A spotlight on EMT, Patricia Perry
There are approximately 326 million people in the United States. Those in the Emergency Medical Service industry make up a small percentage of a valuable profession. We may only encounter these professionals at the most difficult times in our lives. Yet, we often see them as service providers and not as the individuals possessing the rarest qualities.
EMS is made up of nurses, nurse practioners, paramedics and emergency medical technicians or EMT’s. An EMT provides basic, direct patient care such as checking vitals, assisting nurses with immediate and life-threatening interventions as well as CPR and transporting patients. Patricia Perry, an EMT at an LA County hospital can work 12, 24 and sometimes 48 hour shifts which means Perry and others in the profession need to be ready at a moments notice. She tells us, “you’ll be at the station about to eat dinner or asleep in your bunkroom and your pager will go off and you have to dress, and be in your rig in minutes.” However, EMT’s that work in an emergency setting work shorter shifts but never know what case will walk in the door.
Being an EMT is a tough line of work requiring physical and emotional strength. Perry has had to answer calls for gruesome car accidents, suicides and shootings but the part of her job she would rather recall is the comradery with her co-workers. “We meet people usually on the worst day of their lives. Relationships are developed quickly between co-workers after a successful case of improving a patient’s condition or even after losing a patient.” Perry says concentrating on the bond with co-workers and not the outcome of each call.
– Patricia Perry talks about empowering women.
“There are so many opportunities for women to become who they want and achieve what they want. We need to support and encourage all women to conquer their goals.”
Professionals such as EMTs and other EMS employees perform some of the most difficult jobs in our community. However, some of them are the most underpaid. According to salary.com EMTs in California make a shocking $33,156 a year and paramedics $42,036 on average per year. While we can appreciate the heroic nature of EMS professionals, we need to find solidarity in their struggle to just pay for their life saving work. Perry feels, “the paramedic and EMT caring for an elderly person having a heart attack in the back of an ambulance should make more than the cook at the nearest fast food restaurant.”
The 911 service we know as our first call for help was only established in 1968 to certain parts of the United States and women to the industry were slow to join. Today, female EMTs make up only 35% of the occupation. Perry works with a good gender balance but she does feel the involvement of females in the EMS and fire field would be beneficial to those passionate about the work. As in many careers, societally women feel the need to choose family over work. Although, Perry finds those of her co-workers who are parents are able to find a healthy balance in the industry with longer weekends to enjoy with their families.
Perry urges the need for female empowerment and states, “there are so many opportunities for every woman to become who they want and achieve what they want. We need to support and encourage all women to conquer their goals.” Women and men in the EMS industry are responders to our most dire calls and embody the rare trait of resilience with compassion. They are heros, in every right.
