4 down.....36 to go!

So I have done my first 4 shifts! I haven't posted because I am so dead tired by the time I get home that I talk to John on Skype and then go to bed. I am also taking 8 credits online and so I also have homework. Well I looked up my preceptor on Facebook the night before my first shift so I knew who to look for. While I did this I was shocked to find out that he was only 23! His name is Drew and he has been a medic for about a year and a half. He is SOOOO smart. I am already learning so much from him. We have super serious times like on calls but we also get along really well and joke around all day long. I have to EMT-basic drivers 1 for 2 days and another for the other 2 days. They are both fun too. All of us are always making fun of each other. EMS life is SO much fun. I love it! One of the drivers is going to paramedic school right now so we are always quizzing each other. He used to be in the Mongols motorcycle gang! The fact that I have an awesome preceptor and one that is extremely knowledgeable makes this so much easier. I see it as a little tender mercy from the Lord

I am averaging about 7-8 calls per 12 hour shift. Most of them are BS calls. A lot of people call the ambulance for nothing, it is really frustrating but whatever. We make it very entertaining. The first day I watched them and helped out where I could but everyday we have a new goal. Drew is a great teacher and always tells me where I can improve and tells me when I am doing a good job. We don't have a station that we sit at. We go to EMSA headquarters and check out our cot and get the truck that we will be in for the day. We check out the narcotic drugs and go over our supplies. We then go out on the truck and usually get a call before we go to our first post. We post around the city and that is where we wait for calls. I love being in a busy EMS system. I have recently started running the calls and Drew stands back and I tell him what to do. I am learning a ton and feel pretty confident. I have had some calls that I have never had before like assault, domestic violence, children, drugs.....pretty sweet calls I must say. Drew wears a bullet proof vest!!! I am like hello where is mine? I think he wears it though just so he says that he does.

It is hard being away from John, but I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have to come to a busy EMS system and learn from the best paramedics. I try to stay posotive and realize that this is where I am going to learn how to be a good Medic. A lot of people have told me that I should be a model not a medic here but I say NO WAY I LOVE THIS. Most women medic here are, well a littl lesbian-ish. I was really worried here about my diabetes and what everyone would think but Drew said there is another medic here who is diabetic and has an insulin pump. He just said to tell him if I feel funny and we will fix it! :) This took a ton of stress off of me. However he did say that before he gives me sugar he is going to take a picture. I guess the diabetic medic here drools when he has low blood suagr....lol

I thought the very first call I was going to have was a women having a baby! I was soooo excited, but of course the call is never what you think. She was only 7 weeks and probably had an ectopic pregnancy. I have had a lot of shortness of breath calls. Yesterday I took a guy off of his drug high and he was MAD! I also had a 4 year old with a tension pneumothorax, (collapsed lung) that call was pretty scary because we could have possibly had to dart her chest. I had an assault where a girl hit a guy with a metal insence burner and cut his arm down to the muscle. It was super bloody and super awesome. I also unloaded an 18month old from a helicopter who got ran over by his parents. All I have to say about that is WATCH BEHIND YOU!!! to often does this sort of thing happen and it is so preventable. The baby survived and was stable when we got him out of the helicopter and rolled him into the trauma center. I will try and write more after calls so that I can remember them better.

I have 3 days off so I will be doing my homework ALL DAY! I can't wait to go back on Friday!! Living with 3 other girls really isn't as bad as I thought. We really don't see each other much because we have opposite shifts. We try to do things together and talk and study when we can. I talk to John every night right after my shift and we try to Skype every night. Skype is what keeps me sane.

Have a wonderful day and feel free to ask me any questions!!!
-Em (Future Medic)