EMS
Education and observation did not satisfy my goals, I wanted experience with hands-on patient care. I enrolled in an EMT course at North Seattle College, becoming a nationally certified EMT by the end of 2023. In July 2024, I started working as an EMT for Northwest Ambulance, a private EMS company that operates primarily out of Everett and Mountlake Terrace. As an EMT, I run 911 emergency calls but also interfacility transport (IFT) calls, transferring high-risk patients out of the hospital and into rehabilitation facilities, assisted living communities, or hospice centers. I have so many patient stories from my EMS experiences, but I will share two of the most transformative moments I've had so far.
As an EMT, I run 911 emergency calls but also interfacility transport (IFT) calls.
On IFT calls, I've noticed that patients always comment on how nice it is to get their first breath of fresh air after being in the hospital for anywhere from days to months. One patient has stuck with me: an 88-year-old male who was going home on hospice due to his terminal diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer. As we wheeled him outside, he noted the fresh air and asked if we could find him a spot to let him soak up the sun again. As we paused the stretcher in the middle of the ambulance bay, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath in, relaxed his shoulders, and seemed at peace. I stood with him, alertly watching to ensure we weren’t blocking any incoming ambulances. I was filled with so many emotions: grateful that I experience fresh air and the sun almost every day, disheartened that my patient didn’t know the next time he’d be outside again, joyful that he advocated for this moment, but frustrated that I could not do more for him. I felt constrained by the scope of EMS, yearning to work at a higher level of care. I cherished these moments, but I wanted to be a part of a patient’s entire continuum of care.
As we wheeled him outside, he noted the fresh air and asked if we could find him a spot to let him soak up the sun again.
One of my favorite aspects of my EMS work is also the part I was least prepared for: psychiatric patients. Northwest Ambulance transports many psychiatric patients from ERs to facilities since our hospitals rarely have on-site psychiatric units. One night, my partner and I were performing a B3-IFT call from an ER to a psychiatric facility for a 42-year-old female with a chief complaint of schizophrenia. Upon meeting the patient, she was houseless and her medications had repeatedly been stolen. She was brought into the ER by PD after bystanders called 911 due to her erratic behavior. Upon contact, she was calm and cooperative. We loaded her into the ambulance and started heading for the designated facility. While taking her blood pressure, I hear her humming. I ask, “What are you singing over there?” She yells up front to my partner, asking her to turn up the radio. Vienna by Billy Joel begins filling the ambulance. She sings louder, and asks me to join, saying, “C’mon, everyone knows this one!”
Vienna by Billy Joel begins filling the ambulance.
So there we were: my patient, my partner, and I, singing a song about slowing down in life on the way to the psychiatric facility. Moments like these remind me of the importance of connection. Working as an EMT confirmed my passion for medicine and reminded me of my love for human connections like these.
Working as an EMT confirmed my passion for medicine and reminded me of my love for human connections like these.
