Hello, all! Newbie here!
My name is Taylor; I'm female, 21 years old, and getting ready to start my senior year in college.
Suffice to say that I've had a lot of medical experiences! I was born 4 months premature (24 weeks gestation, 1lb 12oz at birth), and I have Hydrocephalus and very mild Cerebral Palsy. My first several years of life were filled with various health issues (the typical respiratory and development challenges faced by preemies, shunt malfunctions, a case of peritonitis, etc. etc.) but now I live a normal life. The Hydrocephalus is under control with a VP shunt, and the CP is mild enough that I wear a small AFO brace and walk with a slight limp; other than that I am fine and function normally.
I'm the daughter of a former police officer, and have grown up around law enforcement and medical personnel. Since June 2007, I've put my medical knowledge to use as a moulage (realistic injury makeup) artist and civilian role player for my local first responders - I've played everything from a hostage at gunpoint, to a trapped and injured earthquake victim, to a paranoid psychiatric patient! I'm also a member of CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) and am trained in small fire suppression, search and rescue, and basic trauma first aid.
Tons of people over the years have told me that I should consider becoming a doctor, or some other type of work in the medical field. Lately, I have started more seriously considering that! I love the medical portions of our CERT practicals, and have really enjoyed getting to learn from medical staff in some of my role-playing experiences.
I'll be graduating in May 2013 with a BA degree in International & Cultural Studies (cultures and languages are another fascination of mine), and have started looking into different schools and options to get certified as an EMT-B. So we'll see where this goes!
Any advice for me - suggested classes to take, etc.?
That's enough from me for now.... looking forward to getting to know the community here!