic. We have looked forward to the days where we can return to normal and leave this pandemic as a distant memory we talk about in the past tense. The truth is we may never get to that point, but we are already on The Road Forward. We are creating our version of normal while learning how to live in a world where this virus will continue to transmit to others and mutate.
The same rings true for the profession. It has and continues to be on the road forward in a very positive direction. In February, you heard from Tim about starting to get invited to the table. In April, you heard from Travis Lanoway, on Council being a driver steering the profession. The EMS Review Committee was formed out of recognition for the fatigue our members are facing. Work is being made to alleviate some of that stress and opportunities are being presented to hear from members. All of this is recognizing where we started, where we are now and the direction we are headed.
With that said, I encourage you to join us on May 24 for the College’s fifth Annual Members’ Meeting. The meeting will be held virtually to ensure anyone who wants to join us can be part of the updates on the profession, and the conversation about topics and questions that matter.
We will be using the Pigeonhole platform again for members to submit questions. It will open on Sunday, May 22 so members can submit questions prior to the presentation and will remain open until Saturday, May 28 for any follow-up questions. It can be accessed at: www.pigeonhole.at and the password is: FORWARD
Alternatively, questions can be emailed to Communications@ABparamedics.com prior to Pigeonhole opening and we will add them to the platform for our presenters to answer them live. As always, any questions not answered during the live presentation will be answered in the Pulse after the AMM.
I look forward to what is on the road for us over the next year.
Wendy Dugas
CEO