Patricia O’Connor

Upon graduating from the Nursing program in 1976, Patricia O’Connor completed the Emergency Medical Care Attendant certification. She was a member of the first group of paramedics trained in Ontario becoming the province’s first female paramedic in 1978. Later that year, she completed her flight paramedic training and became part of the first air ambulance team in Ontario. After joining the St. John Ambulance para-medical program servicing remote Canadian Artic communities, O’Connor was involved in a plane crash while en route to Pelly Bay, Nunavut in 1989. Waiting to be rescued, she performed her nursing duties under extreme duress and received a commendation for her actions. Recognizing the need for additional health-care support, she established her own air ambulance company, Medflight, in 1995. O’Connor has spent more than 20 years flying to remote villages in Canada’s north, providing care to patients or stabilizing them in preparation for flights to receive treatment in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. During this time she has continued her training in various aspects of nursing; provided lectures across Canada; and became a founding member of the Canadian Association of Aero-medical Transport,a national organization for the development and promotion of aero-medical services in Canada. O’Connor was recognized for her outstanding career achievements when she was named to the Order of Canada on December 28, 2007 and received the prestigious Premier’s Award in 2009.