I Interviewed a Paramedic
Here’s what he said…
Me: How did you hear about paramedics?
Chris: So I heard about paramedics when I was probably in my early 20s and I was an Architectural major Temple University. At that time my brother joined Newark Fire Department and just hearing some of his stories is how I initially found out about being a paramedic.
Me: What does a normal day for you as a paramedic look like?
Chris: So it’s one thing that’s unique about the world of EMS (Emergency Medical Services) is that there is really is no normal day. I’m a paramedic in the New Castle County District and we’re pretty busy. So maybe a normal day would be that we just take care of our sick and injured people but that can change from day to day. Where, maybe one day I’m treating a heroin overdose the next day or the next day maybe a car crash or someone who’s having a hard time breathing. Strokes and all kinds of things. There’s really no normal day.
Me: What’s the hardest part of being a paramedic?
Chris: A lot of people would say that the hardest part is no seeing a lot of the bad things that we see when you can call 9-1-1. Essentially for a lot of people to work, they have their lives. So, you go into that world and some people, internalize that. For me, the challenging part is the work schedule. We work two days, then we work two nights, and then we have our offer of three and a half days. So we don’t have like a normal rhythm. I usually work the night shift, so my body doesn’t have a normal energy level. A lot of my hours that I work is when your people normally sleep and know after years, it can be exhausting.
Me: Describe your job using three words three words.
Chris: Service is always a good word to use. It’s in EMS (Emergency Medical Services) because we serve others. Compassion is something you should always have as a paramedic. Maybe exciting would be another word because you never no what to expect when you get to your station.
Me: Was being a paramedic your dream job?
Chris: I would say it wasn’t. I never really had a dream job. My wife Kaci is an ER nurse and being a nurse was her dream ever since she’s ever thought about having a job. But for me, I kind of just fell into it and I’m super happy that I did. I love my job but I wouldn’t say it’s something I’ve always wanted to do.but I love my job, but I wouldn’t say that this is something I’ve always wanted to do. But I’m extremely thankful for it.
Me: What made you want to be a paramedic?
Chris: Like I said, my brother is a firefighter with Newark fire departments. He just hearing some of the stories at the time. Like I said, I was an Architectural major and essentially possessed the job. A lot of my teachers became teachers because they couldn’t find jobs. I noticed it’s not the best place to become an Architect or a good job to support a family. A paramedic required the same amount of time. And I was really interested in being a paramedic. So that’s why I wanted to become a paramedic.
Me: Why would you say your job is important?
Chris: All jobs are important, if it’s anything where you’re helping out the world or making things better. Paramedics are important because we get to help people in cases of emergencies. Say, if if your sister, brother, or your parents have a situation where they’re really sick. Maybe about to die and you don’t know necessarily how to treat them and care for them. We do and we can transport them to the hospital and save them. That would be one reason why we’re important.
Me: Is your job different than it was when you started because of the new rise of technology?
Chris: The biggest thing for me, because I’m terrible at directions is GPS. When I started we had this handheld map that looked essentially like a big pamphlet. You would open it up and you would have to find the address that’s on that map when it’s pitch black outside. It’s fairly difficult to do and especially while you’re driving. So I was really thankful that GPS came around shortly after I became a paramedic. I think that was probably for me, the most beneficial part of technology.
Me: Is being a paramedic different than it is portrayed on TV?
Chris: Yes and no. What you’re seeing on TV is the most extreme of that what we do. You know, in a half an hour episode you might see see this crazy crash with cars on fire and it seems like the whole world’s blowing up. Which we see, but we just don’t see that every single day. Some of these calls that are portrayed on TV, might extend a little bit beyond reality. But we do see a lot of of what you see in TV.
Me: How does a paramedic deal with the tragic events that they encounter every day?
Chris: So there’s there’s good ways and bad ways to handle it. One thing I’m thankful for that’s coming around is awareness of stress disorder. Especially in the world of medicine and in the world of EMS. Paramedics may also have a counselor to help them deal with it. On the negative side, people have used alcohol or drugs and they just haven’t handled it well. But thankfully people are recognizing it better. And like I said, getting a support system and getting help is a good way to deal with it. For me, it’s never been a major issue because of what I believe in. I’m a Christian. So my world view is that this world is broken and there is heartache, but there is one answer to it is Jesus Christ and his church. And I’m a part of his church. Part of me being a good paramedic, is caring for people. And I can share Jesus’ love with others through through caring as well as I can for them. So anyway, that’s part of my mission as being Christian.
Me: Would you recommend this job to other people?
Chris: Definitely. Like I said, can make a career out of it. It’s not as much education as some other degrees. It requires a lot of attention. It’s three years year-round, but it’s very doable. Yeah, I would definitely recommend it. There are challenging aspects to it, but it’s very rewarding.
Me: What is some advice that you would give our listeners who want to work in the medical field?
Chris: So any generic medical field, if you wanted to get into EMS or maybe become a paramedic. I would say maybe join the fire department first and just to see if this is the world you want to live in or if it’s any generic medical field. It’s always been a field with lots of options. With, nursing you can go to school for two to four years. Lots of people, especially right now, are hiring in that field Nursing has more variety than you would as a paramedic. Apparently. It’s very exciting and you know, it’s an awesome field, but it’s really specialized. Nursing is more generic and can you can go into different specialties that you wouldn’t have as a paramedic.
