Helicopter Paramedics, What Do They Do?

     What is being a helicopter paramedic all about?  Probably a lot more than you would think.  In a podcast from slate.com, David Plotz interviews Jeff Ennis, a helicopter paramedic.  Ennis gives a detailed insight to what it is like being a helicopter paramedic and what exactly the job entails.

     First off, the shifts are extremely long and exhausting.  Each shift is 24 hours long, 24 hours off, 24 hours back on and then off for 5 days.  Ennis says that there is a lot of prep work to be done before each shift.  Before a shift even begins he needs to do some meal prep of good meals he can have while on the clock.  When he arrives to work, he meets with the off-coming crew to debrief about what happened in the previous shift.  Then the new crew goes out to the aircraft where they follow a very detailed check off sheet to make sure everything is set and ready to go for the next call.  The pilot then comes in to have a short meeting with the crew, he does a risk assessment, reviews emergency procedures, makes sure everyone gets enough rest, talks about the weather and discusses any advisories that may be in the area.  After this short meeting, from about 8:00-10:00am it is very rare that they would get a call so Ennis says he tries to take a nap for a few hours during this time.  He never knows when he will be needing to work into the late hours at night, so he sleeps when he can.

    Along with resting, the crew does have ongoing education and trainings they must complete when not attending to a patient.  While they are resting, or training, they are waiting for a call to come in.  As soon as they receive a call, within 8 minutes they are in the air headed to the scene.  When they arrive on the scene, they usually have little to no information on the patient so they must do a quick assessment and decide where to take them.  Sometimes it is predetermined where to take the patient.  Once the patient is delivered to the hospital, or where ever they need to go, the staff there takes over.  Ennis says that he gets signatures from the staff saying they received the patient and have taken over.

     Something I found particularly interesting is that Ennis says that he likes to keep an impersonal relationship with the patients.  It's easier for him to get his job done if there is not an emotional attachment.  Ennis says that he "just shows up and does his job."  He makes sure that he does everything to the best of his ability so that if he does end up losing a patient, he know he did everything he could and the result was out of his hands.

     I think that being a helicopter paramedic is an exceptionally admirable job.  These men and women work so hard to do everything in their power to help their patients.  Not many people know everything that is involved in this job and how truly tiring it can be.  I think it is awesome that these people work so hard every time they report for duty and the world really is a better place because of them.

Until next time...

Camille

To Get Involved or not to?

     In Working, by Studs Terkel, I read two stories about teachers, Rose Hoffman and Pat Zimmerman.  Hoffman was a public school teacher and Zimmerman was an alternative school teacher.  Both articles discuss the relationships between teachers and students, and what type of relationship each teacher prefers with their students.

     It is very clear to readers that Hoffman likes to keep her relationships with students strictly about school and school work.  She says, "I don't want to know what's happened in the family, if there's divorce, a broken home" (484).  She believes that what is happening in a students home is none of her business and she would rather not hear about it.  She also says, "Even a child deserves a certain type of privacy in their personal life" (484).  Hoffman believes it is not her business, nor her place, to pry into the lives of her children.  She also mentions that growing up she came from a broken home.  Having this background, and knowing she turned out just fine, she believes her students will turn out fine too.

     On the other hand, in Zimmerman's classroom, it's a little bit different than just ignoring students personal lives.  He says, "We only get to know the families if they want to know us.  If a kid doesn't want us to get involved, we trust that that's the best thing for him, that somehow he needs us all to himself, not to share with his family" (491).  Zimmerman places trust in his children and allows them work their own problems out.  If they don't want his help, he is hands off and lets them deal with it on their own.  However, if one of his children ever did need help with a family situation, Zimmerman makes it clear that he would be there for them.

     Alternatively, we hear a different point of view from Andrew Rubin in a podcast from www.slate.com/working, "How Does A Principal Work?".  In this podcast, Rubin discusses all of the duties he has to deal with on a daily basis.  One of the major points he brings up is the relationship with students.  He says he likes to, "break the stereotype" when it comes to a principal and student relationship.  Most students give principals a negative persona.  They always are on their best behavior in front of the principal in fear that breathing the wrong way may get them into trouble.  Well, Rubin likes to break down this wall with his students.  He works hard to get to know the students.  He is available to listen to their problems, and wants to work with them to help them get through tough times.  He does obscure things, wears chicken suits, to help build this relationship.  He wants to know his students more than just on a "business" level.

A few things to think about:

Do you think it is better for teachers to get involved in their students lives or keep the relationship strictly about academics?

Can "breaking the [relationship] stereotype" better improve a student's performance in the classroom, or like Hoffman says, does home life really have nothing to do with learning?

Until next time...

Camille

Workin' On The Farm

     First off, I would like to say that I personally believe farmers are extremely underrated.  The amount of labor they have to put in to provide produce for the incredibly high demand is unreal.  One quote that really stuck with me from the readings, "The city people, when they go to the grocery store and the price of meat is raised, they jump up and down.  They don't realize what all is behind that.  They're thinking of their own self.  They don't want to put up that extra money" (Walker).  For me, this quote really nailed it right on the head.  We live in a society that is obsessed with wanting things in large quantities, fast, and cheap.  When prices for anything goes up people throw fits but rarely do they know what goes on behind the scenes.

     I was shocked when Rankin said he was 65 and still doing manual labor on his farm.  65 is getting up there in age.  I could not even imagine lifting boxes, loading trucks and actually having to do physical work that old.  However, another quote that caught my attention, "If you didn't life your work and have pride in it, you wouldn't do that" (Walker).  This quote put everything from all three articles in perspective for me.  I could not imagine doing these things because it is not something I enjoy doing.  But farmers are so incredibly passionate about what they do and they take pride in the products they produce, it truly is admirable.  

     Because farming is a full time job, (18 out of every 24 hours according to Aunt Katherine Haynes) some farmers aren't able to receive an education.  After reading Aunt Katherine Haynes story, she didn't seem all too upset about not getting an education.  She says, "They wasn't much to think on when you didn't have no education...I'm just a flat out old hillbilly.  That's the only way I know to talk and the only way I'll ever try to talk."  I don't think she seems unhappy because she didn't receive an education.  I also don't think she was unhappy with her work.  I think she is unhappy with how much working wore her down.  She is 77 years old and talks a little bit about how her body just can't do what it used to anymore.  Naturally, as we age our bodies begin to shut down but I think the amount of stress she put on her body from working is really getting to her.

     Here's some food for thought:  Rankin talks about taking Aleve at least once a day, he also talks about the harsh conditions farmers go through.  Is there a way to reduce the amount of labor farmers have to endure?  Walker talks about having a great amount of pride in his work however, is having pride in your work enough of a reward for everything you put your body through both physically and mentally?  And finally, is having a life of strictly farming and housework an acceptable life in exchange for a good education?

Until next time...

Camille