Sherry and Lauren
Primary Care Paramedics
Nova Scotia

When Sherry became a paramedic in 1998, she didn’t expect one day to be working alongside her daughter.

But that’s exactly what happened in January, when she looked over to see her oldest daughter, Lauren, sharing an ambulance for the first time.

Surreal experience

It was a surreal experience for them both.

“It was a little weird sitting next to her in the truck the first time,” said Lauren, a primary care paramedic who was hired in November. “I always thought about working with her since I got hired, but now it was real.”

The strangest part about the experience was calling her mother by her first name, something they had to get used to.

Sherry was born in Saint John, N.B. and graduated there before making her way to Nova Scotia after landing the job at EHS Operations. She’s worked in Baddeck and New Waterford but has been working and living in Sydney for a long time.

Lauren, now 20 years old, is the oldest of two daughters. Born in Sydney, she comes from a family with a long history of women in health care, including her grandmother, great-grandmother, and aunts.

“I wanted to work in health care but wasn’t sure where at first. I just knew I wanted to be out, doing things,” she said.

Surprising news

When she decided to become a paramedic, the news came as a surprise to her mother.

“I asked my mom, ‘what do you think of me being a paramedic? She said I have the personality for it and told me to do it. So, I told her, that’s great because I start two weeks from now.”

Since their first shift together in January, they have shared the truck a few more times.

“After I convinced her to do overtime with me, we knew we had to do it again,” Lauren said. “It was nice bouncing ideas off her. She’s so smart. I learned so much just in that first day I got to work with her.”

Lauren recognizes the success and accomplishments her mother has received since day one.

She says her mom paved the way for her and other young women to do this job and have respect in it.

Mom to her coworkers

Sherry, also called “Mom” by her other coworkers, offered high praise to her daughter after working with her for a few shifts.

She also enjoys passing on the knowledge she has gained over the course of her long career.

“The only thing I’d like to see from her is to keep the excitement she has with the job right now,” Sherry said. “She’s excited to go to work every day and can’t get there enough. She’s just passionate for learning everything that anyone wants to teach her.”

For Lauren, the motherly advice has already gone a long way.

“The biggest thing she said that has helped me so far is to never be afraid to ask questions and for feedback,” she said. “It’s helped me build connections with my coworkers and patients.”