Obtaining my Emergency Medical Technician License(Obtaining a professional certification: 6 points) - Mallory Wallace DUE SEP 30

 Obtaining my Emergency Medical Technician License(Obtaining a professional certification: 6 points) - Mallory Wallace DUE SEP 30

This summer I did a two week EMT certification course, aimed at both preparing me to work as an EMT and pass the National Registry Exam. The course was incredibly intense, with 12 hour days, 7 days a week, and 60 question exams on each day. We would also have to complete and master skills everyday, including learning how to backboard patients, pack wounds, splint injuries, tourniquet limbs, and triage patients. Although I already obtained my CPR certification last year through Spelman, this course gave me an opportunity to refine those skills and renew my CPR/AED certification. My favorite parts of the course were probably learning to deliver babies and learning to triage patients at mass casualty incidents. These things taught me how to remain calm and composed during extremely stressful and life altering situations, as well as how to make well-informed, quick decisions in those moments. 

The last part of the course included doing three field rotations. My first rotation was with Careflight, in which I spent most of my time in the back of the ambulance with the patients. My first run was actually pretty crazy, and involved a patient with stab wounds, in which I had to pack, seal, and hold pressure until we reached the hospital. While I was scared most of the time, I quickly gained confidence in my ability to make quick decisions and offer quality care to my patients. The next day I was in the emergency room, assisting nurses with at least 10 patients that had come in that day. It made me feel more comfortable with patient care interaction. I think my favorite rotations were at the fire station, in which many of the calls weren’t trauma, but illness related. Overall, I was able to pass the class and learn a great amount during the process.

By Mallory Wallace