As an ER nurse, Taylor Resendes knows how to spot a well-trained EMT or paramedic - and the good ones she sees on the job have Portage College training.

The Sylvan Lake woman is now exploring that training herself.

"The program has such a good reputation, compared to other schools."

Admitting to being a life-long learner, Resendes is a trained Registered Nurse, who recently completed the Primary Care Paramedic program (PCP) at Portage College. She is now in her first year of the two-and-a-half-year Advanced Care Paramedic program (ACP) at Portage College.

“The program has such a good reputation, compared to other schools. So, it wasn’t a hard decision that way. I work in the ER and get lots of paramedic students coming in, and you know what school they come from just based off their skillset and the way they are organized,” Resendes said.

Family connections

This latest part of her learning journey is a family affair, as her stepdad Cory Christopherson is also in his first year of the ACP program.

Christopherson, who also lives in Sylvan Lake, has been a journeyman auto technician for the last 20 years. He learned about the Portage College program through recommendations by friends who had taken it – and from his stepdaughter’s observances in the ER.

Portage College Advanced Care Paramedic program students Cory Christopherson and Taylor Resendes with a sim-patient inside the ambulance simulator at Portage College.

“We’ve heard this is one of the best schools in Western Canada,” said Christopherson, whose interest in the field is also rooted in another family connection that began when he was a teenager.

“My parents were first responders in Saskatchewan where I grew up, so they started their training while I was in high school … I got to do some of their scenarios with them, and I really enjoyed that. Learning what they were learning got me a foot in the door for what I eventually wanted to do.”

Christopherson is planning on using his training to find work in the industrial or commercial sector. Currently using his PCP training as a casual member with an ambulance company in the Sylvan Lake area, he sees a lot of opportunities when he graduates in 2027.

“I see tons of options out there right now. There are integrated fire services that are taking ACPs and there’s lots of oilfield companies looking. Depending on where someone wants to go there’s lot of different opportunities, lot of different directions,” he said.

Those opportunities, the ability to see the healthcare system from different perspectives and her love of learning all helped Renendes decide to follow a similar path. 

“I’m a registered nurse who works in the ER. I really like school and figured the more exposure the better. He was doing it too,” she said, gesturing towards her stepdad, “so I was like, what the heck, let’s try it out.”

The two are now study-buddies taking the full-time ACP program through online courses at home and in-person classes one week a month at Portage College’s Lac La Biche campus.

The blended format of the program – offering online and in-person delivery - allows them to continue working as they study.

It can be busy, balancing home, life, and work schedules, but both say it’s worth it. When asked what advice they have for others looking to keep that balance, both said it takes focus and keeping an eye on the prize.

“I like school, I like learning, so I put that as a priority - and I fit other things around it when I can,” Renendes said.

“Right now, it’s about getting the schooling done and paying attention to that,” Christopherson said, adding that the size of the class at Portage College and the smaller community around the college helps too. “It’s nice coming to a smaller location. It gets us out of our regular environment and gets us focused. We are here to get the best education.”

Inquiries:

For information about the Advanced Care Paramedic Program or any of the Health and Wellness programs offered through Portage College, visit our website: Portage College Health and Wellness Programs.

Information requests can also be made through email at mailto:info@portagecollege.ca or toll free by phone 1-866-623-5551.