Reflections from Ems 131-MAY 2024

WhooHoo! It’s almost time to be taking the national registry exam to become a fully-fledged professional EMT. But, before graduating to that significant title, I must complete a couple more exams, upload some documents, finish this paper, and make sure my butt is in class a few more times before I can officially celebrate.

To begin, I want to reflect on my ride-alongs. I had never been on a ride along ever before, so this was a unique first experience for me. With that being said, my nerves were fairly high because I had no idea what to expect. For example, I had no clue that Guardian Medical had their own separate station. I guess I thought they would be riding around in their ambulances all day waiting for dispatch to send them on a call (I suppose like Police do with their squad cars). Anyways, I show up to station 52, five mins early. I go to open the door and its locked, I walk to the other double doors and again locked. I asked a near bystander if I was in the right place and he shrugged and didn’t know either. I felt like a lost puppy and was terrified of being late. A few moments go by and an EMT opens the doors asking if I’m their ride along for the day. I respond immediately making a lighthearted joke, and taking a breath of relief.

After that, the day felt like a whirlwind. I promptly went shadowing the paramedic and checking the rigs for all the supplies and restocking anything that was low or missing. During which, the paramedic was grilling me on all sorts of medical questions. My already prominent anxiety was only increased by his intimidating & stoic façade.

Towards the end of the 8hours and after running a few calls, my nerves settled. We had a few interesting patients, but I found myself felling disappointed in the position itself. The transports were so quick to Flagstaff Medical Center, you barely had time to build rapport with your patient. I guess it only affirmed my desire to do wilderness rescue in a backcountry setting where rescues or help could take hours to arrive. That level of problem solving is what I think I would thrive in. Or on the other hand, work with a small town ambulance agency that is an hour away from a major trauma center. With that being said, I had low expectations for my Flag Fire ride along, but I was unexpectedly surprised.

My Flagstaff Fire ride along was a lot more fun, having the experience with Guardian I felt a lot more prepared of what to expect but there was still some nerves. I had a lot of fun with the fire boys. We ran two calls all day and the rest of it we “shot the shit”, worked out in their gym, and made a steak dinner. Everyone was much nicer and friendlier than Guardian. I suppose probably because their job seems to have more downtime and a healthier lifestyle in general.

Next, I’m going to reflect on our practical exam day. I choose Saturday, 1. To get it out of the way faster and 2. So I’d be able to attend church on Sunday. Practical exams ended up being much easier than I thought. My past WFR skills have helped me tremendously in this class especially knowing the order and operations of patient assessments. The practical day I actually had a lot of fun with. After getting a few out of the way and passing them with ease, my confidence started to build. I was dancing in between tests in the halls to hype myself up and encouraging my fellow students as well. After passing all on the first try, I drove my jeep down to Sedona and celebrated by having a creek day with my boyfriend.

Overall, my reflections from the class have been positive, I’ve increased my medical and professional knowledge as well as made a few friends along the way. The class hasn’t been nearly as hard as I first anticipated, but like I stated earlier, I think my Wilderness First Responder knowledge really helped me. In the beginning of the semester, I was worried that I wouldn’t do well in this course. I feared my brain didn’t have enough elasticity to cram more information in it. I was surprised to be reminded of how much our brains can obtain and continue to grow for a lifetime. I’m grateful to be a “lifelong learner” and plan to continue my education after this class. I also plan to celebrate with my classmates after we have all officially passed our NEMT!