Training

$1100 - Cost of average EMT class in NYC, including books, crappy stethoscope and BP cuff.
$550 - Cost of average EMT-B Refresher class.
Opening the envelope with a brand new certification card: Priceless.

Here in New York State, you're required to take the class- over 180 hours of medical knowledge compressed and condensed int0 lectures several times a week, or practice sessions to apply what you learn. All this culminates into a few very panicky days of the oh-so-dreaded State Exam. 6 Practical Stations where we demonstrate our ability to care for a person. Medical, trauma, splinting, boarding, KEDing, AED, CPR, the whole shabang... and you get one thing wrong and you fail. All you have to do is forget to say "...and regular" and it could mean the end: months of wasted effort. Yours truly, however passed the practical with flying colors. That is, I did two years ago. Unfortunately, EMT certifications last only three years... so I'm stuck taking a Refresher course. My opportunity to retake the State Exam for recertifications lies only 12 days away. But I'm not worried... too much.

My point is this: Earning and maintaining an EMT certification is a time-consuming (and expensive -- though in New York State, the Health Department will reimburse volunteer corps for their fees incured paying for their certifications) commitment. One needs to be dedicated. What I don't understand is why there exists people who go through the whole process of obtaining their EMT card, but then don't want to spend any time actually working as an EMT.

When I first got certified, I could not wait to get out there and save some lives... or at least take someone's BP (A real-live sick person!) I got involved with a fire department, a crew supporting a concert venue (You won't believe the one about the two girls at a Dave Matthews concert who, on their own, decided to find out what it feels like to take roofies), and of course, Fair Maiden herself, my university ambulance (name changed to protect the guilty). FM is a funny organization. It's the only place I know where they have so many EMTs they're coming out of our ears. Their solution of course: offer applications and conduct interviews. Of the fifty-some EMTs that apply every semester to join, the squad only invites 10-15 to become Probies. It took me two semesters before I was invited. My friend applied five semesters in a row -- a record as far as I know.

So why are there people around who just don't get it? I was at a general body meeting the other day; there were only maybe twenty-five of us there. A corps with nearly 60 members, and less than 50% in attendence at a MANDATORY meeting. More than that, in the final portion of the night (that is, the last five minutes of a total half-hour romp), we schedule crews for the coming two weekends (weekday/weeknight shifts are staffed by permenent crews the entire semester). I saw more than three guys slinking away and sneaking out of the room without volunteering to take a 12-hour shift, more who simply sat in their chairs keeping their yaps shut. Then it dawned on me, they weren't having fun!

In a job like EMS, there are two ways to do it: Either you become cynical and dejected -- barely going through the motions, I've been like that before -- or you can take the light-hearted approach, where you can be enjoying yourself even while a drunk, coked-up, more-than-spoiled rich girl swats at you (with those long sharp nails), yelling obscenities enough to make a grown man cry. But what causes the difference? I suppose if I knew, every corporate executive would be vying for me, trying to get me to inspire their suicidal cubical dwellers. I do know one thing though, The people at the top make a big difference. It's funny about growing-up. Coming out of high-school, wouldn't most people you knew rather throw themselves into an icy river before giving you responsibility? Now however, responsibility has (gradually) been piled upon our shoulders. Hell, we're even in charge of some people. I mean, I run an EMS crew and three other guys follow my orders and take my lead, not to mention the patient. Sometimes, if we're in a bad mood, we don't realize how that affects the other people around us. Sure, we'd all like to kill the dork who called us out and all he's got is a finger lac sustained by cutting carrots, but he doesn't have to know that. There is more than one way to let a guy know that by calling 911 for a Band-Aid, he's preventing our unit from responding elsewhere. You don't have to make him feel like an idiot. And the Probie.... just because she handed you a ring cutter when you asked for a collar, doesn't mean you need to berate her until she breaks down and quits. EMS is a funny playground. Perfection is required. But even if you have to get through the teeter-totter, the swing set, the monkey bars, and the tire swing without flaw, you can still have fun. And better yet, you don't have to be the bully that the recess lady will later need to take to the principal's office, you can simply be the kid that plays nicely with the other kid. Why? Because when you have fun, it makes it easy for the other kids to have fun as well.