So Now You’re A Medic ...

So Now You’re A Medic ...
By Mike Rubin, BS, NREMT-P

“Paramedic Rubin.”

I was ecstatic and astonished to be addressed that way at our 1995 commencement ceremony. The only other time I had heard those two words spoken consecutively was earlier in the semester, after I had euthanized yet another mannequin. My exasperated instructor — a recent graduate himself — asked, ‘Do you want to be a paramedic, Rubin?’ Gamely, I had answered “yes” and then wondered if the Navy might still be interested in me.

Even as I was accepting my certificate, I felt that I should go home and study something. Ten months of preoccupation with text books and test scores had earned me an upgraded card, but left me uncertain about my future as a medic. Did I know enough to treat real patients? Would anyone pay me to do that?

“Life After Medic School” was a mystery. I had learned how to become a medic, but not how to be a medic. Full Story...