Dan Fearson
Flint Journal (Michigan)
Copyright 2007 Flint Journal
All Rights Reserved
GENESEE COUNTY, Mich. — Andrew Ames knows what it’s like to save a life.
The Mott Community College sophomore is pursuing a paramedic degree while working as a paramedic for Genesys Emergency Transport Service.
“When someone is in cardiac arrest it’s the most horrifying and exhilarating experience in the world,” said Ames, 20, of Grand Blanc.
“Sometimes you just pin your ears back and go to work. You’re dealing with someone completely lifeless and your job is to save them.”
Ames received his EMT license when he was a senior at Grand Blanc High School and became a certified paramedic last July.
“By the time I was 18, I had been certified, and the next step was to become a paramedic,” he said.
It took two years of classwork and training, and the successful completion of a national exam to become a certified paramedic.
He works random hours, mostly 12-hour shifts, including holidays.
“It’s really different than any other job, you don’t just leave when your shift ends. You might get a call five minutes before that you have to respond to,” said Ames.
“You really rely a lot on your training and on your natural reactions when you’re on a long shift.”
With one foot already in the medical community door, Ames plans to pursue a career in medicine after he graduates from Mott. He is particularly interested in orthopedic surgery.
“I actually had a cadaver lab class at the University of Michigan-Flint,” said Ames.
“It helped me make up my mind 100 percent that I wanted to go further into the medical field. I really liked working with bones and muscles.”
Knee surgery when he was a boy first sparked the idea of becoming an orthopedic surgeon. If he has his way Ames said he would eventually like to open his own orthopedic out-patient clinic.
“It would really save patients and insurance companies a lot of money,” said Ames.
“Being able to perform surgery, and do physical and occupational therapy at the same place would be nice for people.”