I had a wonderful and rewarding experience last night. My good friend, Ralph, invited me to be a monitor for his EMT class’ trauma scenario skill final exam. For those that do not know, Ralph and I taught the EMT class at our community college from 1977 until 1982. Ralph returned to the college this year as the lead instructor for the class. He got bored being retired. Since my retirement in 2011, this was the first time that I have stepped back into the role of an evaluator of firefighters, EMTs or Paramedics. And as I said, it was very enjoyable and fulfilling. It gave me a glimpse into the future of the career to which I dedicated 39 years of my life as a field practitioner, supervisor, instructor and administrator. I am excited by what I saw. As with any class of this type and size the skills and knowledge base observed ran the gambit from scary to outstanding. There were a few students that made me wonder if they could actually walk and chew gum or were allowed outside in the rain. There were students that were just beginning to grasp the real concept of what we do in EMS. And there were a few that flowed with the ease and comfort of knowing both the material and how to perform in the simulated environment of a skills test. But it was those couple of students that I had the pleasure to observe and talk with that had that certain spark in their eyes that reinforced my faith and joy that the future of EMS is being safely passed on to a new generation. Please rest assured that my experiences last night did not suddenly change my conscious and purposeful decision about returning to the role of teacher. But it was so invigorating to see young people eager to learn, eager to do things the right way, and eager for the right reasons. Young folks not tainted by the so called experienced EMS person that too often reeks of misconceptions, prejudices and a loss of vision of why we do what we do (if, in fact, they ever really had such a vision). Finally, a new generation that has moved past the “post 911-ers” that entered our profession seeking an ill-conceived concept of glory and heroism. Finally, a new generation of young people has emerged and for the right reasons; people looking to serve their community and their fellow man. I have always said that I was a very lucky man. Last night my luck continued. I got a glimpse into the future and it warmed my soul.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 16:24:38 +0000
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