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NAME:
Melissa A. Omohundro
EMAIL:
als32@hotmail.com
OCCUPATION:
full time career paramedic, volunteer firefighter
BIO:
My name is Melissa. I am 23 years old and have been in the fire/ems
field for about 4 years. I went to college after high school, majoring
in pre-med/psychology. Because I couldn't afford to finish school, I
took the Emergency Medical Technician class offered by the fire dept.
That's when I realized I liked the "broken bones" aspect of medicine
better than the psychology stuff.
I enjoyed the class so much, I immediately continued with Cardiac
Rescue Technician, which is an intermediate form of ems. I was hired by
the county, which started my career in ems.
After much debate, I took the first-level firefighting class, and have
enjoyed that just as much as the ems. I am currently in the second-level
firefighting class and have just finished paramedic.
If you are not currently involved in the fire department, paid or
volunteer, there are some thing you must understand. Some people have
jobs simply because they are jobs and provide an income. Being a
paramedic or a firefighter requires much dedication and a passion for
what we do. This is not just another job.
I have done many heroic things, at least to the people who were
involved. I have done the simplest thing as to comfort a child who is
scared and is unsure of all the flashing lights around them from the
emergency vehicles. And I have saved lives, from the unconscious,
non-breathing person who requires CPR, medications and defibrillation to
those having severe allergic reactions or chest pain.
This is the most rewarding job. To deliver healthy wonderful babies and
to get that scared little boy or girl to laugh. To know that the
immediate care you provided while enroute to the nearest hospital saved
their life and that without you they would've died. It's a very
important, very magnificent job.
This is the worst job. When a small boy gets hit by a car by a driver
without a liscense When you watch that small boy take his last breath
as you approach to care for him. Knowing that you're doing everything
right, everything you possibly can, and he still dies right there in
front of you. Sometimes you wonder why you do what you do.
Sometimes this job is very heroic and wonderful. It can be the best
thing that's ever happened to you. There really are so many rewards.
But there are those times when very bad things happen and there really
isn't much you can do although you try so very hard. There's a lot of
adrenaline rushes, and there's a lot of tragic moments, but there's good
and bad with everything you do in life. It takes a strong person to
handle what can be such a rollercoaster of emotions and incidences. But
I would encourage everyone interested to take a course, volunteer a
little time, have an experience with it and see what happens. The
decision to make this my career was one of the best decisions I've ever
made and only wish I'd done it sooner.
Please feel free to contact me by e-mail, I'd be glad to talk about it
or answer any questions.
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