Version 1
: Received: 3 December 2022 / Approved: 5 December 2022 / Online: 5 December 2022 (02:16:33 CET)
Version 2
: Received: 14 February 2023 / Approved: 15 February 2023 / Online: 15 February 2023 (04:34:52 CET)
Mausz, J.; Salvis, S.; Arseneau-Bruneau, D.; Donnelly, E. Women’s Participation in Leadership Roles in a Single Canadian Paramedic Service. Prehospital Emergency Care 2023, 1–6, doi:10.1080/10903127.2023.2231568.
Mausz, J.; Salvis, S.; Arseneau-Bruneau, D.; Donnelly, E. Women’s Participation in Leadership Roles in a Single Canadian Paramedic Service. Prehospital Emergency Care 2023, 1–6, doi:10.1080/10903127.2023.2231568.
Mausz, J.; Salvis, S.; Arseneau-Bruneau, D.; Donnelly, E. Women’s Participation in Leadership Roles in a Single Canadian Paramedic Service. Prehospital Emergency Care 2023, 1–6, doi:10.1080/10903127.2023.2231568.
Mausz, J.; Salvis, S.; Arseneau-Bruneau, D.; Donnelly, E. Women’s Participation in Leadership Roles in a Single Canadian Paramedic Service. Prehospital Emergency Care 2023, 1–6, doi:10.1080/10903127.2023.2231568.
Abstract
Introduction:Like other public safety professions, paramedicine has historically been a male-dominated occupation, both in the demography of its workforce and in its organizational culture. Although women are increasingly choosing paramedicine as a career, participation in leadership roles remains limited. Drawing on data from a recent comprehensive mental health survey, we describe the proportion of women in leadership in a single, large, urban paramedic service in Ontario, Canada.Methods:We distributed an in-person, paper-based survey during the fall 2019 - winter 2020 Continuing Medical Education (CME) sessions. Participating paramedics completed a demographic questionnaire alongside a battery of mental health screening tools. We assessed the demography of the workforce and explored differences in employment classification, provider level (e.g., primary vs. advanced care), and participation in formal leadership roles along self-reported gender lines.Results:Out of 607 paramedics attending CME, we received 600 completed surveys, with 11 excluded for missing data, leaving 589 for analysis and a 97% response rate. Women comprised 40% of the active-duty paramedic workforce, with an average of 8 years of experience. Compared to men, women were more than twice as likely to have a university degree (Odds Ratio [OR] 2.02), but almost half as likely to practice at the Advanced Care Paramedic level (OR 0.61), and somewhat less likely to be employed full-time (OR 0.77). Women were nearly 70% less likely to hold a leadership role in the service compared to men (OR 0.36), occupying just 20% of leadership positions. Conclusion:Although paramedicine is witnessing an encouraging shift in the demography of its workforce with greater participation from women, there is still work to be done, particularly in leadership. Future research should focus on identifying and ameliorating barriers to career advancement among women and other historically underrepresented people.
Keywords
Emergency Medical Services; paramedics; gender; diversity
Subject
Social Sciences, Sociology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Received:
15 February 2023
Commenter:
Justin Mausz
Commenter's Conflict of Interests:
Author
Comment:
Minor formatting changes after submission to a new journal. Additional citations added. Additional language on relationship between public safety professions (PSP) organizational culture and potential barriers to career advancement for women.
Commenter: Justin Mausz
Commenter's Conflict of Interests: Author