By Carissa Cosgrove

Two Loyalist College Paramedic students came home as the champions of the sixth annual Paramedic Skills Competition on April 5 in Oshawa.
Rick Wright and Chelsea Robertson, both second-year paramedic students at the Loyalist Bancroft campus were selected by their faculty and their course director Kelly Sheppard to represent Loyalist at the provincial competition.
The team participated in the all-day event, rotating through six skills stations, in competition with 28 other teams from Ontario.
"We worked really hard in preparation for this event, and the support from our friends, colleagues and faculty has been outstanding," said Robertson.
The college sent a second team, Pam Foster and Frank Puliso, who finished sixth. The duo made for tough competition between the Loyalist students.
"We were happy to win, we thought that Foster and Puliso would be the competition, so we were also surprised," Wright said.
The stations were composed of four practical competitions, three of which involved multiple casualties, and two academic competitions, where students' knowledge and critical thinking was tested in a timed format.
"The teams went from station to station in groups, so we were able to work with people from all over Canada, which is great for networking," Wright said.
"One of the guys we were grouped with was from Calgary, so it was a great opportunity to meet other Canadians who work in our field," he said.
The champions were also happy to learn that their participation in the event had a positive role in their career planning.
"A funny thing happened. Right after we finished the competition, I saw one of the judges running towards me. I wondered what was going on. He asked me, 'Where are you planning to work when you finish school? Would you consider coming to Niagara region to work?" Robertson said.
"I was nervous at the beginning, until I found my groove, so I was pleasantly surprised to have been met with that offer at the end of the day," she said.
Loyalist College has participated in the competition since its inception, and has returned to the campus three times carrying the gold.
Tom Malloy, Dean of Skills Training, Access and Continuing Education credits the skilled instructors who pass their knowledge on to these champions.
"We have placed within the top two teams for six consecutive years, competing against working paramedic professionals as well as students from other programs," said Malloy