Overnight ambulance ride outs. No problem, I thought. I can stay up all night easily. I got off the bus and stepped out into the twilight. I walked down the sidewalk to the station. I was confident in my stride. I was confident in my skills. I was confident. In general.
I looked both ways. Five lanes of road. The garage door opened across the street from me. I felt giddy. They must be expecting me! The ambulance rolled out. I started to cross the street. The sirens turned on and the ambulance drove away. I watched it disappear around the corner and finished crossing the street.
Two hours later they came back. "So you're a student," The paramedic said. "What can you do?" "Uh." I said, considering my answer. I began to list off the things I could do in my head. "Just vitals and BP?" He asked. "I can dance." I blurted out. He looked at me sideways. "Vitals and BP." I said.
We were off to the first call of the night. "Asthma attack," The other paramedic said. "How do you treat an asthma patient?" She asked. "Tell them to take their inhaler." I said smartly. "Good answer." They laughed. I put my gloves on and jumped out the back.
We sat around the main room watching television for a while. It was almost 1 am and we'd only gotten one call. I pulled a blanket over me, leaned back in the reclining chair, and closed my eyes for a second.
"Wake up!" I opened my eyes. She was standing in the room, buckling her belt and staring at me. "We got the tone." Shit, I thought. I fell asleep and missed the alarm. My brain hadn't woken up yet but I knew one thing: I had to get into the ambulance. I tried to stand up but ended up flailing and struggling to get out of the chair. I threw the blanket off of me and walked straight into the table in front of me. She laughed while I stumbled across the room and into the garage, still half asleep. "I thought you were going to run into the wall and collapse." She said. "That was hilarious."
Five hours later I packed up my bag and walked out to the bus stop. I was ready to sleep on the bench. Good thing the bus is coming, I thought.
Then I remembered the bus drivers were on strike and walked back to campus.
I looked both ways. Five lanes of road. The garage door opened across the street from me. I felt giddy. They must be expecting me! The ambulance rolled out. I started to cross the street. The sirens turned on and the ambulance drove away. I watched it disappear around the corner and finished crossing the street.
Two hours later they came back. "So you're a student," The paramedic said. "What can you do?" "Uh." I said, considering my answer. I began to list off the things I could do in my head. "Just vitals and BP?" He asked. "I can dance." I blurted out. He looked at me sideways. "Vitals and BP." I said.
We were off to the first call of the night. "Asthma attack," The other paramedic said. "How do you treat an asthma patient?" She asked. "Tell them to take their inhaler." I said smartly. "Good answer." They laughed. I put my gloves on and jumped out the back.
We sat around the main room watching television for a while. It was almost 1 am and we'd only gotten one call. I pulled a blanket over me, leaned back in the reclining chair, and closed my eyes for a second.
"Wake up!" I opened my eyes. She was standing in the room, buckling her belt and staring at me. "We got the tone." Shit, I thought. I fell asleep and missed the alarm. My brain hadn't woken up yet but I knew one thing: I had to get into the ambulance. I tried to stand up but ended up flailing and struggling to get out of the chair. I threw the blanket off of me and walked straight into the table in front of me. She laughed while I stumbled across the room and into the garage, still half asleep. "I thought you were going to run into the wall and collapse." She said. "That was hilarious."
Five hours later I packed up my bag and walked out to the bus stop. I was ready to sleep on the bench. Good thing the bus is coming, I thought.
Then I remembered the bus drivers were on strike and walked back to campus.
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