HE KNEW WHAT HE WANTED TO DO SINCE HIGH SCHOOL:  When James was in high school, he was given a battery of tests at the career center to assess what career would best suit his personality. The results showed that he would be well-suited to be a paramedic. He researched what a paramedic job description entailed and was very excited at the prospect of this job path. His high school had access to an Explorer Scout Program, which helps expose a young person to a career path. The Explorer Scout Program had a program for an EMS. Through this program, he could go on ride-a-longs with paramedics at the ripe age of 16. He knew from these ride-a-longs that he would become a paramedic.

WHAT DOES THE AVERAGE DAY OF A PARAMEDIC LOOK LIKE? The best part about being a paramedic is that you will never have the same day twice. The sole purpose of their job is to respond to emergencies, which happen suddenly, and without warning. The one constant is that they start the day by checking all of their equipment and ensuring it works. They have to be prepared for whatever comes their way that day. Emergency calls prioritize everything on the shift, including eating and sleeping.

THEY MUST ALWAYS BE ALERT FOR THEIR SAFETY WHEN THEY RESPOND TO EMERGENCIES:  They sometimes go to very uncontrolled environments, so they must take safety precautions to protect their partner, the patient, and themselves. Some calls can involve a sick person calling from a crack house, which could potentially be a very dangerous environment. Most of the time, unsafe situations do not come into play, but they must keep it in the forefront of their minds.

THE ABCs:  Every time they encounter a patient, they check for the ABCs: Airway, Breathing, and Circulation. They do this to establish a baseline, so they can figure out what is happening to them. If the patient can talk to you, their airway is open. Once they know the airway is open, they can move on and check the patient’s breathing. If they have shallow breathing, they must shift priorities and do what needs to be done to stabilize the patient. They also check circulation on a patient and can perform chest compressions to restore circulation.

IF YOU ARE MAKING A 911 CALL, THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFORMATION IS THE EXACT LOCATION OF THE INJURED PERSON: There are times that emergencies occur at locations that are vast in size, which can make locating the patient very difficult. An example of this would be an injury occurring at a 3000-acre industrial plant, where there are several different entry gates. The dispatcher needs to know which gate the paramedic needs to enter or if security will meet the paramedic upon entering, so they can get to the patient quickly. Time is of utmost importance in an emergency.

HE IS AN ADVOCATE FOR PEOPLE TO BE TRAINED IN CPR AND FIRST AID: Before the paramedics arrive, it gives people some basics of how to assist someone. He always encourages people who try to help. Sometimes bystanders will feel bad because the assistance they provided wasn’t effective, and they were worried they didn’t do the right thing. He always tells them, “you helped, you did great, and thank you.”

HIS FAVORITE PART OF HIS JOB:  There are times when paramedics are the ones that stand between life and death for an injured person. Other times they are what stands between a person’s discomfort and the relief from their suffering. He loves that he can connect with other humans on a level where they know he is there for them. It gets him out of bed in the morning.