By Maveric Vu
EMS1 Staff
With more than 15 years of experience working on an ambulance and teaching students, paramedic instructor Kelly Buddenhagen is motivated by one simple objective: serving the public.
“I see these young folks coming in from a different generation from when I went in,” said Buddenhagen, of Gilmer County EMS in Ga. “Sometimes their motivation is not in the ‘public service’ mindset. I instill it in them if they don’t have it.”
Buddenhagen, the winner of the EMS1 2008 Excellence in EMS Award for her original piece, ''Your Life - Our Mission - My Honor,’' hopes to reach other providers as both a paramedic and a casual writer.
In her essay, Buddenhagen wrote:
“People often ask me what the worst call I have ever had was … My answer often surprises those who like to hear the gory details, because the worst call, I explain, is different. The call I dread the most – the call in which I forget what an honor it is to serve another human being with presumed trust with another’s life.”
Buddenhagen said she tries to instill this sense of honor in her students in hopes of preparing them to become more proactive providers.
“Don’t mess around and let your skills go down,” she said. “While 80 percent of your calls might not require it, when that 20 percent hits, you better know what you’re doing.”
According to Gilmer County EMS Director Leslie Marshall, Buddenhagen knows what she is doing when working on the ambulance or teaching potential paramedics.
“She just finished teaching a class in December and almost 100 percent of her students passed the national registry test,” Marshall said. “She’s dedicated and has spent an incredible amount of time on the service.”
Gilmer County EMS is based in a small rural community in Ga., with roughly 28,000 residents. The department has 18 full-time employees and 14 part-time, with three full-time ALS trucks per shift, Marshall said.
In her region, Buddenhagen was recently recognized as the EMS Instructor of the Year. She has also been nominated for the statewide EMS Educator of the Year award.
One of her most significant contributions to her department is a “Q & A” system she developed to evaluate PCRs, where reports are evaluated and given points based on completion.
“We’ve seen a great improvement on everyone’s reports,” Marshall said. “She’ll take the time to sit down with them and explain what it is they are missing and how to write a better narrative.”
Buddenhagen, who said she has always enjoyed writing, brought this same knack for strong narratives to her first-place essay. She wrote:
 Photo courtesy of Gilmer County EMS The Gilmer County EMS team based in Ga. |
“I will never forget the eyes of my patient, longing for me to help, trusting my every move. It could have been your mom, but for the time I was present -- she was mine. I remember the instructor telling me about the feelings I would have, but I never thought it would affect me.”
While her essay focuses on the privilege and positive aspects of working in EMS, Buddenhagen fully acknowledges the bad days.
“One time I was about three-fourths way through my shift and it was just one bad call after the other,” Buddenhagen said. “I called my supervisor and said I just couldn’t finish the shift … It’s about realizing where your limits are.”
And on the day when she finally encounters the call that she “dreads the most,” Buddenhagen said that may mean that it’s time to move on.
But until that day, Buddenhagen said it’s her faith that “brings her through” and helps her realize that working in EMS is exactly where she should be.
“Some days you feel like hero and some days you feel like a heel,” she said. “You’re not paid much for it in terms of money, but you’ll be paid for it in so much more rewarding ways.”