EMT
So, Mary's latest craze is...
Thinking about becoming an EMT.
I have Sage to thank for this. During our last week on trail crew, we amused ourselves by coming up with "life plans" for each other. She was convinced I should become an EMT. Her argument? "Mary, I've never seen you so excited as you are when someone on the crew gets hurt and your get to take care of them. You love it. EMT would be the perfect job for you!"
True, I absolutely love backcountry medicine. But would I like urban emergency medicine work? Its very different. I looked into it a bit when I first came to Berkeley, but then I got the cafe job and was too busy being stressed out to think about it.
Now I'm interested again. After all, they're always hiring EMTs! I talked to an admissions officer at Fast Response, the best EMT school in the area (right in downtown Berkeley!). It's $2400, but they have intensive courses that only take a month to do, so that would get me into the job market faster. The next openings are in April.
I'm still a little unsure of how I'd like it. There's the fainting thing -- although I usually faint when people stick needles in *me*, not the other way around. Plus, I think the adrenaline would keep me going. I've never had to deal with a really bloody situation though. The worst I've treated was a broken wrist (making the splint was so fun!).
While the training is expensive, I do have the money. And it would be a good investment in a lot of ways. It's good general knowledge to have in life, it would be easy to get a "Wilderness Upgrade" and work on Search and Rescue in the mountains. Its a good credential for guiding, and also a great thing for volunteering abroad (or possibly even paid work abroad?).
So I'm thinking about it. I might give them a deposit to hold my place in the April class, and then see if any of the ambulance services in the area will let me shadow an EMT for a day...
Thinking about becoming an EMT.
I have Sage to thank for this. During our last week on trail crew, we amused ourselves by coming up with "life plans" for each other. She was convinced I should become an EMT. Her argument? "Mary, I've never seen you so excited as you are when someone on the crew gets hurt and your get to take care of them. You love it. EMT would be the perfect job for you!"
True, I absolutely love backcountry medicine. But would I like urban emergency medicine work? Its very different. I looked into it a bit when I first came to Berkeley, but then I got the cafe job and was too busy being stressed out to think about it.
Now I'm interested again. After all, they're always hiring EMTs! I talked to an admissions officer at Fast Response, the best EMT school in the area (right in downtown Berkeley!). It's $2400, but they have intensive courses that only take a month to do, so that would get me into the job market faster. The next openings are in April.
I'm still a little unsure of how I'd like it. There's the fainting thing -- although I usually faint when people stick needles in *me*, not the other way around. Plus, I think the adrenaline would keep me going. I've never had to deal with a really bloody situation though. The worst I've treated was a broken wrist (making the splint was so fun!).
While the training is expensive, I do have the money. And it would be a good investment in a lot of ways. It's good general knowledge to have in life, it would be easy to get a "Wilderness Upgrade" and work on Search and Rescue in the mountains. Its a good credential for guiding, and also a great thing for volunteering abroad (or possibly even paid work abroad?).
So I'm thinking about it. I might give them a deposit to hold my place in the April class, and then see if any of the ambulance services in the area will let me shadow an EMT for a day...