Project Summary

A certification as an Emergency Medical Technician

(EMT) comes with valuable life-saving skills. I
completed a four month long EMT course in March
2016. The class was four hours for three nights a
week. We focused on basic life-saving skills such as
opening the airway, assisting breathing,
cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and stopping
bleeding. We also learned to assist people with
certain medications such as oxygen, aspirin,
nitroglycerin, Epi-pen, inhaler, and activated
charcoal.
In class I was taught about the anatomy and
physiology of the body. I learned what the body
needs in order to stay alive. I learned what the body
does when something is wrong and the changes that
occur in vital signs. I learned about the purpose of
splinting broken bones and the different methods to
do so. Most of the time I practiced skills on dummies
or other classmates. But I also gained 54 hours of real
life experience with the local ambulance.

There are many methods used to transporting

patients. Choosing the best method depends on the
injuries or illnesses of the patient and the difficulty
of extraction. In the picture above we are learning
about a litter which is used in most outdoor settings
to transfer patients. A litter is light weight and very
durable. It can be hoisted via helicopter using
special ropes and knots. It holds one person but a
paramedic can be strapped to the outside and
hoisted with the patient.

Project Highlights
Two years ago I didnt have any experience with first
aid. I would have been nearly helpless to someone in
a trauma or medical situation. The highlight of my
experience has been to pass the practical tests of this
course. It reflects the amounts of knowledge and
skills I have retained. I now feel confident how to act
in an emergency situation.

With the help of a law enforcement

officer, Johnathan and I moved the
patient onto a backboard out of the
passenger side while keeping his
head straight from my journal

The first moments an EMT has with a patient are

critical. This is when immediate life threats are
discovered and prevented. The picture above
shows a patient involved in a four wheeler
accident. He is unconscious, not breathing, and is
showing signs of shock. While someone holds his
head, the others assist his breathing and treat
external bleeding. He is showing decerebrate
posturing which is a sign that the body is near
death.