Kicking It Off Right

In September, I went back to school.

Back because I grew bored in my life before. And because the job prospects are pretty poor for a college dropout with nine-tenths of Liberal Arts degree.

Human beings are silly. We spend our lives convincing ourselves that what we do Matters and Every Day is a new chance to Change The World for the better.

Usually, it's not.

At the same time, there's a second, opposite, set of humanity that's completely given up. Life Sucks, People Suck and we're just spending time putting in our hours so that after work we can Do Things That Matter.

Also, mostly wrong.

It may make me weird, but I believe there's a different way. Maybe, just maybe, there's a way to find something that you Love to do, but also Matters. That makes a difference, a significant difference, in your edge of the world.

I got tired of convincing myself that what I was doing mattered when really it didn't.

If I don't sell you this cell phone, you'll get it from someone else. If you don't buy this game here, you'll buy it elsewhere. Corporations spend thousands on telling their employees that they are a part of something bigger, something amazing, that is changing the lives of those around them, when it's not even close to being true.

And I got sick of it.

So, in September, I went back to school.

Since then, I've spent more time studying then in 5 years of traditional college. I've used more notebooks, pens and highlighters then I thought were possible and spent more time stressed out while bored then I thought was possible. The list of diseases I've been exposed to would make an infectious disease doctor blush, and the chances of catching a blood-borne disease rise each day I slip on my work clothes.

The average length of career is five years. 1 in 10 sustain serious work related injury with that number moving to 1 in 5 in busier locations, thirty times the average work place injury rate in the United States. The death rate is often in the top ten of deadliest jobs in the United States, which increases sharply with more training, all while drawing the same pay as a high school teacher.

But many of the people in school show the same love for this crazy world as I do, and even better, seem just as insane as I am for wanting to begin this life.

That's right, folks. In September, I started learning what it takes to become a Paramedic, easily one of the best, craziest and most rewarding ideas I've ever had.

And I don't even have to pretend it matters.

This blog is my journey from Wanderer to Ambulance Driver ... which is odd, given that there's only two months left of school at this point, then a few months of internship.

Stories, thoughts and my way of venting on the worst days, and cheering the world on the best days. Because my good days are spent tending for you on your worst, and I'll tell you what.

I love every minute of it.

But then, I probably am crazy.

Going to get this going again.

Check back soon.

Practicals Update

It's official, I have officially been signed off on all practical testing and passed both the ITLS and Airway tests today.

Down to 2 tests and a final before the national exam.

Alright, long post sometime next week!

Stay classy.

Practicals tomorrow

Those of you that read this, wish me luck for tomorrow.  I head to the Big City to do my last day of practical testing before the final and national registry testing.

Also!  I'm having trouble finding a background and colors for the blog that i like and is easily readable.  If you see changes in the new few posts, that's why.

Goodnight folks.

Stay classy.

Step One...

...compose first blog.  --In Progress

I never expected to be so taken by Emergency Medicine.  That's most evident in my "origin story", which I'll share since ever EMT and Medic seems to have one.

Tonight in class we heard the story of the current Paramedic teacher.  He was a cop, got his Paramedic so he could join the SWAT team as a Tactical EMT, realized he liked this better and went full time, putting in thousands of hours as a flight and ground medic.

But the reason he got into the world of emergency medicine?

He wanted a better parking space.

See, at his college the on call EMT (a student) got a parking space that was right next to the front door to the building.  And given that parking on a college campus is reason to hate the school system in and of itself, he took a class and got a better parking place.

That makes me feel a whole helluva lot better about the reasons I got into this.

I'm a nerd.  I'm a geek.  I would much rather sit inside on a beautiful sunny, summer's day playing xbox while sipping a beer and basking in the cool wind from the ultra-powerful air conditioner.  I'm a simple man.

So when I heard that the town I'm living in needed more volunteer EMT's and were offering a class, I figured, "What the hey".  I've been CPR trained before, because of a job in high school, and this seemed like an interesting next step.

And the lynch pin in my decision was that the class was being offered for free.

Well, sorta free.  You wrote out a 150 dollar check and, if you finished the class, the check would be returned to you, minus the cost of the national test.

Class is over the internet taught by an accredited school of EMS down in the biggest city in the state.  Two nights a week for four hours a night, approximately, and a couple trip down to the Big City for practical testing and then the final tests.  Figured it'd be just another arrow in the quiver of Neat Stuff.

First few classes were kinda interesting.  Legal issues and such like that.  Nothing too difficult, nothing too fascinating but it was killing time and that's what I needed.

Then we started talking about trauma.

Dude.  Trauma?  That stuff is Super Cool.

From the pictures of the first amputated finger and degloving (don't look that up) I was in.  It started to click with me.  Then I spent clinical time down in the Big City at one of the Big City Hospitals and I realized that it had become more then a hobby to me.

I wanted to Do this.  Not just as a volunteer or a couple times a week gig either, but as a career.

While this is going on, i'm getting a feel of how...restrictive the EMT-B is.  Can't do an IV, can't intubate, can't do this, can't do this.  It dawned on me that i'll never really be happy with a 'Can't do that' position.

The obvious answer being, become a paramedic.

So, this brings us up to now.  I'm 6 classes, about 3 weeks, away from taking my national registry EMT-B tests to become official and will be taking the Paramedic course (assuming I past the entry exams and interviews) come September of 2011.

And it all started because I was bored and it was free.

So the blog.

I have very little medical background, just the CPR training i mentioned earlier, and figured it'd be fun to put my thoughts up for everyone to read and/or judge.  Also, I'd like this to be an encouragement for anyone who's thinking of joining an EMT class (seriously, do it).

That's it for this guy.

Stay classy folks.  See you in the next post.