When Eric Pertnoy turned eighteen years old, he completed the summer Emergency Medical Technician training class at the local community college. A few of his friends had done it the year before and now had flexible, well-paying jobs with hospitals or local ambulance agencies. Eric Pertnoy learned very quickly the importance of this work and was really looking forward to helping people.
After he enrolled in the class, Eric Pertnoy began to learn technical terms such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation. Along with learning the terms, he was learning the techniques to administer these procedures. Eric Pertnoy was also learning how to stop severe external bleeding, preventing shock in a patient and stabilizing a patient from movement to avoid further damage. Eric Pertnoy excelled in all aspects of the Emergency Medical Technician program.
However, as Eric Pertnoy began to think about performing these techniques on real people, he became fearful. He started to think about what he would do if someone went into shock or worse, if they died under his care. Eric Pertnoy voiced these concerns to his instructor and was glad for the advice from a veteran in this field.
The instructor was very blunt with Eric Pertnoy and acknowledged his fears. There was a good chance that someone could die in his care and that over time that would become easier to deal with. Eric Pertnoy and his instructor talked about actual experiences and how the instructor dealt with difficult scenarios. After these conversations Eric Pertnoy would go home and think hard about whether or not this field was for him. He always concluded the same thing after each talk – he wanted to help people and would have to take the risk. Eric Pertnoy knew that in the end it would be worth it both mentally and financially.
After he enrolled in the class, Eric Pertnoy began to learn technical terms such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation. Along with learning the terms, he was learning the techniques to administer these procedures. Eric Pertnoy was also learning how to stop severe external bleeding, preventing shock in a patient and stabilizing a patient from movement to avoid further damage. Eric Pertnoy excelled in all aspects of the Emergency Medical Technician program.
However, as Eric Pertnoy began to think about performing these techniques on real people, he became fearful. He started to think about what he would do if someone went into shock or worse, if they died under his care. Eric Pertnoy voiced these concerns to his instructor and was glad for the advice from a veteran in this field.
The instructor was very blunt with Eric Pertnoy and acknowledged his fears. There was a good chance that someone could die in his care and that over time that would become easier to deal with. Eric Pertnoy and his instructor talked about actual experiences and how the instructor dealt with difficult scenarios. After these conversations Eric Pertnoy would go home and think hard about whether or not this field was for him. He always concluded the same thing after each talk – he wanted to help people and would have to take the risk. Eric Pertnoy knew that in the end it would be worth it both mentally and financially.
No comments:
Post a Comment