Ah, summer. There's nothing to do here, but I'll be damned if I don't busy myself with something. Last summer: property office and EMT school. This time around: Chemistry, TAing EMT school, and actually seeing people. And the endless, fruitless, search for work.
Chemistry! I've decided to be a Physician Assistant. I don't want to do the full-out med school thing. I want to work closely with patients. I want to work--in the Navy? I keep surprising myself with these things. But I'm taking my prerequisites and checking off the boxes for applications. It's like being in high school again, except it's for real this time. Applying to and attending a masters program means making a choice about what I want to do. There's no "undecided" major in PA school.
TAing! Like at Brandeis, but with money. I love it. I led my group in CPR on Sunday, becuase I had a wonderful lead instructor who was willing to let me take charge. It felt really good--everything came together. Considering going for I/C at some point.
Seeing people! Last summer, I would work, school, sleep, repeat. I saw Matt every two weeks if I was lucky. I went for a walk with my best friend the other night, had a few bonfires with the hometown crew (accompanied by a lovely phone call to my parents from the police--but nothing happened), late night meanderings around town, seeing that nothing really changed.
Job search! Blurgh. Harassing HR people at a few places. Trying to find somewhere that will take me per diem that I can access form Brandeis. Without a car. Options are severely limited. Also, the fact that PA programs require EMT work to be "more than just patient transfer" means that what I can do as a basic in the Boston area might not count. Looking at places that will train me as a CNA while I work for them, but it feels like a step back. Making beds and wheeling patients around and monitoring bedpans--they're important tasks, I know, but I'm already trained for so much more. The fact that CNA work counts but patient transfer doesn't bothers me. I can't change the system though, so all I can do is roll with it.
So that's my life. Matt and I are coming up on our 1.75 year anniversary and yes I still count the months. When I look at my life as of two years ago and how it is now, I can't help but be happy when each month rolls around.
PA people! Military medical professionals! CNAs! I'd especially love to hear what you have to say about all this. Leave a comment, if you're so inclined!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
EMS Week, Here and Everywhere.
So, as many of you know, last week was EMS week. A week for us to let others know what we do, and a week for others to thank the EMS providers for what they do. Also, a lot of facebook status-copying and blogging and tweeting among the community members.
This past week was also my own personal EMS week. I remained on campus for senior week as an on-duty EMT, rocking the 3 days on, 1 day off schedule. I learned that it's totally okay to shower while on duty, and that trying to move from one dorm to another without a car while carrying the jump kit is not a fun thing to do. There was a decent amount of drama in the corps over this week, and for once, it was all boys (men?) at the center of it.
I enjoyed spending the week with the other members of the corps, and shared a 6-person kitchenless suite with my supervisor. I got to spend time with senior class members that I might not see again, and spent a decent amount of time with Matt, who also graduated at the end of the week.
Commencement itself was the big deal for the week--we had 9 EMTs (1 supervisor, 2 provisional primaries, 5 secondaries, and 1 tertiary) scheduled to be at mini-commencements around campus at various times of the day, and then we were all scheduled to convene at the Convocation center for the Main Commencement. It was all planned very well, and looked to be going smoothly until one of the primaries wasn't able to be there. We ended up having two double-secondary crews with the supervisor floating around where needed. Not ideal, but certainly effective. The eight of us made things work.
The whole day was somewhat surreal--I was in a dress uniform that was too big for me, pants that had a glorious amount of pocket space, and had a radio (with an earpiece!) that made me feel way more important than I was. I got to see Paul Simon sing "The Boxer" and give a speech, and I got to see Matt graduate. It was a good thing I was so busy, otherwise I probably would have been a puddle of tears.
Matt's family saw me responding to a call, Matt had to explained the concept of "privileged patient information" to his brother when he started asking me a bunch of questions. Following the whole day, I went back to my room, showered and got into a nice dress, and we out to dinner with his family.
All in all, it was a great week. I responded to two calls in more than 7 days, so while it wasn't a huge experience week, I got to know my fellow corps members better, and had a fun time doing so (awww). I applaud all involved with the commencement detail, and especially our operations officer, Dan. In spite of all of the last-minute problems and radio failures, he made it work.
Happy week after EMS week, everyone!
This past week was also my own personal EMS week. I remained on campus for senior week as an on-duty EMT, rocking the 3 days on, 1 day off schedule. I learned that it's totally okay to shower while on duty, and that trying to move from one dorm to another without a car while carrying the jump kit is not a fun thing to do. There was a decent amount of drama in the corps over this week, and for once, it was all boys (men?) at the center of it.
I enjoyed spending the week with the other members of the corps, and shared a 6-person kitchenless suite with my supervisor. I got to spend time with senior class members that I might not see again, and spent a decent amount of time with Matt, who also graduated at the end of the week.
Commencement itself was the big deal for the week--we had 9 EMTs (1 supervisor, 2 provisional primaries, 5 secondaries, and 1 tertiary) scheduled to be at mini-commencements around campus at various times of the day, and then we were all scheduled to convene at the Convocation center for the Main Commencement. It was all planned very well, and looked to be going smoothly until one of the primaries wasn't able to be there. We ended up having two double-secondary crews with the supervisor floating around where needed. Not ideal, but certainly effective. The eight of us made things work.
The whole day was somewhat surreal--I was in a dress uniform that was too big for me, pants that had a glorious amount of pocket space, and had a radio (with an earpiece!) that made me feel way more important than I was. I got to see Paul Simon sing "The Boxer" and give a speech, and I got to see Matt graduate. It was a good thing I was so busy, otherwise I probably would have been a puddle of tears.
Matt's family saw me responding to a call, Matt had to explained the concept of "privileged patient information" to his brother when he started asking me a bunch of questions. Following the whole day, I went back to my room, showered and got into a nice dress, and we out to dinner with his family.
All in all, it was a great week. I responded to two calls in more than 7 days, so while it wasn't a huge experience week, I got to know my fellow corps members better, and had a fun time doing so (awww). I applaud all involved with the commencement detail, and especially our operations officer, Dan. In spite of all of the last-minute problems and radio failures, he made it work.
Happy week after EMS week, everyone!
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Saving Lives?
There’s a girl on campus who often asks me if we’ve “saved any lives today” or if I’m “heading off to save lives” when I’m going to shift change. I’ve heard this a few times, but every time she says something, I’m not sure how to respond. Usually she gets “not yet” for an answer, but sometime, when we both have a minute, I’ve got some serious discussing to do.
Truth be told, we don’t save lives all that often. There are a few things we do/use that will immediately do some serious life-saving: any of our drugs, suctioning and maintaining an airway. And, somebody please correct me if I’m wrong, but we don’t do a lot of any of these here at Brandeis. Generally, we make things easier for someone who’s in a not-so-pleasant situation. If you ask me if I’ve ever saved someone’s life, I’ll tell you, “No.” Sometimes we make the call for help if someone’s in need of ‘saving,’ people with more training and more equipment, but that’s a call anyone could make.
I can’t fault her for asking—I do, however, feel like I can fault myself, her other EMT friends, the media’s portrayal of the profession, and the fact that people who speak up against that only do so within the EMS community. When people ask, why not ask, “What does ‘saving a life’ mean to you?” Explain what we do, what we can do, what we can’t, what we have done, and what we’re trained to do but very well might never have the chance to do. If you have a problem with how we’re depicted in Trauma*, or even in Emergency!, don’t just blog about it to those of us that share the sentiment; talk it up with other people.
It’s strange to think that on the same campus as people who call for Tylenol or for cotton stuck in the ear, there are people who think we can do anything. There’s got to be a middle of the road somewhere.
*I watched Trauma, all 18 episodes of it. I enjoyed it. I knew it wasn't accurate. It was good for a laugh and some decent TV dramatics, more MCIs than you can count on one hand, and one highly improbable result of a helicopter crash.
Truth be told, we don’t save lives all that often. There are a few things we do/use that will immediately do some serious life-saving: any of our drugs, suctioning and maintaining an airway. And, somebody please correct me if I’m wrong, but we don’t do a lot of any of these here at Brandeis. Generally, we make things easier for someone who’s in a not-so-pleasant situation. If you ask me if I’ve ever saved someone’s life, I’ll tell you, “No.” Sometimes we make the call for help if someone’s in need of ‘saving,’ people with more training and more equipment, but that’s a call anyone could make.
I can’t fault her for asking—I do, however, feel like I can fault myself, her other EMT friends, the media’s portrayal of the profession, and the fact that people who speak up against that only do so within the EMS community. When people ask, why not ask, “What does ‘saving a life’ mean to you?” Explain what we do, what we can do, what we can’t, what we have done, and what we’re trained to do but very well might never have the chance to do. If you have a problem with how we’re depicted in Trauma*, or even in Emergency!, don’t just blog about it to those of us that share the sentiment; talk it up with other people.
It’s strange to think that on the same campus as people who call for Tylenol or for cotton stuck in the ear, there are people who think we can do anything. There’s got to be a middle of the road somewhere.
*I watched Trauma, all 18 episodes of it. I enjoyed it. I knew it wasn't accurate. It was good for a laugh and some decent TV dramatics, more MCIs than you can count on one hand, and one highly improbable result of a helicopter crash.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Surprise surprise!
I expected to be the tertiary today, but when the secondary failed to show up and the one who had been on duty needed to leave, I signed in for her. The tertiary is now on his second shift in a row, and I'm taking my first secondary shift! The bag's not that different, just slightly harder to carry, but lighter, somehow. Meetings and class tonight, more updates to come if anything happens.
Well, this is a first for many things. My first secondary call (I really like this whole "chat with the patient, get their info" thing) (also, I may have had it recorded with me as the tertiary, no big deal, but I did write up the call since I stole the shift from another dude). But, more interestingly, this was the first time I've had a really appreciative patient. Not that it's ever what I expect, but when the pt just seems so thankful for the little things, it's nice.
Well, this is a first for many things. My first secondary call (I really like this whole "chat with the patient, get their info" thing) (also, I may have had it recorded with me as the tertiary, no big deal, but I did write up the call since I stole the shift from another dude). But, more interestingly, this was the first time I've had a really appreciative patient. Not that it's ever what I expect, but when the pt just seems so thankful for the little things, it's nice.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Not entirely jobless!
I still have about a week until I have my interview with presently-unnamed ambulance company (not sure about revealing names on here, we'll wait and see). But as the title states, I'm not entirely jobless at the moment!
After the BU EMT class here finished, I emailed the program director to see how I could go about becoming a paid instructor. I didn't expect it to happen for a while, since I only started assisting this semester. An email from one of the instructors reaffirmed my assumptions. However, I also received an email from the head director, asking when I could come in to sign papers. I made an appointment, went in, and asked what I needed to sign.
"Employment papers!"
I worked their extrication/practical exam prep day on Saturday, and look forward to doing this for the rest of the summer and next year when they're at Brandeis again and even during the fall, if I can get to BU. I'm excited--my summer of EMS is coming together.
After the BU EMT class here finished, I emailed the program director to see how I could go about becoming a paid instructor. I didn't expect it to happen for a while, since I only started assisting this semester. An email from one of the instructors reaffirmed my assumptions. However, I also received an email from the head director, asking when I could come in to sign papers. I made an appointment, went in, and asked what I needed to sign.
"Employment papers!"
I worked their extrication/practical exam prep day on Saturday, and look forward to doing this for the rest of the summer and next year when they're at Brandeis again and even during the fall, if I can get to BU. I'm excited--my summer of EMS is coming together.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Good news so far!
So, I've had a good week recently, and quite of bit of it is EMS-related.
1. I've been promoted to secondary in my EMS organization! Starting in May, I'll be taking down patient information and using the stair chair. I'm also excited to get a second uniform shirt, so I won't have to wash the one that I have all the time.
2. I have a job interview with a local ambulance company in a week! They didn't immediately say no to the idea of me working full time in the summer and per-diem in the school year, so that's a good sign. If anyone has tips on interviewing with ambulance companies, let me know, please.
3. This has nothing to do with EMS, but I was accepted to the performance track of the music major--I'll be giving one recital a year for the next two years. I'm excited.
4. I'm considering going to PA or nursing school after I get my bachelor's degree. I had been planning to go into counseling or clinical psych for a while, but having done some counseling, the passive approach to problem solving just wasn't sitting well with me. I'm not pre-med now, so I'd need to take a few years to get my bio/chem/anatomy/physiology requirements done, but I'm prepared to do that. If anyone has experience as a Physician's Assistant or as an RN and are willing to chat about it, please comment or send me an email (msh2012@brandeis.edu)
That's where I stand right now. Things are changing but I feel good about them.
1. I've been promoted to secondary in my EMS organization! Starting in May, I'll be taking down patient information and using the stair chair. I'm also excited to get a second uniform shirt, so I won't have to wash the one that I have all the time.
2. I have a job interview with a local ambulance company in a week! They didn't immediately say no to the idea of me working full time in the summer and per-diem in the school year, so that's a good sign. If anyone has tips on interviewing with ambulance companies, let me know, please.
3. This has nothing to do with EMS, but I was accepted to the performance track of the music major--I'll be giving one recital a year for the next two years. I'm excited.
4. I'm considering going to PA or nursing school after I get my bachelor's degree. I had been planning to go into counseling or clinical psych for a while, but having done some counseling, the passive approach to problem solving just wasn't sitting well with me. I'm not pre-med now, so I'd need to take a few years to get my bio/chem/anatomy/physiology requirements done, but I'm prepared to do that. If anyone has experience as a Physician's Assistant or as an RN and are willing to chat about it, please comment or send me an email (msh2012@brandeis.edu)
That's where I stand right now. Things are changing but I feel good about them.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
A Day in the Life: Take Two
1640: Paul asked me if I would help put the bags back in the truck, since we take them all out when we go out of service.
1644: We cannot find the keys. They are in Dispatch. Paul goes to start the car.
1700: The truck will not start. I stay in the office and sign in and chat with Charlie while Paul, Dan, and the supervisor try to fix it.
1720: The truck works! Something is wrong with the supervisor vehicle, though.
1730: Back in room. Waiting for Matt to call me back about dinner.
1800: Matt should be here soon. Reading a book for class.
1810: Call Matt to see where he is. He tells me that he's leaving now. He's rather slow at getting places.
1830: Went with Matt to Usdan, got burritos.
1854: in the C-store. Pager goes off. I mistake it for the bad music, then, realization dawns, and I go off. Crew splits to a second call. Mine is for a wrist injury, and it looks pretty bad. We treat and the pt is transported. Back to the office for write-up. Paul insists that the truck not starting earlier was a bad omen, and that we're in for a long night.
1959: Back in my room, I receive an e-mail stating that I have exceeded 15 GB of bandwidth. It's ridiculous, because there's no way that it actually happened. All I've done today was stream an episode of Trauma. Maybe the people in charge realize that it's terrible and are determined to keep me from watching it in the future. Highly doubt it, and will continue to watch Trauma in secret.
2133: Still reading "Stone Butch Blues" for class. Thinking of heading down to see how Matt's doing soon.
2150: In Matt's room. I do some readings, he playing video games. We watch "Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers" and I relive my childhood. He's been sick, so we cuddle for a while (mostly upon my request).
0030: We go to Einstein's for food. Mango bar!
1020: Leave Matt's. He's not feeling well at all, and didn't go to work today. =( I stop by the man in charge of the internet here, and he told me that he'll look into why I exceeded bandwidth. Back in my room, I have a hard time getting any wireless. I had a dream last night that I was transported to my home in an ambulance, standing. It was more of an RV than an ambulance.
1200: Went to class.
1318: Back in room, have a smoothie. Bringing lunch down to Matt before my next class. He's still sleeping =/
1700: Back in the office. Hand off to Mike, hang out for a few minutes, decide to go to Stats even though it's boring. Had Chamber Choir in the hot recital hall (it's 87 out and I'm in long pants) and in Theory we listened to atonal music. I don't get it. Not a bad shift, but I feel like such a whacker for craving more. Experience can't come fast enough.
1644: We cannot find the keys. They are in Dispatch. Paul goes to start the car.
1700: The truck will not start. I stay in the office and sign in and chat with Charlie while Paul, Dan, and the supervisor try to fix it.
1720: The truck works! Something is wrong with the supervisor vehicle, though.
1730: Back in room. Waiting for Matt to call me back about dinner.
1800: Matt should be here soon. Reading a book for class.
1810: Call Matt to see where he is. He tells me that he's leaving now. He's rather slow at getting places.
1830: Went with Matt to Usdan, got burritos.
1854: in the C-store. Pager goes off. I mistake it for the bad music, then, realization dawns, and I go off. Crew splits to a second call. Mine is for a wrist injury, and it looks pretty bad. We treat and the pt is transported. Back to the office for write-up. Paul insists that the truck not starting earlier was a bad omen, and that we're in for a long night.
1959: Back in my room, I receive an e-mail stating that I have exceeded 15 GB of bandwidth. It's ridiculous, because there's no way that it actually happened. All I've done today was stream an episode of Trauma. Maybe the people in charge realize that it's terrible and are determined to keep me from watching it in the future. Highly doubt it, and will continue to watch Trauma in secret.
2133: Still reading "Stone Butch Blues" for class. Thinking of heading down to see how Matt's doing soon.
2150: In Matt's room. I do some readings, he playing video games. We watch "Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers" and I relive my childhood. He's been sick, so we cuddle for a while (mostly upon my request).
0030: We go to Einstein's for food. Mango bar!
1020: Leave Matt's. He's not feeling well at all, and didn't go to work today. =( I stop by the man in charge of the internet here, and he told me that he'll look into why I exceeded bandwidth. Back in my room, I have a hard time getting any wireless. I had a dream last night that I was transported to my home in an ambulance, standing. It was more of an RV than an ambulance.
1200: Went to class.
1318: Back in room, have a smoothie. Bringing lunch down to Matt before my next class. He's still sleeping =/
1700: Back in the office. Hand off to Mike, hang out for a few minutes, decide to go to Stats even though it's boring. Had Chamber Choir in the hot recital hall (it's 87 out and I'm in long pants) and in Theory we listened to atonal music. I don't get it. Not a bad shift, but I feel like such a whacker for craving more. Experience can't come fast enough.
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