What got you into EMS?

[akflightmedic]

I am a walking poster child for almost everything we debate here in regards to EMS.

Spent all of my childhood in and out of hospitals, in fact the day of my birth I was an inter facility transfer to a higher level of care...of course there were no IFT services then, so basically I got a fast ride in a Cadillac to a larger hospital 1.5 hours away. My whole life has had something to do with medical, I knew the terminology as a child as I was fascinated by everythign going around me and I am never one to sit quietly and be content...I want to know, especially if it involves me.

Thought I would be a doctor all those years, even started volunteering at the base hospital at age 14 (illegally-but they tolerated me). Got real jobs (bagging groceries) and met another bagger who was developmentally challenged. He told these great EMS stories about the calls he went on and wrecks he saw, etc. I basically let him go on and on while thinking bullshit, there is no way they let this man-child work on an ambulance. Turns out, I was wrong. He was indeed a volunteer and because he was able to function as a fetcher and could follow basic commands, they let him in and took care of him best they could. He was very proud of his uniform.

I was too young to volunteer but I thought it was cool, it all sounded neat and all I cared about was lights, sirens, uniform and the general perception of those in my circle regarding me---what would they think of me if I were to do that work. Patient care pre-hospital was last thing on my mind as I truly had no concept how EMS worked....and I was young, dumb and full of...

I moved to another state and almost joined the local volunteer FD because I saw all the ass hats who were on it and knew I was good enough if not better. Again, still young (age 17)...I ended up suffering anaphylactic shock and went into cardiac arrest. Lucky for me, I had this episode inside an actual hospital as it was post-allergy shots when it occurred. Again, I was another IFT to the civilian hospital as they could not handle me since I was on a vent for 2-3 days.

I have kissed death many times in my life as a child and an adult. Those stories are an entire book if I ever get around to it.

Anyways, after being discharged, to my folks dismay, I moved back to SC...the only home I really knew after being bounced around within the military year after year. My grades had declined during high school and I no longer felt I was a candidate for med school. Amongst many other personal familial issues, I just assumed it was never to happen. So back to Myrtle Beach I went...party town for a man my age. I smoked weed, tried the local college, but just wasn't going in any direction particular. I was working in a bar at the time as well along with another job down on the boulevard...had to keep in the mix of all the excitement, just who I am.

EMS is very busy in Myrtle Beach...started thinking I should try for it. Went and applied to local volunteer squad and was voted in after some interviews and ride alongs. Quickly decided this was for me and enrolled in EMT school. I ran my ass off volunteering...we had assigned shifts and I did every single one and then some. I was averaging over 200+ hours a month volunteering. Being such a busy town, the paid county EMS and the City FD were always overwhelmed so they tolerated us and used/abused us as well. It did not matter, I got a ton of experience in short amount of time. EMT school was easy for me...it all seemed very natural and none of it was shockingly new or hard.

I passed the exam on first try and got my day glow orange patch soon after in the shape of my great state. I was now becoming a whacker...I lived and breathed EMS. I had a scanner, I would run calls in my POV, I even had a lightbar and jump bag on my vehicle. I wore EMS tshirts and yes I even had one that said "You got to be tough to work a code in the buff". HOWEVER, I was also going to EMS conferences and I wanted to know more, I wanted to do more. I very quickly realized how little I was actually doing other than patting myself on the back. I realized the volunteerism was all about helping me get laid and feeling good, cause yes there were/are a lot of badge bunnies on vacation looking for a "hero".

I got a paid EMT job with the county and I also worked part time doing IFT. (FYI, this was when I started shucking the gear, lightbar, and tshirts as paid folks do not typically do that stuff and I was quickly realizing how much of a fool and how reckless I had been). I immediately enrolled in paramedic school less than 3 months after getting my EMT B. Paramedic school was a joke only I did not realize it...you do not know what you do not know. I did fine in medic school, was actually bored on many occasions as it was not challenging. To tell me to push a grey box followed by a purple box just seemed lame to me. Anyways, I became a medic after the very long and strenuous 3 nigh a week 6 month long program....yep...6 months...3 nights a week and clinicals...wham bam you are a medic man.

I continued to work as a medic but knew there was more, where or what more was, I did not know. I moved to Florida! Wow, night and day right there...I immediately learned there are huge differences in EMS simply by crossing state lines. The move shattered all preconceived notions I had about EMS.I was an idiot! I went to test for various services and was blown away by how advanced they were. I had left an area where we did not do 12 leads and entered an area where they have been doing 12 leads for years along with RSI, nitro drips, surgical crics and a million other skills and drugs which I simply never fathomed to be done prehospitally. Yeh I had read about them on my own but we never were taught these things much less carried or performed them. All my years as medic to me were worthless, I was way behind the game and had no clue until I moved. So I made a plan...

I went and got a job at the ER as a medic and returned to school. I started learning paramedic all over on my own as well (I had been out of school for years at this point). I started teaching as well, because if you do not get challenged or learn something new almost every single time you teach, then you are doing something very wrong including doing your students no favors and possibly intellectual harm. I had no clue there were degreed programs for medics...higher education had never been encouraged where I came from for those in EMS...never. Taking those college level courses opened my eyes to a whole new world. After completing college anatomy and science courses....so many things started clicking in regards to patient care. I now knew why I was doing many treatments. It all made sense and I gained a huge understanding of why we do or do not do certain things. It absolutely made me a better provider....no doubts about it. I have the benefit of having been a medic mill graduate, working for years, then going back to school and basically redoing paramedic with a new frame of reference and the differences are staggering!! Yes, a college education does make a difference in regards to your ability as a paramedic.

My stint in the ER/Trauma center got me thinking about two things (flightmedic and nursing)...I was going to do one or the other. I finally landed a job with a county paramedic service...NO EMT Bs; all medic service. In all my years prior, I was always the only medic with basic partner and/or FD basics on scene. At first I was very leery of taking a job with another medic at my side. I was actually defensive about it...I was letting pride cloud my judgement. After working for many years in that arrangement, I will NEVER go back to Medic/Basic again, ever. (The caveat to this statement is I did go back to this arrangement during some disaster responses in other states...) but I am meaning a full time position as a medic on an ambulance, I will never work medic/basic again.

Those years working dual medic were fantastic. Burnout was minimized, errors were minimal...did not have to command every single little action or prioritize tasks because if it needed to be done, it was happening. The service was very aggressive and progressive, always trying new trends, they were very pro education. Unfortunately, all this went to shit when the FD decided to take over. Yes, I have been victim of TWO FD mergers in my time. In the years since I have left, quality has gone down, dual medics are gone...and a lot of the old crew I used to work with have all become nurses, flight crew, PAs or docs....that should give you some indication of their knowledge base and experience.

When the merger talks started, again I was proactive. I went ahead and put myself through the fire academy in preparation for the inevitable because I was not gonna be left behind when the deal went down. It was also during this time that I was studying on my own to be a flight medic. I was reading all the right books, took the classes and started applying. I even took a job in another hospital do I could get current ER and ICU experience. Well the day came before I even finished the FF academy....I was offered a job as a flight medic. I took it upon the condition that I finish academy first and they agreed.

I then moved to very, very remote Alaska and started my first flight gig. It was hard core to say the least but after that for a couple years I now had the experience to go just about anywhere I wanted provided I get an interview. And that is what I did. I tried out several other flight gigs but then I did one which was international. After that I was hooked on international work. So, I made a plan...

I started studying remote medicine and applying to those in the industry. I made contacts and marketed myself. I then got my job offer in Afghanistan. Remote, austere, war zone primary care and emergent medicine...does it get any better? Again, I had lots to learn...sutures, antibiotics, a host of primary care and patient care management issues. I did this for a couple years, crossed over into learning about Safety (another field some find exciting and challenging) to broaden my knowledge and make myself marketable and increase earning power. I soon tired of the work politics and started seeking employment. lo and behold I was offered a Project Management (EMS Chief) position for an EMS service in Afghanistan. I guess I had come full circle....

I did that for two years but this experience coupled with my past leadership experience as an EMS Lieutenant and flight medic put me on the business minded track. I was working on my final nursing requirements and my plan was to return and finish RN so I could travel and get paid decent. However, I realized a business opportunity when I saw it and I started making plans....

I am now in my 18th month of owning a business along with a year of planning prior to that and things are looking good....and yes, I am making a plan.

To all who have read this far, I truly did not mean to write this much describing my entry into EMS, but I simply could not drop a quickie of how I became a paramedic. I did not think it would do justice. as I started writing however I thought maybe my story would inspire others who have similar goals or dreams. The story also gives credibility to all the BS we continuously speak about. I have lived it, I know both sides and there is a difference.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.

[Vorenus]

Ak, cool story - a way worth admiring!

As for me:

When I was in my last year in High School I wanted to become a doctor initially - due to some misinterpretations and some mistakes on my side, I thought that I wouldn`t be eligible for med school right after school, as I thought I would lack the appropriate qualifications.

I can`t really remember, when I started thinking about EMS - I never had a drastic moment of tragedy or something, that pointed me into this. Anyways, I somewhere read about it, started research a bit, applied for a Para (RettAss) course and got in.

Then, when I finisihed High School and found out that my grades were better than I had expected and I propably would be able to enter med school right away, I had to decide wether to apply for medicine or take on the Para course I already had an offer for.

After some thought, I choose the Para course (with the plan to study medicine afterwards), because I wanted to do something practical and "real-life" before sitting on my arse again for another six years.

In the summer I finished Para school, I had also applied for medicine (but it was a fucked-up thing in the first place, since I wasn`t really sure wether I wanted to do this anymore - so I spontaneously applied on the last possible day to keep all my options open, but fucked up with some bureaucratic stuff), but I didn`t get the place I was hoping for. I had an offer for The University of Erlangen, though, but didn`t wanted to go there.

So I finisihed Para school - and had nothing. Not the offer for med school I had half-heartedly hoped for and neither a job in EMS, since the service I was training with had no vacancies. Luckily (more or less) I quickly found a job with a private service and started to work there as a Para after one month of unemployment.

The position didn`t really suit me `cause they weren`t really employee-firiendly, so I left after some months to get back to my former service (due to some vacancy). I`ve been working there since that swap. Right now I`m thinking about changing my job and geographical position, but that`s another story.

[chbare]

I'll provide some contrast to AK's inspirational story. I was in high school and my girlfriend wanted a shiny, new ring. I was bagging groceries for minimum wage. The Army National Guard had a $1,000 sign on bonus. I found a way to get the ring. Since I was underaged, my mother had to sign a waiver. She would only do so if I selected a MOS that she approved. Ended up going in as a medic. Girlfriend left me when I was in AIT LOL. The rest is history.

[Richard B the EMT]

AK, I've had a few Badge Bunnies try to work me, while my Lady J was alongside me. I shut them down with a public display of affection with Lady J.

As for mixed BLS/ALS teams, FDNY EMS doesn't routinely do them, as it's always EMT/EMT or EMT-P/EMT-P. The only time they would do the mixed teams would be when half of each team was unaccompanied, the supervisors wanted to keep one of the 2 units "out there", and the team would act as a BLS team, unless the team was on an assignment with another, full ALS team; then, the mixed team EMT-P would act as an ALS provider, the EMT to the extent of their BLS protocols.

ChBare, just remember that it sometimes is better to have loved and lost. Much better. The first woman I asked to marry me, in 1973, responded with the "Let's just be friends" speech. She's now on her third marraige, and never to the guy who everyone, including me, thought she was "supposed to" get married to, after declining my proposal. (My "rebound" was a wasted 9 year interstate (she's Teaneck, NJ, I remain Belle Harbor, NY) engagement that never went anywhere. Following that, I've been "with" Lady J from December 1988, but we're both a bit "gun-shy")

Dwayne, the only rock younger than me that I know of, is Chris Rock.

[DFIB]

AK, I've had a few Badge Bunnies try to work me, while my Lady J was alongside me. I shut them down with a public display of affection with Lady J.

As for mixed BLS/ALS teams, FDNY EMS doesn't routinely do them, as it's always EMT/EMT or EMT-P/EMT-P. The only time they would do the mixed teams would be when half of each team was unaccompanied, the supervisors wanted to keep one of the 2 units "out there", and the team would act as a BLS team, unless the team was on an assignment with another, full ALS team; then, the mixed team EMT-P would act as an ALS provider, the EMT to the extent of their BLS protocols.

ChBare, just remember that it sometimes is better to have loved and lost. Much better. The first woman I asked to marry me, in 1973, responded with the "Let's just be friends" speech. She's now on her third marraige, and never to the guy who everyone, including me, thought she was "supposed to" get married to, after declining my proposal. (My "rebound" was a wasted 9 year interstate (she's Teaneck, NJ, I remain Belle Harbor, NY) engagement that never went anywhere. Following that, I've been "with" Lady J from December 1988, but we're both a bit "gun-shy")

Dwayne, the only rock younger than me that I know of, is Chris Rock.

My wife is the only person I ever proposed to. We are working on our 23 year.

What is it with chicks and uniforms anyway?

[Richard B the EMT]

My wife is the only person I ever proposed to. We are working on our 23 year.

Some strike the motherlode. You did, I didn't.

What is it with chicks and uniforms anyway?

Even Ralph Kramden said that Alice was originally attracted to him due to the (Gotham Bus Company) uniform he was wearing.

[chbare]

AK, I've had a few Badge Bunnies try to work me, while my Lady J was alongside me. I shut them down with a public display of affection with Lady J.

As for mixed BLS/ALS teams, FDNY EMS doesn't routinely do them, as it's always EMT/EMT or EMT-P/EMT-P. The only time they would do the mixed teams would be when half of each team was unaccompanied, the supervisors wanted to keep one of the 2 units "out there", and the team would act as a BLS team, unless the team was on an assignment with another, full ALS team; then, the mixed team EMT-P would act as an ALS provider, the EMT to the extent of their BLS protocols.

ChBare, just remember that it sometimes is better to have loved and lost. Much better. The first woman I asked to marry me, in 1973, responded with the "Let's just be friends" speech. She's now on her third marraige, and never to the guy who everyone, including me, thought she was "supposed to" get married to, after declining my proposal. (My "rebound" was a wasted 9 year interstate (she's Teaneck, NJ, I remain Belle Harbor, NY) engagement that never went anywhere. Following that, I've been "with" Lady J from December 1988, but we're both a bit "gun-shy")

Dwayne, the only rock younger than me that I know of, is Chris Rock.

No worries. It was high school and I doubt we even knew what love was.

[BAYAMedic]

It was a combination of experiences that lead me this direction. Grandpa was a volunteer fireman and one of the first EMT's in the state of Washington. Uncle was a Volly FF/EMT, another Uncle was a career Captain/Medic on a Metro Dept. I wanted to fill the family tree out and be a fireman too. Then it happened... I out grew the toy trucks, the cute bunker gear onesie, the firetruck shoes and went on to so many other childhood fantasies. I wanted to be a pilot. That was in my freshman year of high school, and the school had a school to work job shadow. So they sent me out to the rural airport... to hang out with airplane mechanics. So I sat there all day bored out of my mind when it happened. A real pilot showed up, a fixed wing medical transport pilot. He proceeded to tell me the really cool job is in the back of his aircraft.

Fast forward six months to my 16th birthday. Working at a road side bakery/fruit stand we just sat down to eat cake when a car pulled up and honked. We kinda dismissed it. Then it honked again. I went out there and found a 60's age 300+ lb male red in face, diaphoretic, clutching his chest. "Help, Ambulance" I called 911, and gave him Aspirin out of the first aid kit ( those damn Bayer commercials work) 16 minutes later the ambulance shows up, loads him up, and hauls him away. The local paper wrote up about the birthday hero and the family sent me a thank you card, but I had felt so helpless. Why did it take so long? I wanna be able to help, to not feel useless and so since I was 16, I joined the Volunteer Fire Dept. no ems out of that station. EMS was up the road 8 miles. But that got me started. National Ski Patrol that winter. The MD Director of the ski patrol let me work with him down at the hospital in the ER. That was cool but the ones that impressed me were the Paramedics who would bring in the patient well on there way to recovery. I mean they had to have been really sick when they called 911, but the paramedics had to have fixed them, as they were doing well now. So I started riding third with this ALS agency.

That next summer (17) I took my First Responder class so I could use the training with the fire dept on car wrecks. I did a lot of volunteering that year and spent a ton of shifts in the ER. in march of 03 Then I got sick. Two weeks in a level 4 Hospital, One Medstar flight to a children's hospital, a week more there, then outpatient IV med visits. DX: Nisseria Meningitis. I learned the importance of bedside manner, during this time. 6 months later I was back and healthy, Starting my Sr. year. I had all of my graduation requirements filled, I just needed elective credits. So I enrolled in school to work internship. 9-5 M-F, I was at the ALS agency 38 miles from my house. 3 months after I Turned 18 I started my EMT class and got my card, but there were no jobs, or shifts I could take, because I had to be 21 to drive. I graduated, Got the "presidential scholarship for volunteerism" and then Was going to go to school to start paramedic Pre-Reqs. Got sick again, recurrant debilitating headaches. Lost about a year because I was dealing with appointments, and Pain management zoned out adjustments. Then got off all of it and everything resolved DX: rebound headaches. Moved to North Dakota to work in the oilfields (bad idea, Its cold!) and then got a job back in Washington state as " Industrial EMT/ Mine Medic" Another volunteer gig with an ALS Service, Had a really emotional call (first pedi code) and stepped back for a bit.

A few years later I realized how much I missed it, Got on with a Volly IFT Service and re took EMT-B. Re-certed and started Paramedic School. So I have worked for 8+ agencies over 9 years got in and out of it in varying levels, Private, public, non profit, for profit, remote non transport, hyper urban. I have ran the gambit. I like to think I am a proof that despite what life throws at you, you can always go back.

Sorry for the Long Bio, but like AK I started writing and couldn't stop.

Fireman1037

[dwhock]

1. Ski Patrol - Took EMT Classes to see if I would have a problem dealing with injuries on the slope
   

David Hockenberger

[PCP]

I use to watch " Emergency " back in the day and " Rescue 911 " and I believe that is where it all started. I took my very first first aid course in the early 90's and from there just kept taking courses. I enjoy helping people and running calls. For me it is the best feeling helping somebody and knowing I may have made a difference just by showing up and taking them to the hospital. I love it when you finish up with the pt. and they give you a smile and say " Thank you ". To me that is what EMS is about.