We were interested in getting a snapshot of when and why EMTs and medics decided to join our profession. So, we posed this question to our readers on Facebook: When did you know you wanted to be an EMT or paramedic?
We received a lot of different responses – some of which our fans talked about how they always knew they wanted to be an EMT, while others didn’t know until they were put in a difficult situation and were inspired by their responding medics. Here are a few of our favorite responses and be sure to add your own in the comment section below.
1. “At 7-years-old, my dad went into cardiac arrest the paramedics responded within 2 minutes and he survived without any brain damage. Since then, I have wanted to be a paramedic.” — Weldon Willingham
2. “Car accident in 2011. I was 3,000 miles away from home, and a complete stranger followed the ambulance to the hospital. She stayed with me all night, and talked with me about EMS in the morning. I enrolled into EMT school a few months later.” — Kimberly Marie Fay Cook
3. “I think I was 7 when I called 911 for a neighbor’s smoke detector in their apartment and they gave me a ride in fire truck!” — Jaime Lynn Harris
4. “When I was 6-years-old, my dad had a bad accident at home and I watched the EMTs work on him. I knew that’s what I wanted to do. My dad is fine now and I work for the same county that I saw that day.” — Elisabeth Dunn
5. “I did it when I wanted to pay it forward for what they had done for my family.” — Cathy Phillips
6. “When I was 3, watching Rescue 911. Told my grandma I wanted to be an “ambulance driver” (not my fault that’s what cartoons portrayed), and my grandma said, “Oh dear, that’s too dangerous for you.” — Crash Hudson
7. “The first time I held a dying baby due to domestic violence, I knew that I wanted to make a difference. I love what I do.” — Keo Morgan
8. “When my dad taught me first aid! He was a medic during WWII.” — Kathleen Ward
9. “After 9/11.” — Kimberlea Eversole-Blackwell
10. “For as long as I can remember. My family has been in this forever.” — Emily Ruch