Paramedic to PA

I wrote this as a new PA student in the first few months of didactic and never finished it. I wanted to give everyone a snapshot of why and how I ended up in PA School while still making sure I stressed how much I truly loved being a Paramedic. I decided to leave it as is to be as raw and personal as possible. Reading it today, I can feel the emotions that were going through me as I struggled through each course of PA school, wondering if I was going to pass. I turned a corner once we hit cardiology and I had a new feeling of confidence but it did not get much easier. I added in a few notes along the way in parentheses but other than that, grab some coffee and read this if you want to take a glimpse into my mind almost 2 years ago.

My career in EMS originally started because I wanted to gain Patient Care experience in order to apply for Physician Assistant school but then I stayed in EMS much longer than expected because I truly fell in love with medicine and being a Paramedic. After almost six years in EMS, only a year into being a medic and picking up all the over time on the planet… COVID rocked our world. I was living in a hotel, away from my atopic, allergic to everything, asthmatic family and I felt helpless. Work slowed WAY down. I had a lot more spare time on my hands to stop and think. First, I was trying to find ways to make extra money in the absence of overtime and then I started thinking about the future. During this time I realized that it had been close to 10 years since I took a lot of my pre-reqs…😅

One of my last calls before deciding to apply to PA school, left me constantly wondering about what happened to my patient, without the ability to follow up. She had no family and no support system. I knew I did all that I could for her with the little time I had but I wished so badly that I could have done more for her beyond that day. That was the call that made me realize, I need to keep going, I really do want to be a PA. (Side note: I recently connected with the social worker of that patient and learned she is thriving, living with family out of state and the whole call was much more complex than I ever could have imagined. This was such a blessing - almost 4 years had gone by and I still wondered about her!)

I realized I wanted to be able to help patients beyond responding to emergencies. EVERYONE needs an advocate at some point in their life and many people don’t have anyone. I wanted to be able to build a relationship with patients and help increase their overall quality of life… not just patch them up and drop them off.  

Becoming a Physician Assistant has been my goal, on and off, for many years, however helping people has been my passion for as long as I can remember. As a Paramedic, I was in the position to help people on what may be the most difficult day of their lives. Whether we ran on a life-threatening emergency, or a sweet old lady who called because she cannot find her remote, I approached each patient with care and compassion. The most important aspect of patient care is simply, to care. (I also thought of another story during COVID when we were called at 3am to a lady who had accidentally super glued her finger to her craft project - it was a knitted grocery bag holder and was literally hanging on by a thread. She said she had tried to get if off for 2 hours before calling us. She was so embarrassed. I quickly realized that the guy I was working with had steam coming through his ears so I asked him to go grab some hand sanitizer from the truck and our tablet to get a sign off. In the meantime, I noticed she had some hand sanitizer in the kitchen so I lathered up her finger and just pulled it off. I don't actually think I needed the hand sanitizer but I wanted her to have some dignity leftover after the whole experience. She was SO THANKFUL and we were there for less than 10 minutes. It may seem "extra" or like those things are not part of the job... but our job as anyone in healthcare, is to take care of the community and advocate for those who do not have anyone. Healthcare providers have a dual responsibility: to provide medical assistance and act as advocates. This duty extends beyond emergencies, emphasizing the need for compassionate advocacy in navigating healthcare complexities. Support is crucial for the vulnerable, ensuring they receive the attention and understanding they deserve. By embracing our role with dedication and empathy, we stand up for the overlooked, contributing to a healthcare system that values every individual. Together, we make a difference in the lives of those who need it most. Wow, sorry that rant ended up being much longer than I intended.)

Please do not get me wrong, I think I would have been perfectly happy being a Paramedic for the rest of my life. My mind started thinking of alternatives because my body was not happy with me .... my back🤪- stop lifting your patients… that’s what fire fighters are for! - KIDDING! Kind of 😉... thats what power stretchers as for. Plus, let’s all be honest, I was working 60 hour work weeks and my EMS paycheck did not reflect that. ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, the company I worked for has made HUGE strides to help increase pay over the last year and they are continuing to do so! I am not exaggerating when I say that I truly loved it! Although it is tough not being able to follow up with a patient due to the nature of pre-hospital care, EMS personnel are in a unique position. In EMS we are entering a patient’s home where we can help in a way other health care providers are not able to. I always did my best to encourage and educate whenever possible because many of the medical calls we run could be prevented with a few lifestyle changes. While I loved my job and was so thankful for the opportunity to work one-on-one helping my patients, I am looking forward to working as a Physician Assistant in the future because I love to establish ongoing relationships with my patients and be an integral part of improving their overall quality of life.