Summer Break!

     Change can sometimes be daunting and other times it can be welcome.
     My twenty first birthday has come and gone and as far as Civil Air Patrol is concerned, I can no longer be a cadet. There are advantages to being a senior member, but sometimes I miss being a cadet. I look forward to giving back to the organization that helped me gain life skills I now use everyday.
     On the other hand, I have just finished my last assignment for this spring! I have been taking online classes this semester. Convenient, but it lacks social interaction. I miss seeing my friends from paramedic school every third day, but that was also a different situation. We stuck together for not just a semester, but a whole year. Anyways, I am so excited to have a summer break! I haven't had one since high school. :)
    Another transition I will be making in the immediate future is getting used to having a job. I just got hired y'all! I am ecstatic about being back on a truck.

    In my excitement, I have compiled a bucket list of sorts for this semester summer. (Haha still in the school mode)

• Make a shadow box for paramedic school
• Make a cute little succulent garden
• Do some reading that I haven't had time to do
• Fly a kite at the beach
• Finally learn to play my flute

That doesn't seem like too much, right? 

Happy Summer everyone!

PS On that note, I feel bad for the people who live up north. The weather here in Florida is gorgeous!

Getting Hired

Throw back to one year ago when I was in P2.
I was verbalizing a trauma scenario here.

       Now that I’m a Florida licensed paramedic it’s about time to get some experience! Unfortunately, like many young people know, you can’t get experience without a job and it’s hard to get a job without experience. The Lord knows though and it's under His control so I'm in the process of testing to be hired at the local ambulance service as an EMT. Then when I have some of that golden experience under my belt I can get promoted to paramedic. 

        I've been taking a psychology course and a medical terminology course online and also attempting to obtain NREMT certification at the paramedic level. For some reason I struggle passing static cardiology. I'm also nearing the end of my cadet career in the Civil Air Patrol. I hope to continue on as a senior member and give back to the organization that helped me become the person I am today. So you see I've been quite busy. Now if I can just go back from thinking ALS (advanced life support) to BLS (basic life support) I should be able to get hired. *thumbs up* 

Aspirations for the year 2017

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." -Jeremiah 29:11 KJV

God has a plan for my life. His plan for my life is not boring. That is for sure. I know some people who think of the Christian life as a life that is without "fun." I'd have to say I completely disagree. :) I have a ton of fun, and it is a comfort to know that when things don't go the way I think they should, God's got it under control. 2016 was a huge year in my life. I finished up my year at Crown College in Powell, TN, completed EMT school during the summer and got my state license and national certification, and managed to make my way through the first semester of paramedic school. And as of right now, I know I am doing exactly what the Lord wants me to.  I am immensely excited about this new year to do new (and not so new) things! Hence, I have made a few goals for this fresh year:

1. Read the Bible through chronologically. 
2. Finish paramedic school (!!!)
3. Get a job working with the local ambulance company.
4. Get back into my favorite hobby, photography.

I hope you all have a wonderful year!

New River Gorge Bridge in WV
November 2016

Soon to be your newest EMT

      This summer I've been busy taking classes at Daytona State College. I only have about three more weeks until I graduate from EMT school! Once I finish the class I will be eligible to sit for the state exam to be an officially certified emergency medical technician. This semester long journey has been full of surprises. One thing is that I never thought I would love it this much!
      I admit I was a bit shaken at first with the language and behavior of most of those I go to class with. As a girl who's been sheltered her entire life, it was a bit shocking to hear profanity readily used in everyday conversation. To be honest even now I struggle to follow Christ's example. When you are surrounded, it infiltrates your mind. My faithfulness is paying off though. My classmates notice that I am different. They notice I don't curse or drink or make inappropriate remarks. I see so much potential with lifestyle witnessing! I feel that I can be that light that is so much needed in this very dark field of work.
     As for the actual content of the classes, I am absolutely in awe of the amazing things God has equipped the human body to do. It has so many emergency mechanisms that will save your life! For example, if your leg is severed off, your blood vessels will constrict in an attempt to slow/stop the hemorrhaging.
     Lecture and lab are both interesting but I definitely like lab better. And to go further, my favorite part of lab is definitely patient assessment.  Basically, patient assessment is where everything you learn comes together. The knowledge you gain in lecture and the skills you learn in lab all come into play in a patient scenario. It's like a huge mystery you have to figure out to save someone's life.
      I love that no matter how small you think the task you're doing is, such as helping up an elderly lady who slipped and fell, you are their hero for that moment. It is important to them. I pray that the Lord would help me and use me to do what He will.