Q: What's a typical workday like for you?
A: I work a 40-hour week with two 12-hour shifts and one 16-hour shift. I work with a partner on the ambulance. The types of calls we get vary. Being in Wright County, we do a lot of transfers to hospitals in the Twin Cities. We can also get the emergency calls where it's a crash or a shooting or a nursing home call or a sick call. You just never know what you're going to get.
Q: How does your role fit into the bigger healthcare picture?
A: EMTs are kind of the beginning of the emergency response. I get the history so I can fill in the nurses and the doctors so they can make a diagnosis and go on with treatment. The quality of care that I can give the patient until I can get them to the hospital makes a big difference.
Q: Who do you interact with during the course of the day?
A: I interact with my partners; hospital staff, from the health unit coordinator up to doctors and surgeons; patients and families; local police departments; the sheriff's department; and the state patrol.
Q: Why did you become an emergency medical technician?
A: As a volunteer fire fighter and first responder, I felt the need to learn more and upgrade my skills, so I proceeded with becoming an EMT. As an EMT, I not only serve the community of Annandale where I live but am a part of the other communities I serve.
