Post date: Feb 03, 2016 11:18:54 PM
submitted by Sabrina Day
Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) have a difficult job. Working long shifts, under strenuous circumstances and doing everything they possibly can to save a person’s life is tough work. Although working conditions for this career aren’t necessarily ideal, the results of an EMT’s work are as rewarding as it can get.
Working on an ambulance has always been a career that I thought I would enjoy, and given the opportunity, I decided to give it a try.
Throughout my internship at Sturgis Ambulance, I’ve learned many valuable lessons about the career and what it takes to be successful. The job itself certainly is not for everyone. Whether it’s managing a trauma call or immediately responding to a medical emergency, one must be mentally prepared to handle the situation.
Throughout this experience, I have had the opportunity to work with some amazing people who work on the Sturgis Ambulance team. They were all so willing to help me get the full experience and teach me to apply crucial skills on patients. Along the way, I learned how to take vitals, do an assessment, and apply other basic life saving skills. Achieving this internship has given me a greater insight into what it is that I want to form into my career, and also allowed me to gain a passion for this profession.
As an intern, you must understand that being an EMT isn’t always action packed with crazy, dramatic situations. There are a lot of medical calls that aren’t very serious that a first responder must address as well. Many calls that I got to assist with were all medical related and/or transfers between hospitals. During my shift at Sturgis Ambulance, I had the opportunity to experience many new tasks that I had yet to encounter. For my internship, I had to do an 8 hour shift on the job. My ride along was with Halli and Paul, two medics on shift, and they let me help out with their everyday tasks. One thing I thought was very fun was going to the jail and taking vitals on 16 of the inmates in the Sturgis jail. It definitely helped me work on my ability to take vitals efficiently and appropriately communicate with patients.
With gaining a better understanding of what it means to be an EMT through my internship, I decided to also take the certification class and I look forward to becoming a certified EMT. I am currently 3 months into the class and can easily say that it requires your full attention and perseverance. Not to mention the fact that the you have to be fully dedicated to the class. Everyone on the department, that I’ve worked with, is always giving out tips on how to do things better and more efficiently, which makes the class so much easier.
Being a part of the EMS gave me a unique perspective on life that most people do not get to see or understand. EMS gave me a viewpoint on what is actually important in life. Once one has gained this training and philosophy, they have gained a gift for life. Whether you are performing basic life saving skills, extricating someone from a car or holding the hand of a little old lady, you do whatever is needed, whenever it is needed. Having EMTs that serve this community is something that a lot of people take for granted, but it was a real privilege to be able to learn so many things from these incredible people who are dedicated to this practice.
Emergency Medical Technicians definitely do not have an easy job, to say the least, but I am without a doubt ready to accept the challenge.