Lee High School

Mentally and Physically Strong

Brianna Mockerman
Senior Capstone
Mr. Cahoon
April 18, 2016
Brianna Mockerman
Mr. Cahoon
Senior Capstone

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April 18, 2016
Mentally and Physically Strong
I didnt become a Paramedic to get a front-row seat to other peoples tragedies. I did it
because I knew that the world was bleeding and so was I, and somewhere inside me, I knew the
only way to stop my own bleeding was to learn how to stop someone elses (Older). It is hard
to go out everyday and save peoples lives. A lot of times, the tragedy is so bad that paramedics
can not save the victim. That feeling of someone passing away does not just go away. When that
is a major passion, they want to save every single life, but that is not the case. Paramedics/EMTs
have to have a certain mindset when going out on the job. It is not a job for everyone. People
who can not stand to see deep cuts, gunshot wounds, and bleeding everywhere, this job would
not be recommend. Paramedics have to have strong physical and mental traits in order to
get the job done and save peoples lives.
Paramedics have to have certain physical traits in order to make it through a night on the
job. They have to be physically strong enough due to the fact that some of the calls that they
might get, are tragedies that deal with victims that may not be able to move. Paramedics have to
be strong enough to be able to move them on to the gurney with only one other person.
Paramedics have to be able to get there job done and what they went to school for when a 911
call comes in. EMTs do not get to re-energies, their is no breaks when you are on call. For
example; CPR, running and climbing can be physically exhausting(EMT and Paramedics).
Also they have to deal with tight spaces, so they have to know what they are actually doing in the
ambulance while treating the patient. Paramedics have to be comfortable with their
surroundings as well, they can not be nerves because if they are constantly shaking, putting a
needle in there arm is not the best idea(Emergency Medical Services: 5 Essential Traits for

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Success). Going in and out of the ambulance time after time does get tiring. In a regular shift,
which is twelve hours, the amount of calls you can respond to per shift is fourteen. On a good
day, six patients in twelve hours is the main goal. The less major tragedies the better (Lewis).
Thats a lot of people and it does take a major turn on the body moving these patients in and out
of the ambulance, into the emergency room. Another thing is that have to be able to carry all of
the equipment, plus the chair gurney/cart up the stairs. The equipment that has to be carried is not
light, then add a person she in the chair or gurney, who either can not move or better yet, is not
alert so that makes them dead weight.
Todd Lewis my mentor, who works as an EMT, said that have to be mentally prepared in
a flexible way. Dispatch cant always tell you what kind of call you are going into. Sometimes
its just an elderly person who falls and can not get up. Other times it is a really bad car accident
with a number of people who are seriously injured. Todd said, One of the main issues that
paramedics and EMTs have to face is the ability to talk to the family. They don't quite understand
how it works all the time. Some do not get that you can treat them then and there, a lot of times
they just think that you are the ones who just pick the injured up and take them to the hospital,
but that is not always the case (Lewis). Therefore, trying to care for a patient and trying to deal
with angry parents or spouses at the same time, can be difficult. A lot of times the women EMTs
or Paramedics can not deal with the calls that deal with pediatrics. They go from working full
time to part time due to the fact that it was just too much for them to handle. A lot of the new
paramedics or EMTs go into that job thinking it's going to be fun, but they come to find out that
it may change the way you live your life all because of one call. Some of these calls that you get
called for are serious issues. From abuse to a tragic car accident, paramedics have to be able to
remember everything they have learned in order to get the job done and possibly save someone's

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life. Just because the emergency response team is paid for this job, doesnt mean they just drop
the patient off to get more care, does not mean that there is not a bond there. EMT or
paramedics form certain bonds with patients, they see them at their worst and sometimes
paramedics are the last person they see and talk to. They may also count on that paramedic to
save their lives(Emergency Medical Technicians & Paramedic). When an EMT tells a patient
that has life threatening injuries that they will not let them die, that's something's that the
paramedic remembers and holds on to. If they end up dieing at the hospital or on your watch,
then that will carry on with you, due to the fact that you made that person a big promise. You will
feel like you let that person down(Lewis). Paramedics have to be mentally strong enough to let
that go and move on to the next call and not let that affect anything.
In this career, the right mindset and abilities is something that is highly required in order
to get through a day/night on the job. This is not fun and games, its a serious matter. If someone
mess up, then something serious can happen to the patient. If the paramedic or EMT that is on
shift that day does not pay attention to how much meds they give them, then the patient can
possibly overdose(Wischnitzer, 245-255). If they give them to little, then the pain meds will not
help. The paramedics around them, count on those two people to do the job right, expressly when
it comes to the patients and their families.
Works Cited
Emergency Medical Services: 5 Essential Traits for Success." Fortis. N.p., 20 Aug. 2014. Web.
30 Mar. 2016.
Emergency Medical Technicians & Paramedic." Science Buddies. N.p., 2015. Web. 30 Mar.
2016.
EMTs and Paramedics. Bureau of Labor Statistics. United States Department of Labor, 17 Dec.

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2015. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
Lewis, Todd. Personal interview. 26 Mar. 2016.
Wischnitzer, Dr.Saul, and Edith Wischnitzer. Top 100 Health-Care Careers. 3rd ed. Indianapolis,
IN: JIST Works, 2011. 254-55. Print.