Responding to the call

Ville Platte native Jordan McGee was recently named as Acadian Ambulance Paramedic of the Year for the Capital District. As a result, he was a finalist for the same honor on the Louisiana/Mississippi area.
Operations Manager Justin Cox, according to a press release from Acadian Ambulance, said, “Jordan leads by example day in and day out. He has an unrelenting drive to make a positive difference every day, and I believe he has a very bright future in the industry.”
McGee said Acadian Ambulance sent out an e-mail to its employees in the region asking for nominations. The e-mail, according to McGee, asked for people “who you think exemplifies what it means to be a paramedic and follow Acadian standards.”
“From there you go before a committee of people that’s a combination of your peers and some higher management people, and they ask you a series of questions,” he continued. “They do an interview, and they pick the one that represents the whole company at the yearly luncheon.”
McGee fell short at the Louisiana/Mississippi level that was held last Thursday, but admitted it is “absolutely” an honor to be selected as regional Paramedic of the Year and to be considered at a higher level. “I was very surprised,” he said. “I know I do my job the best I can. It definitely isn’t any kind of competition, so when I was nominated, I was actually humbled and didn’t expect it at all.”
He went over the reasons why he believes he got nominated for the award. “I have a way that I can relate to people,” he said. “When a 911 call comes out, I don’t think about anything else. I put the patient first before anybody else’s needs. I’ve always felt passionate about it.”
The son of Shaun and Pam McGee credited his father as an influence on how he deals with the public as a paramedic. “I grew up watching my dad treat patients as a pharmacist in a small town just knowing how he went above and beyond for his patients,” McGee said. “I guess he just passed it on to me.”
McGee began in the emergency medical service (EMS) with an entry-level position as an emergency medical technician (EMT). After spending a semester in school, he started out in the position doing everything noninvasive. He said he did everything from “checking vital signs to doing a lot of treatment.” He then went on and completed a six-month accelerated program offered by Acadian Ambulance, and he completed that in 2011. He described his current position as more like a nurse because it is more invasive.
During his time as an EMT and a paramedic, McGee has experienced “anything you can imagine.” He continued, “You have the typical things that people imagine when they think of EMS such as car wrecks, really bad traumas, and amputations.”
“The common medical calls especially in South Louisiana are a lot of chronic illnesses. I treat a lot of cardiac problems, a lot of kidney problems, and respiratory problems,” he added. “I’ve seen anything from a bad cough to a full blown heart attack or a stroke,” he added. “You never know what’s gonna happen when you show up to work that day.”
The job, according to McGee, is at times challenging. “Sometimes it’s really hard to keep your chin up,” he said. “Shift work is really tough on you. Sometimes it’s a monotony of work, but at the end of the day you know you got into this field for a reason and that you have a knack for it.”
While he sees the job as challenging, he still sees it as rewarding. As he said, “Just knowing that the decisions you make can make a difference in somebody’s life makes it all worth it.”
He sees his future holding a different career within Acadian Ambulance. “Right now I’ve already started to pursue a career in quality improvement,” he said. “I already have a position at Acadian called a facility and quality improvement coordinator. I’d love to pursue that, and it’s always been a passion of mine.”