Liberal Artist in the Ambulance

One year ago today, I published my first blog posts. I introduced myself to the blogosphere and attempted to justify writing an EMS blog long before I ever truly entered the world of EMS. In my very first post, I discussed the role that my liberal arts education played in my decision to become an EMT. It’s interesting to see that a year and an EMT certification later, my feelings are the same.

I puzzle people. I’m strange. People can’t seem to figure me out. One guy in my class described me as an enigma. (I’m pretty sure that’s his favorite nickname for me after “cat lady.”) People just don’t have a clue why a person who graduated from a top 10 college goes to EMT school afterwards.

This used to anger me. I hated that people insisted on furthering the stereotype that there is no place for educated people in EMS. It also annoyed me that no one really understands that the nature of my education allows me to do whatever I want after I graduate. People think that you graduate with a bachelor’s degree in psychology (which you “can’t do anything with” as everyone tells me—ugh), then you go to graduate school and become a psychologist. So why do I want to go the route of becoming a lowly EMT?

They tease me for being a “professional student.” You know, one of those people who can’t stop going back to school and obtains degree after degree for the rest of her life? At first I brushed it off as just a joke—it is true that I have been a student for most of my life. But then I realized the truth there is behind it. Here is a quote from my school’s website that I integrated into my first blog post:

“The most important thing our students learn is how to learn for a lifetime. Critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, effective communication: these are the tools that transform a collection of facts and figures into a way of understanding the world.” [emphasis added]

How to learn for a lifetime. It may take ridiculously little training to become an EMT in this country, but the learning doesn’t stop once training is over. This is a field where the majority of the learning takes place in the field. Plus the standards are always changing, so constant re-education is required. This is the kind of job that you will not succeed in if you are not a professional student.

Therefore, I contend that being a professional student can make one a better EMT. Boom. I didn’t go to EMT school because I’m trying to put off having a “real” job or because it’s just another certification I can add to the end of my name. I did it because I wanted to, plain and simple. And, in my opinion, it is not against all sense and reason to do so. I think it’s a perfectly reasonable career choice, one that could prove to be a good launchpad to what I’m going to do with the rest of my life.

Does that make me any less strange? Probably not—I think a lot of my strangeness comes from my personality, not my career choices. But I hope that might give you a little insight into my strange mind and maybe mollify some of my critics.

If not, who cares? I’m doing what makes me happy, end of story.

And happy anniversary, blogosphere! It’s been great. Here’s to many more years together!