What influnced you to work in EMS?

[crash_cart]

So, what was it?

My story? When my oldest son was about two, he swallowed a quarter and it was a full-block. No air was moving at all and he was turning cyanotic. I was able to get him to cough it back up. Needless to say, I knew at that moment, that under great stress, I could keep it all together.:wacko:About a year later, a neighboring community that we were driving through had a rain storm that froze over. "Black ice" was the order of the day and as we were driving through a residential neighborhood, we witnessed an elderly man take a slip off his front porch, landing very hard on the concrete area in front of his house. I took my cell phone and ran over to help him. He only had some minor cuts and abrasions on his face and arms, nothing too bad. He insisted on getting back into his house and I helped him up with the aid of an off-duty fireman from the town.

So how about you?

 

[Epi-do]

I had always surrounded myself with people that worked in public safety - police, firefighters, EMTs. One day, one of the firefighters I was dating (and later married) suggested I go to EMT class after listening to me complain about how much I hated the work I was doing at the time. He couldn't believe I had never thought of doing it when he made the suggestion. After the first ambulance ride-out I was utterly hooked!

That was nine years ago, and my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner.

 

[LucidResq]

When I was about 8 my dad's gas barbecue blow up in his face... covering his abdomen to scalp with second and third degree burns, I saw it happen.. it was awful. He's also epileptic. My grandma had a stroke. My stepdad survived a cardiac arrest secondary to a heart attack. I had a bad run-in with drug-resistant pneumonia and bronchitis when I was young. Yada yada yada.

So throughout childhood I found myself in the back of the ambulance and in the ER as a patient or visiting more times than I can count. The EMTs, paramedics, nurses, techs, doctors, etc that I encountered were all wonderful, caring people and I really began to admire them. That added to some innate fascination with biology and the human body landed me here.

Here's the earliest sign of my calling... when I was about 5 my kitten drowned in the bathtub. I ran to grab my little hand-held air pump (for making balloon animals) because I thought I could save her by breathing for her. I have no clue where I got the idea from, but hey I was on the right track.

I've noticed that many people in EMS decided to get into it after a tragedy or near-tragedy that happened to a loved one.

 

[gcfd_rez31]

mine is that i have family in the medical field & i thought it would be interesting.

i was a little leary of it at first, but i love it!

not much of a story about why or how i got into it, just looked interesting since i was little!

 

[Jon]

I always liked EMS... my dad had an old copy of Emergency Care and Transport of the Sick and Injured... and I even remember doing a CPR demonstration in 7th grade health class.

Then the fire company started an explorer post as I turned 14... since my parents were involved with the auxiliary for years, I was told... "hey... we are stating an explorer post... first meeting is X... be there".

So I've been on-track for this for years... now I do it full-time.

 

[paramedix]

I spoke about this topic last night with one of my friends (also a colleague).

I wish I could say, I dont know how I ended up in the ems. It is just weird, Im trying to think back, but I just dont know why I kept on doing it.

Never regret it one moment and its now in my blood!!!

 

[newtonfb19]

I've been interested in EMS and medicine in general for many years. When I was a kid, I'd always (and still do) look and wonder what was going on when I heard sirens, and I always thought it would be cool if I could do that, but I never seriously considered it. Now that I'm in college and preparing to apply to physician assistant schools, I realized that I need experience for school. I also had a few friends who were EMTs, and they strongly urged me to join. After considering my options, I decided to join my campus EMS squad and take an EMT class during my summer break, and have since loved every minute of it .

 

[ErinCooley]

I'm sure that people think I'm nuts when I say this, but I firmly believe I was led to this field for a reason ....

At 31, after being a stay at home mom for 6 years, I decided 1 day that I was going to EMT school, mostly out of the blue. I applied, was accepted and started school. 8 weeks later, my little girl was hit and killed by my husband who was driving his bulldozer in our yard. I couldnt save her, nobody could have BUT I had just enough knowledge by that point to do what any "professional" could have done (minus the drugs of course) I did CPR, I did it well and I did it calmly. I will never regret my actions because I KNOW that I did everything I could have done.. there are no "what ifs" in that regard.

I finished school and am now licensed (I'm STILL job hunting) because I kind of feel like if I could do it to Caroline, I can do it to any random stranger. I WILL touch someone elses life and I WILL save someone and I will do a damn good job at it (I hope!!)

That being said, I have a friend who is a Paramedic. When I was in college the first time (at 18) I wanted to go to medic school but didnt have the balls to tell my dad, the Naval Academy graduate, that I want to quit my BS degree program so that I could get a technical certificate. EMS has always been somewhat of a silly dream for me that I never thought I would follow.

 

[awhiting]

I've had friends and family in EMS while growing up. I've done a few water rescues at the beach growing up but I really knew I wanted to change carreer paths when I performed the heimlich maneuver on a good friend of mine a year and a half ago. He was choking on sushi (the seaweed part) and I was the only one to react and get the job done.

 

[Ops Paramedic]

Nothing in particular prompted me, and to honest, at school and boys scouts, i hated and dreded the frist aid aspect. Post school, i started off as a ambo driver, ya, you can have a laugh!! From there went on and passed the Basic Ambulance Attendent (BLS), then Ambulance Emergency Assitant (ILS), and then decided to eventualy study for three years at the university and obtained a National Diploma in Emergency Medical Care (EMC). I thouhgt i'd never be back, but after another three years,will be finishing the Bachelors of Tecnology in EMC this year. Next year?? Suppose i'll start to look for something else, as i cannot do this until i retire!

The point i am making is that no matter what got me into it, i enjoy it!!

 

[Jeremy89]

I had always thought about it in the back of my mind. I decided to pursue Nursing after having been on many job shadows. One day, I met some classmates at a different college to study for Anatomy. There, I saw a sign for an 8-week EMT class. I called and got some more info, thinking this would be a way to get me into the ER as a tech. Finally class time rolled around. We got CPR certified, then started all the EMS stuff. The guys in my class were cool, the instructor was awesome, and the material was easy, so I stuck it out (ended up dropping that Anatomy class that originally led me to the EMT advertisement).

For my clinicals, I got to work on a code. From that point on, I knew Emergency Medicine was where I wanted to be. I also believe this is where God wants me - finding that advertisement was no coincidence. I've yet to get a job, but I'm still sure that something will come along.

 

[Airwaygoddess]

Rampart...This is squad 51!

What can I say...... JOHNNY AND ROY ROCK!! and that was the star of a dream... KMG 365!!! WOOT! WOOT!

 

[fortsmithman]

got into EMS because I want to help people. I have been involved with special event security on and off since 1985. As well as the ambulance service I'm also a member of my towns citizens on patrol group. My mom is a retired nurse my late grandfather was a retired LEO (Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Natural Resources).

 

[fortsmithman]

What can I say...... JOHNNY AND ROY ROCK!! and that was the star of a dream... KMG 365!!! WOOT! WOOT!

Ah Firefighter Gage and DeSoto. To the younger generation it would probable be Carlos and Doc.

 

[firecoins]

I was infkuenced by drugs and alcohol.

 

[Jango]

My reasons....

Wasn't that interested in EMS until my first trip to Iraq.....I volunteered to be trained as a Combat Life Saver(first responder). My experiences with that convinced me I could be an EMT....hell if I can handle a screaming pt with gunfire, stopping treatment to return said gunfire.....then I can handle the pressure. Another reason I became an EMT is I can do more for my convoy if I have better life saving skills.

 

[jordanfstop]

Well.

I was on a hiking trip in The Catskill Mountains in New York. It started raining horribly. So I thought to myself "I wish I had a poncho." Then I thought "Hey, most first aid bags have ponchos." Then thought "Hey, I should take first aid." Then thought "Hey, I'll take an EMT course!" Then thought "Hey, why not just become an active EMT?" I've always been there to help in situations when people have gotten hurt, like a cycling group I'm apart of. Multiple collisions, and a quasi-heart attack. Also being around friends who hurt themselves, I figured I should get some training.

My mother was also a vol. EMT/FF. Also I was influenced a lot by our camp medic in 6th grade. I also watched a ton of E.R. and Rescue 911.

 

[jordanfstop]

I was infkuenced by drugs and alcohol.

Seems a lot of Rockland EMTs start out that way

 

[TraumaJunkie]

Johnny, Roy, and Dr. Bracket talked me into it B)

 

[firetender]

The truth is I had just gotten out of jail (NYC - 1973) and needed something to structure my time. I had been in medicine for about four years (Nursing Home and Operating Room, 1 year of Nursing School where I got busted for selling pot at a very bad time -- just after the Serpico scandal.), and the local Vollie Ambulance Corps. had a sign out for volunteers. I applied, honestly answered the magic question ("Have you ever been arrested?") and got turned down. Knew if I walked away from that I'd be running the rest of my life over a dumb error. I stood my ground, challenged them, got accepted and went on to surf the first wave of paramedics in the country.

(Holy Moly, I just saw I'm a Forum Captain now. No ambulance company I EVER worked for would have brought me up that high in the official ranks!)