Primary Care Paramedicine, Class of 2016Holland College (HC): Tell us about your new business - REgen Resilience Consulting.
Charlie Hayes (CH): REgen Resilience Consulting is an education and training company that works hands-on with frontline workers to build wellness and resiliency skills to change the frontline narrative. We use ‘frontline’ as an umbrella term for anyone who works empathetically with the public, giving of themselves daily, but our work is primarily with first responders, military members, and hospital employees. We work for positive, sustainable change, in and out of the uniform, by identifying personal gaps through training, education, and support services. We are passionate about finding proactive ways to foster wellness and mental health, but we fully recognize the reactive cycle as well. Responding to this need, we are internationally certified in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) and have partnered with a peer support line, Boots on The Ground.
HC: How did you get the idea to take this path? Tell us more about your journey.
CH: I graduated from the Primary Care Paramedicine program in 2016 and started working in the field immediately. It quickly became apparent to me how burned out our frontline workers and first responders are, and how critical it was to provide them support. This isn’t to suggest that the job isn’t incredibly rewarding, but to do it well, we need to implement tools to meet the demands at the ground level. Training institutions and organizations welcoming new recruits need to focus on building tangible wellness tools that can be used every day. I started REgen Resilience Consulting to help to proactively address some of these increasing needs.
HC: How did your Holland College education help you in fulfilling this dream?
CH: I had incredible educators at Holland College that looked beyond the curriculum to fill some of the knowledge gaps and demonstrated what you could do beyond working with an ambulance service. Their encouragement and investment in students run deep. This helped me immensely when I began my paramedicine career.
HC: Any highlights from your time at Holland College?
CH: Participating in Dr. Trevor Jain’s UAV research during the MCI simulation at Slemon Park was a true highlight. My ride time was also incredibly special. All preceptors and educators were hands-on and it’s where I built confidence in my skills. Having two years of intense study to digest the material and scope was an integral to being competent in the field.
HC: What advice would you give new alumni entering the work force or becoming an entrepreneur?
CH: Like the Holland College Paramedicine staff always say, every day is an interview. Make sure you do a little interviewing of your own too: Do your job market research and more importantly, lifestyle research. Paramedicine is an incredible field to work in and has huge impact on the community, but it also has huge impact on the practitioner. It’s not always lights and sirens, so talk to those that are working as paramedics. And talk to A LOT OF PEOPLE! Learn about the employers available to you and if their priorities align with yours. First response is a small community so if there is an area you want to work in, geographical or skill-wise, make those connections and find out about their lived experience.
In terms of entrepreneurship, if you have an idea and you have passion, GO FOR IT! Being in school and working in community is also an opportunity to make connections to propel your business aspirations. If you are passionate about your idea, chances are, others will be too.
