It's not what I do. It's who I AM.

Every Day some little old lady, or young kid we transport asks the same question during my small-talk sessions with our patients… “so why do you want to do this? Why do you want to be a paramedic?”

Most of the time it’s a little hard to just mutter out a response that isn’t clichéd. The “I like helping people” response is pretty common.

But its a lot simpler than that. It’s who I am. It’s what I am. This is me. I’ve worked on political campaigns–big and small. I’ve spent nearly a year with a Congressman 3 foot away from me. Spent time with more Presidential candidates than you could imagine, more business moguls and old money.

But none of that matters. In the end, win or lose–and I’ve had both–it didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel anything like giving 23 minutes of comfort to a 79 year old woman who just knew she was going to die. She knew it. I couldn’t do anything for her. My med bag, my gear only does so much. But I know that for that 23 minutes she was in my truck, she was relaxed. I got her joking. We talked about her grandkids–her husband’s business, everything.

That is who I am.

I won’t get rich doing this. Unless you ask Marty.

The book linked above is a book that we were required to read in one of my more bogus classes in college. Some places use it for management and team building, some use it as a motivational tool. Most people read it because someone told them to take the time. Whatever way it is, it relates a lot to the world we live in. We are rarely thanked, often forgotten, and only appreciated when needed. But simple things can make it all worth while. Every now and then we get a save. More often than not, we spend time comforting friends and family. Remember–often everyone in the room is our patient–most of them need something we don’t carry in our trucks.

Compassion.

There are going to be countless times in my career that I will be called to act selflessly. I hope I hold true to that. I want to be able to go home at night, look my wife in the eyes and be proud of what I do. I will not turn into a lollipop!

It’s not what I DO. It’s who I AM.

Also on MedicThree …

• The things we do for Love… – August 12, 2010