I chose to use my STEP fellowship to get certified as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) at the Basic level. I attended a class at Central Ohio EMS Training in Lexington, Ohio, which taught me the skills and knowledge I needed and prepared me to pass the required practicals and exams to become nationally and state certified.

My EMT certification transformed my understanding of medical care, particularly in a pre-hospital setting. I gained skills like CPR, cervical spine stabilization, and patient assessment. I ultimately plan to go to medical school, so the things I learned and my first-hand experiences fueled my interest and confidence in patient care. Finally, I ended this experience with an EMT certification at the national and state level, so I will be able to work as an EMT and gain further experience in pre-hospital patient care.

The program I attended prepared me for exams and the job in the field through lectures and practicals. First, I was BLS CPR-certified, so I am able to perform CPR on adults, children, and infants. I also learned about different body systems, how they can go awry, and the EMS response to these events. Learning about concepts in class and then applying them with practices on mannequins or each other helped me solidify my knowledge. Now I am able to do things like auscultating lung sounds, taking a blood pressure, or assessing a patient with confidence.

The most interesting part of my experience was completing clinicals. I rode along with the paramedics at Mansfield Fire Department and got to observe many aspects of patient care that I had learned in class actually in practice. The paramedics and firefighters I interacted with shared stories and advised me about my future. I very much enjoyed interacting with them and the patients. The clinicals allowed me to see what a career in EMS looks like firsthand and understand the roles, responsibilities, daily routines, and culture of their job. I feel that this will help me in the future understanding how pre-hospital care works.

Finally, after the course I prepared for and took the National Registry Exam, which nationally certified me as an EMT. Since the State of Ohio uses this as their licensing test, I am also registered with the State of Ohio as an EMT. These two things allow me to work as an EMT-B in Ohio, allowing me to pursue jobs and to get more patient care experience.

This transformation is significant because I felt it solidified my career and academic plans. It allowed me to apply knowledge I had learned from my classes in a practical, real-world setting. It also allowed me to ride along with EMS providers and learn about their jobs. This class and the ability to work as an EMT allows me to gain further experience in patient care and interaction, which makes me more confident in my plans to pursue medicine.