ready November 5, 2011

i was transporting a elderly lady from a hospital to a christian convalescent facility.   when i’m in the back of the ambulance with a patient i like to try to talk to them most of the time, instead of occupying my time with paperwork.  but i was not expecting this:

my patient: do you know who Jesus is?

me: ya, sure i do.

my patient:  well i’m ready to meet him, right now!

me: uhh…. well…. i don’t think right NOW is your time (and i’m thinking just please don’t go in the back of my ambulance!!!  hold on for maybe 20 more min!!!)

my patient:  oh no dear, i’m ready, now’s the right time!

me:  nah…. you look pretty healthy to me right now, but i’m sure when your time comes it’ll be everything you’ve been waiting for. 

my patient: (she just smiles at me)  ya know… i haven’t pooped in ages!!  i can’t remember the last time i pooped!

me: (i couldn’t help but laugh and smile) well, i’ll let your nurse know that information at this new facility and i’m sure they can help you with that!

my patient: oh, that’s wonderful!  thank you!

me: no problem!

 

carving November 2, 2011

“hey becs wanna come help me unload the groceries?”  then when i get to the car i see there’s this HUGE pumpkin in the trunk!  my awesome dad bought me a pumpkin to carve for halloween this year!  i haven’t done that in a long time.  after countless sketches… this is what my mastermind came up with!  oh i sure love the smell of pumpkin in the house.

 

a lot of people have asked if i worked halloween…. and yes, i did.  but i didn’t work a fire car shift, so i just transported people from hospital to hospital.  we got held over 3 hours with a transport from downey to hollywood during LA traffic hour.   but it was cool to see downtown LA at night.  i sure love the city… makes me miss san francisco.

code 3 music August 17, 2011

“code 3″ is when we get to drive with the lights and sirens on.

some people get really hyped up when dispatch tells us to upgrade form code 2 to code 3, or when you’re working a fire car and all of your calls are code 3 status.  and some people like to have on what they call “code 3 music”.  apparently, code 3 music consists of energetic music, usually some type of popular hip hop, that you play on the way to the call (once you find where you’re going on the map of course… and it’s not too loud so you can hear your partner give mapping directions and listen to dispatch)… as if the lights and sirens wern’t hype enough!  haha.

so one shift my partner was the driver all day, and he told me i was in charge of finding good code 3 music when going to calls.  the first few calls i found some kick ass music that, i’ll admit, helped pump us up a bit i guess.  then…. for one of the next calls i found britney spears on the radio… he looked at me and said “really?!?!”… “ya, man, britney’s my girl!!”  then he shrugged his shoulders and said “alright” and kept it on till we got on scene.  ha ha ha, i smiled the whole way!

and then one time my partner put on a song that had the lyrics “i need a doctor” with the sound of a heart monitor in the background.  i looked at him with the face ‘are you kidding me!?’ then he turned up the volume a lil and got in the “zone” haha!!  my job sure has it’s ridiculous moments

:) April 25, 2011

remember your mom telling you “treat others how you want to be treated“?! but how often do we live out that concept?… and not just to our friends, but everyone we come across?

i had an IFT (inner facility transfer) today and as we were leaving the hospital my patient told me that the nurses wern’t very nice and didn’t talk to them. so then i told my patient “i’m glad you like to talk, cuz i do too… so we’re gunna chat it up in the back of the ambulance on the way back home!!” and sure enough, we talked the whole time! we talked about food, specifically bread and how delicious it is, grandchildren, how i should have kids some day, driving big trucks, russian cuisine, and how everyone should love italian food. and almost every min my patient gave the most illuminating smile, which in turn made me smile! then as we were putting our pt back to bed, the patient told my partner “now she’s a keeper!”

most EMTs don’t like doing IFTs, and i usually don’t either, but now i see there’s an opportunity to still help someone out, even if it’s just getting them to smile.

happiness is good medicine

training April 14, 2011

i just competed half of my training with CARE by completing two shifts on 911 dedicated units.

the first day we had two falls and one respiratory (resp).  the falls were a simple c-spine and trip to the ER and the resp required ALS (advanced life support / fire) backup.  while running these calls i was working under my FTO (field training officer).  at the end of the calls he was pretty impressed with my pt (patient) assessment and medical skill level, however i forgot to ask one of the pts their name.  whoops!  and since we only had three calls we got to pull out different gadgets from the ambulance and work with them a bit: IV set up, glucometer, splints, and the stair chair.  we had a fun time carrying his partner up and down flights of stairs at a local building.  the stair chair has to be the coolest newest thing i’ve seen yet!

on day two we had a CP (chest pain) and syncope (fainting).  my FTO that day was so impressed with how i ran those calls that we only went over a couple more things in the ambulance and then watched tv the rest of the shift.  i actually got the guys talking about paramedic stuff too while we were watching tv.  they filled me in on a lot of information as to where to go to medic school, where to work, and how things are being done and how they are wrong or right.  they helped me out a ton on figuring out what to do in the next couple of years!  also, my FTO  was impressed with my lifting capability!!  that day we also got two other calls, but they were canceled by fire on scene (the pt didn’t need medical help).

now i have about a week off and then my last two training sifts on thursday and friday!  then i’ll be ready to pick up shifts on my own!

i love my job

hand shake March 19, 2011

my uncle bob is a firefighter and taught me a very valuable life lesson when i was younger: a firm handshake will get you far in life.  he told me this right before i had my first ride-a-long with a fire department.  when i got to my ride-a-long i was sure to give firm hand shakes to everyone, and when i shook the hand of the captain he said good, a firm hand shake and good posture will get you far in life, so stand up straight!  haha.

ever since i’ve received comments/compliments on my hand shake.  men usually compliment and say something like wow, now that’s a hand skake!  girls usually give flimsy handshakes! and girls usually look at the hand shake and kinda don’t say much.

personally, i’m proud of my firm handshake!  i think it’s a great first impression!  when i had my interview with CARE i of course gave the interview committee firm handshakes and one of them complimented me for it!

take CARE March 17, 2011

i got a new job!!!!  my dream job to be exact!  i recently got hired as an EMT to work with CARE ambulance service.  CARE is located in orange county and los angeles county, but i’m not sure what county i’ll be working in.  my start date is april 4th and i’ll have orientation for 5 days.  then… i start working with my FTO (field training officer)  and will be a probie (on probation) for 90 days.  oh i’m so excited!

not only am i excited for being an EMT, but CARE is the best company in southern california, maybe even all of california.  they not only have the best service to their patients, but also take great care of their employees and take part in community outreach.  it’s been a long road for me to get here.

my journey started back in highschool.  while i was a senior, taking a full set of classes + 0 period jazz band + being the marching band drum major, i found the time to take night classes at the north orange county regional occupational program for EMT.  and i managed to graduate as valedictorian of my EMT class!  this was the first evidence to me that i was on the right path.

soon after, i landed a job with AMR ambulance company and worked in garden grove on a CCT unit and then in fountain valley on a BLS unit.  i loved my job!  i came home with a smile on my face every day!

then i went to UCSC to study pre-med to make sure that i didn’t want to be an MD or RN or something else in the medical field.  while in school i was a CPR and First Aid instructor for the fire department on campus.  it was the only medical/fire job the school offered.  to be honest, the teaching part kinda scared me, but i enjoyed hanging out in the fire department and helping students and staff learn the importance of being prepared to help others in need.  i also interned at an ER during my last year at UCSC.  i shadowed an MD and some PAs that summer.  i was always bored while shadowing them and was way more interested in talking with the medics when they’d bring in a patient.  that right there confirmed everything i was juggling in my head: i wanna be a paramedic, not a doctor.

so – i’m sure i’ll be posting a bunch of fun/crazy stories on this blog with my new job and new life ahead of me.

and i’d like to give a shout out to all of my family and friends who have supported me and encouraged me throughout the years.  i hope i make you proud!

must sleep March 17, 2011

i haven’t been able to sleep for the past 4 nights, and i think it’s cuz there’s a bit too much going on for me right now…

• about to start a new job, that i haven’t done in 4 years
• trying to get more physically fit for the new job
• moving out of santa cruz and back to la habra with the parents
• trying to visit everyone and do everything in the bay area before i leave
• nonsensical drama
• trying to sell my bed and desk in santa cruz
• loved ones that are ill
• i need an eye doc appt cuz my Rx apparently changed
• and to top it off, i don’t have anything green to wear today

but – i’m generally an optimistic person, so let me look on the bright side….

• i’m about to start my dream job
• i wont have to pay rent while living at home
• i’m super surprised that so many people want to see me before i leave santa cruz, which makes me feel very loved
• i’ll still visit santa cruz when i can
• my brother-in-law wants to do kick boxing with me once i move back home
• i get to help my dad remodel parts of the house (i LOVE construction, mostly the power tools part)
• i’ll be so much closer to family
• and… i kinda get a new chapter to start in life

ok – that’s a lot of positive that i can try to focus on.  ready, set, go!

you know you work at beckmann’s if… February 13, 2011

• you find hairnets in your jeans, jackets, backpack, car… etc.

• when you slam on the breaks while driving and the first thing that comes to mind is “oh no, i hope i didn’t ruin my pies”…. even when you’re not driving a beckmann’s truck

• you accidentally call “cran-apple” juice “cran-apple-pear” juice

• your school supplies is fully covered… beckmann’s pens, permanent markers, lunch bags, and binder clips

• your kitchen towels have a blue stripe on them

• you party on sundays

• you know good times are about to happen when you hear “double oh”

• your family expects you to bring a suitcase of baked goods with you when you visit home

family at costco October 8, 2010

i went to costco today to get some new tires cuz my tread was almost gone… woops!  when they were finally done they called me to come pick up my car.  i went to the back and handed them my reciept.

“are you a medic?” asked one of the tire guys.  i had to think for a sec and figure out how he knew i was in EMS without me saying anything…. oh right, i have a EMS sticker on the back of my car.

so i let him know that “i’m just an EMT right now”… then we started talking business.  he was wondering if i had an EMT job.  when i told him i didn’t he rolled his eyes and informed me that he’s been lookin for over 2 years and can’t get a bite anywhere.  he’s been workin at costco automotive to just pay the bills… just like how i’m at beckmann’s bakery.  he informed me of a paramedic school i might be able to get into that he went to, so i might check that out.  unfortunately i had no advice/leads on jobs for him.  but we definitely gave eachother some good words of encouragement and a firm handshake.

“at least we’re all in this mess together, right?!”  he asked… and ya, it’s good to know i’m not alone, being the only one working a side job with hopes of a real job in EMS.

the one thing i really love about EMS is that we’re all family.  everyone is looking out for each other, whether you really know them or not.

 

thanks jim for changing my tires and giving me some hope