Woman who switched careers to become paramedic named Co-op Community Champion

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A Fort St. John woman who found her vocation when she switched careers to become a paramedic has been named May’s Co-op Community Champion. 

Jenelle Millions had been a server in various businesses around Fort St. John when, at 34 years old, she decided to temporarily move to Chilliwack to pursue paramedicine. 

“I always knew I wanted to do something more, do something in the medical field,” Millions told Energeticcity.ca. 

“I considered nursing, but the allure of paramedicine and never knowing where your day is going to end up seemed so fun to me.”

Her two children also moved south while Millions completed the six-month course at the Justice Institute of British Columbia. 

“I found a furnished rental beside their school and beside my school, and so they would go to school all day while I went to school all day,” said Millions. 

“Then I would drive them across town at night to do gymnastics training while I studied in the parking lot.”

The nomination for Millions to be named Co-op Community Champion said she gave the “gruelling, demanding course her all with an attitude that failure wasn’t going to be an option.”

“Her desire to succeed and obtain her licence so she could service the community she grew up in is admirable,” it reads.

“Jenelle is a caring, compassionate lady with a desire to help others every day.”

Millions has now been a full-time primary care paramedic with the BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) for about two years, working 12-hour shifts and sometimes travelling hours away to care for patients in rural areas. 

“We see patients that are just thankful that we’re there, that can make it extra rewarding,” she said. 

“They see us arrive and almost instantly, there’s a sense of calm, even in an emergency. They see us and they’re just relieved.”

Millions told Energeticcity.ca she is currently enjoying her role, but may consider taking further training to become an advanced care paramedic in the future.

“I love everything about it,” she said. “I love the challenges. I love the wins. There are hard days, there are funny days. 

“Some patients are just hilariously sweet, even on their worst days, and it’s super rewarding as one might imagine.”

Millions thanked her husband Aron, who supported her to make the career switch, as well as her colleagues: “I couldn’t do what I do without all the people that I work with every day, it’s not me out there doing it alone.”

Congratulations to Millions for being named May’s Co-op Community Champion.

Each month, the winner is featured on Energeticcity.ca and receives up to $100 in vouchers from the Co-op. 

Anyone looking to nominate a community-minded person who deserves recognition can head to the form on Energeticcity.ca.