Photos: Carmen Bird.
When Reena Jefferson spotted an ad calling for paramedicine students while at home with her newborn daughter Alena, she felt instantly called to find out more.
Her thoughts turned to her first experience with Hato Hone St John after her mother’s fiancé suffered a cardiac arrest when she was 11 years old.
“The ambulance and paramedics came. They tried for what seemed like a long time to revive him,” recalls Reena, now 45. “Unfortunately, he didn’t survive, but despite the outcome, I was in total awe of the work they did. That was my first exposure to the ambulance sector.”
When her daughter was six months old, she applied for AUT’s then-new Bachelor of Health Science in Paramedicine.
“I knew I wanted a degree in paramedicine,” she tells. “I didn’t tell anyone, I just knew I was going to make it happen for my girl.”
Laughing, she adds, “Life got really busy after that.”
Without a car and living in South Auckland, Reena, then 23, had to commute three hours daily on the train, bus and shuttle to the North Shore campus.
“There were many struggles, but I didn’t doubt my choice for a second. I enjoyed going to classes and acquiring new knowledge, and I enjoyed the people I was learning with. I have made some life long friendships.”
Four years later, Reena graduated with a degree, even after taking on the care of five extra children when her loved ones needed her.
“The degree normally takes three years to complete full-time, but it took me four. In my final year, our family suffered a significant loss. It resulted in the coming together of my in-laws, and my now-husband Alan and I, to collectively raise a family member’s children together,” explains Reena. She then went on to have two more biological children.
“They and my daughter became our top priority, and I then chose to complete the degree part-time.”
Reena is now a Hato Hone St John Critical Care Paramedic (CCP) with 16 years’ experience under her belt.
“I believe I’m the only Niuean CCP currently working within our organisation,” says Reena. “We are seeing more of our Pasifika and Māori people coming through, but there is still room for more.”
Over the years, she has also been integral in mentoring and supporting fellow Pasifika and Māori paramedicine students, colleagues and new staff.
Reena admits that she has sometimes felt lonely in an industry where her culture is a minority. However, she is reassured knowing how valuable her skillset and that of fellow Pasifika and Māori colleagues are to their patients.
“The diversity in what we have to offer, and what we know through personal upbringing, adds to gaining trust and being able to empathise with our patients,” she points out. “I often have to use my language, especially with our motua [elders] if they can’t communicate what they want in English.”
With so much experience under her belt, Reena has considered managerial roles. However, she’s not ready to change her course yet, explaining simply, “My heart lies with the front line.”
She is honest about the job’s challenges – not everyone survives – and the memories of some patients never leave her, like the first sudden infant death syndrome [SIDS] call out she attended, where the baby was six months old, the same age as one of her own children at the time.
“When you’re new, it’s very real and raw,” she says. “Every time I think about that job, I become teary-eyed. But in saying that, this job has taught me how resilient people who work on the front line really are.”
Reflecting on her career, Reena is clear that any accolades need to be shared with her family.
“I want to give thanks to my husband, all the kids, my in-laws and my mum,” she smiles. “It takes a village to raise a child. Without their help, I wouldn’t have been able to achieve any of this.”
Becoming a critical-care paramedic has undoubtedly been hard work, but given the chance, she would do it all over again.
“It’s a passion of mine to be patient-focused and help the community one person at a time. I’m so thankful and grateful my family and colleagues continue to support me.”
To find out more about working with, volunteering or supporting Hato Hone St John, visit stjohn.org.nz/support-us/get-involved
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