News Article

CNA paramedicine student wins prestigious scholarship


2/3/2010 11:48:33 AM


Primary Care Peramedicine student, Adrian Charron, was recently awarded the prestigious Tema Conter Memorial Trust Scholarship.

Adrian Charron, a Primary Care Paramedicine student at College of the North Atlantic (CNA), has been awarded the Tema Conter Memorial Trust Scholarship Award valued at $2,500. Charron, 22, is currently completing his second semester of the program at CNA''s Prince Philip Drive campus in St. John’s.

The scholarship is presented to the emergency services student who best discusses, in an essay or journal, the psychological stressors of Critical Incident Stress (CIS) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and their effects on the personal and professional lives of emergency services personnel.

Although there was one other CNA student who attempted the essay in the past, Charron is the only one to receive this prestigious scholarship. He had little trouble relating to the topic, drawing on experiences as a paramedicine student and a graduate of the Fire Rescue program at the Marine Institute.

“I have a profound interest in the subject matter of this essay,” Charron explained. ”I have heard the terms CIS and PTSD before in slide show presentations in class, but have never gone into such detailed study as was necessary for the writing of this essay. Gathering the information I needed took countless hours; searching through books, journals, and the internet to find information that was credible. I have become more aware of how wide spread and how detrimental this disorder truly is.”

Charron notes the most important element he can take from this experience is that if he should ever come into a CIS or PTSD situation, he will be in the position to acknowledge the signs and symptoms and seek the appropriate help.

The Primary Care Paramedicine program instructors at CNA have been very supportive and a great source of knowledge for Charron when he was writing the scholarship essay. Program instructor, Wayne Patzalek, informed the class about this scholarship opportunity.

“If it was not for the faculty, I don''t think I would have known about the scholarship,” said Charron. “I am very grateful towards him and the other instructors for bringing it to me and providing me with their support.”

Patzalek says it is both gratifying and encouraging to see a student take the initiative to enter a competition such as the Tema Conter Memorial Trust Scholarship essay.

“Adrian is one of our top students, in the top 30% of his class. Our pass mark is 80%, so his marks are quite strong. He actively participates in class, takes initiative, and consistently presents himself in a professional and respectful manner. He smiles often, and seems to have the admiration and respect of his classmates,” Patzalek said.

“None of the faculty had anything to do with the writing of the essay. Over the years, several of our students have been involved in emergency calls that required a PTSD or CIS debriefing. Since it is never predictable when CISD will impact a student or a graduate, having an essay, from a student like Adrian, to share with classmates and peers across the country, is of enormous value in raising the awareness of the potential for PTS to affect anyone in Emergency Medical Services.”

Charron will travel to Toronto for five days, all expenses paid, to receive the award at the annual Tema Conter Memorial Trust Gala in February. Patzalek feels winning this award gives Health Sciences programs some national exposure.

“Adrian will meet paramedic students from various levels of training from colleges and universities across the country. It is my understanding that not all essays meet the standards of the committee. For the student, it provides an opportunity to value the education they are receiving at the college as equal to and in some cases, exceeding that provided through other training in Canada.”

Charron wants to be a Primary Care Paramedic here in Newfoundland and Labrador with hopes of staying close to his hometown of Torbay, but doesn’t mind travelling the province. Patzalek is quite proud of his student’s accomplishments and says he has raised the bar for his classmates and faculty members.

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Media Contact:


Colleen Connors
Public Relations Specialist
College of the North Atlantic
(709) 643-6408
colleen.connors@cna.nl.ca