Being a Paramedic is more than just medicine.

Many people wonder what a typical day is like in the life of a paramedic. Without using patient information and violating HIPAA, I will attempt to give you a glimpse of just that. Much of this job isn’t about giving medications, starting an IV, or putting a breathing tube down someone’s throat. That’s the stuff they teach you in class. But a paramedic wears so many more hats. We are counselors, cooks, babysitters, a friend, or a shoulder to cry on. We are ministers, a listening ear, a swift kick in the pants, and your cheerleader. Some days are slow, some are slammed busy. Some days we don’t get to eat until almost time to go home from our shift. But every day is totally different than any before.

My day yesterday started before I was able to clock in at 0600 with a cardiac arrest. We got a pulse back, and transported to the hospital. Usually, this is good. But sometimes, and you may not agree, it would be better to just let the person go than to put their body through the trauma of a cardiac arrest. This person won’t have any quality of life because of previous history, and even more so, because of being in cardiac arrest. But, I do my best even when things don’t seem fair.

We ran 8 calls yesterday before we were actually able to sit down and finally catch up on reports. Each call we are dispatched to requires a report, some more detailed than others. The more we do, the more we have to include in our report. It was after 3pm. We had responded to a couple of chest pains, a back pain, a medical alarm, a fall, and I don’t remember what else honestly. Some days it all runs together. I didn’t finish my breakfast until we had gotten back at 3 pm. Some days you don’t get a chance to pee, unless you go at the hospital after giving a report to the nurse.

It was one of those days that was incredibly frustrating. But I love my job most days most of the time. Some days I hate people because we are an incredibly selfish species. All someone can think about is themselves instead of being thankful they have to wait in the waiting room at the Emergency room since waiting at the hospital means you aren’t dying or have a life threatening injury. Too many use the ER as their family physician instead of only coming to the ER for a TRUE life threatening emergency.

My back hurt after yesterday’s shift. It wasn’t any particular thing, it was more of a tired ache. After 18 years in this job, I guess it is allowed to ache now and then.

There’s a lot of ugliness to this job since the human race is a generally selfish and hateful species. The innocent are hurt or killed because of a thoughtless act. Drugs control a life and become the highest priority instead of the children in that family. Life can seem overwhelmingly dark with no way out except for putting that gun to his head, but his pain doesn’t stop. It is only passed on to his wife of 47 years and family when he is gone.

But there are many moments that make all the ugliness worthwhile , like delivering a baby, which I’ve been able to do 3 times. That is my all time favorite call! It is the moments of being able to connect with a patient on a deeper level, even if only for a moment, and let them know they aren’t alone because you have also been where they are currently at.

A woman was on the stretcher in my ambulance one day with a irregular and fast heart rate. This was a totally new experience for her and she was terrified, to the point it was hindering me from being able to give her medicine to fix her heartrate. I held her hands in mine, looked into her eyes and told her that thousands of people walk around every day with this irregular heartbeat and that she would be ok. I gave her a hug and she calmed down. Her heartbeat also converted back to a normal heartrate on it’s own. By the time she had arrived at the emergency room, she was feeling so much better and her other symptoms had begun to subside. I hadn’t done anything for her that I had learned in paramedic school, but I had taken the time to hear her fears and be a decent, caring, human being. That’s what this job is about. That is what so many of the young’uns in this field are missing.

There have been times through the years where I’ve gone to visit a patient at the hospital later on to check on them. I’ve taken stuffed animals to the kids or even written a note to a mother who lost her baby to SIDS. I go with my gut, because my gut doesn’t lie. Look out for your friends and family, even the strangers around you. Be caring and thoughtful. Let the people you love know that you love them, because you never know when today will be your last, or their last.