So last post I talked a little bit about me – I thought I could say a little bit more about my past as opposed to my present.
I’m adopted – Robert and Karen Davies adopted me shortly after birth, though I’m not one hundred percent certain as to why I was given up for adoption. They’ll always be mom and dad to me, though I’m not exactly against knowing about my birth parents – not going to go very out of my way to find out more about them either. I’m happy with the family I have. My father, Robert, still works as a firefighter, and my mother, Karen, is still a high school English teacher.
Mom was the one to make sure I stayed on top of my grades, while Dad (at least when he wasn’t working), took care of running the house and helping to teach me morals and values. I think it was at least in part due to him that I’m an paramedic now – he always took care never to speak about work at home, but it would happen anyway. Let’s just say I’m very careful when it comes to anything that could be a fire hazard! Dad won’t let me do otherwise 😉
I think my mom is a bit disappointed that I didn’t go to college to do something more profound, but like I said – I’m helping people, and that’s what I’m happy doing. As for the difference between an EMT and a Paramedic? The amount of training, for starters. Let me copy/paste a breakdown for you”
EMTs typically complete a course that’s 120-150 hours in length. Paramedic courses can be 1,200 to 1,800 hours. The courses consist of lectures, hands-on skills training, and clinical and/or field internships. EMTs are educated in many skills including CPR, giving patients oxygen, administering glucose for diabetics, and helping others with treatments for asthma attacks or allergic reactions. With very few exceptions, such as in the case of auto-injectors for allergic reactions, EMTs are not allowed to provide treatments that requiring breaking the skin: that means no needles.
Paramedics are advanced providers of emergency medical care and are highly educated in topics such as anatomy and physiology, cardiology, medications, and medical procedures. They build on their EMT education and learn more skills such as administering medications, starting intravenous lines, providing advanced airway management for patients, and learning to resuscitate and support patients with significant problems such as heart attacks and traumas.
You have to have six months training as an EMT before you can start the paramedic stuff – I waited about a year before starting mine. I was nervous at first about starting IVs and administering meds – what if I did something wrong? – but I’ve gotten rather good at it, my boss says.
Socially, I stay in touch with people by Facebook or Twitter mainly. Mom and Dad drop in on a regular basis to check on me – sometimes I wish they wouldn’t, but on the days I’m dead tired and/or emotionally exhausted, I’m grateful that they do. They seem to have a knack for knowing when I need a meal I don’t cook or order out, or help around the house…I am ashamed to admit that sometimes, mom still does my laundry – but only when I’m too far behind!
Next time, I’ll discuss more about my social life, and how I got Scotch!