Pictures I realize never made it onto the blog from this fall

Pumpkin carving with Whitney!

An epic day of shooting with the boys

We can't help but goof off a bit.

This series of photos I found on my camera while I was downloading the ones I had taken... I guess that's what I get for leaving my camera unattended.

This on makes me laugh every time :)

Looks like I left the camera unattended again...

Gardner Village with my mom and cousin Annie and her kid Giselle.

Annie and Giselle.

My cute momma and I.

Another day of epic shooting with some more of my favorite people.

Silly Jason

Nasty A rat tail....

Jason's anime face.

All I can say is my life is filled with awesome family and friends!

Day 2 of Medic School

Today was filled mostly with a lot of review of material we all should have covered in previous classes such as physiology, and anatomy. The first half of class we talked about the electophysiology of how the heart works. It was a nice refresher since I haven't been in physiology since last year. This will play heavily in our ability to interpret Electrocardiograms (ECGs) later on in our career. It was also helpful that I had the opportunity to take an Advanced Cardio Life Support class from my EMT intermediate teacher and this covered almost all of what I had studied for that. I am also so thankful for taking two Medical Terminology classes as they are put to almost constant use in the classroom. Just a few of the words we used multiple times today were, ionotropic, chronotropic, dromotropic, enteral, parenteral, synergism, potentiation, bioavailability, among many others.

We also went over the importance of working as a team. These fellow medics and EMTs are your family away from home. They have your back and you in return should have theirs. Without each other it becomes almost impossible to perform even the simplest of tasks. They are your witness when shit hits the fan so you better become the best of friends.

One of the most intimidating parts of this class is the medication list, we received 7 pages (landscape mind you) of drugs listed with their generic and trade name, class, indications, dosages (both ped and adult), contraindications, side effects along with some additional notes on each drug. Our instructor told us by the end of the year we will be able to recreate this table from memory... I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous.

Once again I left the room with a desire to know as much as I can so when I am put in the situation of having someone's life in my hands and their family expecting me to fix their loved one, I am able to do so to the best of my capabilities.

A few tidbits I liked from class,
-You guys are having a unique experience in this class, you are the guinea pigs. You get everything, the important stuff along with the shit that I will edit out later because frankly... it didn't work.
-PFM: stands for Pure F#*$&%( Magic, this was used to describe the complex functions of the heart both mechanically and electrically.
-The way we practice is the way we play, verbalize everything and go through your checklists religiously.
-As you get your experience you will know where to cut corners, don't start here.
-Kill them all and let God sort them out, well since the public wouldn't be very happy about that, take them to the Emergency Department and let them sort it out.
-The three things that people need most when their life on the line is and IV, O2, and Diesel. (meaning an IV running to push meds, oxygen is always a good thing, and diesel burning in the engine while their in the back of the ambulance being transported to the appropriate facility.)

Until next time,
Katie

First Day of Medic Class

The last 6 months have been some of the best of my life! That being said, I have gone through many trials and hard decisions to get to my current feelings. Here is a quick list of just a few of the things that have happened, I will most likely explain some of them in more depth later in the post or those that follow in the months to come.

1. Two of the most amazing people whom I have the honor of calling my friends and partners in crime have returned from serving full time LDS missions abroad. Those two years were the longest two years of my life, but much needed. I was able to learn a lot about myself and was forced to focus on me. I was able to narrow down and choose a major which I am passionate about and really enjoy. Health Education and Promotion but more importantly, the provider track, where if all goes as planned, I will be a paramedic in less than a year! On one of my ride a-longs I had the pleasure of meeting Capt. Gaulke. He made a lasting impression on me that I will never forget. He first questioned me why I... a girl... wanted to go into EMS and Fire. I replied because I love the work and I feel like I was born to help people. He was very supportive and gave me some words of advice. He really wanted me to try out for Fire Academy that following spring but I had other plans of finishing school. He also told me that I would need to get my butt in to shape and probably lose 30 pounds if I really wanted to be the best Fire/Medic I could be. I took that portion of his advice to heart and was able to drop 20 pounds this past year. I have never felt better both mentally and physically. 

2. In July, I got out of a two year relationship that I have learned so much from and have gained a loving family that accept me as one of theirs in return even though the two of us are not just right for each other. 

3. I've reconnected with some old friends that I haven't talked to since high school. Even though we haven't talked for years, it was just like old times and we have had a good time catching up on each other's lives.

4. In October, I had the opportunity to take a trip to see my brother while he was interning in St. Thomas USVI. Whitney and I had a blast traveling just the two of us. It was definitely an adventure I will keep with me for life.

5. In November, I sent my academic adviser an email asking when I need to apply for the Paramedic Program at the University of Utah and got a quick reply back stating that I had missed it by two weeks but could still try contacting the Coordinator to see if they would still accept my application. Over the course of the next two days, I gathered the mountain of required documentation and paperwork and handed it in. All I could do was wait until I heard back from them. A week later they called me in for an interview. I was stoked. When I went into interview it was kind of an awkward time because I was working during the time they normally scheduled the interviews. I got there and they were just shooting the breeze and had totally forgot that I was coming. I felt as though they had already picked their candidates and I was going to have to prove that I was willing to put in the time and work necessary to excel. As they were interviewing me, they asked my prior experience, I explained to them that I hadn't had much in the field, I had worked as an EMT at a summer camp and that was about it. They then proceeded to ask me if I knew the five patient rights. I had not reviewed these since 2009 for my EMT basic course. I was able to recall something about right time, right patient, right medication, right dose, and my mind just blanked on the last one... I said that was all I could come up with and they thanked me for my time and sent me on my way. On my drive home I realized the one right I forgot was right route. I was so mad at myself. But hopefully they had sensed my love for the work and desire to learn. Once again, all I could do was wait to hear from them. Two weeks went by and nothing... It was getting closer to Christmas and I had figured that they had already told the students that made it in who they were so I started to prepare myself for the next year. I planned on applying for a job at Gold Cross to gain the experience I was lacking and studying up on all of the past courses I had taken to stay current. On the 7th of December I opened my email inbox to find a letter from the Paramedic program coordinator with the subject line of 

"Welcome to the Salt Lake City Fire Department and University of Utah Paramedic Program 2013"

I have never been so excited in my life. I had made it! This next year is going to be one filled with hard work, late nights, long shifts, hard tests (mental and physical), teamwork, and most importantly of all, knowledge that will prepare me to work my dream job as a paramedic helping those in need to make the worst day of their lives the best I can.

Today was the first day of class and the second week of my internship. Every time I leave I am left wanting more. I can be in a funky mood before class and when I leave, I have a renewed passion for life and am as happy as ever. I feel I have found my calling in life. I can't wait to see what the future brings. I'm going to try and write as often as a I can about my experience in the program not only so you can enjoy reading about my life, but also so I can come back on those days that I'm struggling to remember why I got myself in such a demanding program and read through the good days I have had.

Some tidbits and pieces of advice that stuck out to me today while listening to our lecture in class today:

     1. No matter good or bad, you can't take back first impressions

     2. Strive to be the best paramedic you can be

     3. Be the best you can be TODAY

     4. If you really want to F$%^ up a fire scene, insert an injured firefighter. Be safe out there.

     5. Hand sanitizer is there to tide you over until you have time to wash your hands.

     6. Do not carry what you can put on wheels.

     7. This profession is not a measure of toughness, ask for help if you need it.

     8. Avoid becoming irritated with a patient, while being important, is easier said than done sometimes.

Until next time!

Katie

Return from Tomorrow: an unexpected favorite read

Last night while on the train home from school I finished the book Return From Tomorrow by George Ritchie and Elizabeth Sherrill. Here is the synopsis of the book:

 George leaves his body and sees it lying in his bed. He is not aware the dead body in his bed is his. Wanting eagerly to travel to Richmond, Virginia to start college, he finds himself flying in the air toward a city. He is not sure how he acquired these strange powers of flight and transparency. 

He arrives at a city and discovers he has lost his solidness. He flies back to the hospital and sees his lifeless body in the morgue and realizes he has died. Suddenly, Jesus appears emitting a tremendous light and love. George's entire life appears before him. Jesus asks, "What have you done with your life?" He realizes Jesus is not judging him, but he is judging himself. Jesus gives him a tour of four different dimensions in the afterlife. They both fly toward a large city on Earth where they notice a group of assembly-line workers at work. He witnesses the spirit of a woman trying desperately to obtain a cigarette from the workers who are oblivious to her presence. This woman died severely addicted to cigarettes.

 In a house, Jesus shows him the spirit of a boy following a living teenage girl and begging for forgiveness while the girl is completely unaware of the boy's presence. Jesus tells George that the boy committed suicide and is "chained to every consequence of his act." Jesus shows George a bar filled with sailors who are heavily drinking. Spirits try desperately and in vain to get a drink or to control the sailors' alcoholic behavior. These spirits are from humans who die severely alcoholic. He is horrified as he observes a drunken sailor pass out and an alcoholic spirit jump into the body of the sailor. 

 Jesus takes him to a new dimension away from Earth and shows him a kind of "receiving station" where spirits would arrive in a deep hypnotic sleep because of their beliefs. These are spirits who believe they must sleep after death until Jesus returns. Jesus shows him a dimension where angry spirits are locked in hand-to-hand combat, trying in vain to hurt each other. He hears verbal abuse going on. He observes some trying in vain to get sexual gratification from each other. He also sees spirits arguing over some religious or political point and trying to kill the ones who did not agree with them. Here, he realizes he is seeing hell. These are spirits who are locked into some earthly desire that went beyond the physical and which cannot be satisfied in the spirit. 

 He is then taken to a different dimension appearing like an enormous university. Here he observes people dressed as monks engaged in some form of artistic behavior or research. He is taken into an enormous library where all the important books of the universe are assembled. He asks Jesus if this is heaven. He replies that these are the people who grew beyond selfish desires while on Earth. George realizes these people cannot see Jesus, just as the others could not see him in hell. 

 Jesus takes him into outer space toward a distant city made of brilliant light of a similar description to the city in the Book of Revelation. He speculates this is the place where people go who have become Christ-like while on Earth. Here, love was the dominant focus of life. He realizes he is seeing heaven, but he is not allowed to go in. Jesus then shows him the future of the Earth. He then returns to his physical body. 

 "Death is nothing more than a doorway, something you walk through." - Dr. George Ritchie

 First let me say that I'm not a huge fan of reading books about people and their beliefs and experiences with God I find them to be cheesy and not quite inline with who and what I believe god to be. Obtaining this book was a mistake I was looking through the free books on my kindle and I read the short about this one and figured why not so I clicked it and it started to download. I looked later and noticed that it in fact was not free, and so I figured if I paid for it I might was well read it and so I did. Boy, I'm glad I did. It just made me realize that our priorities here on this earth are sometimes skewed. People get caught up in material needs and let what's really important like love and compassion for one another take a seat on the back burner.

 While leaving the platform to walk to my car, a gentleman who I would say was about my age if not a year or two older was waiting for a bus. Me being in a good mood and just having finished this book made eye contact with him and smiled which got a reaction I did not expect. He proceeded to smile back and then asked me if he could ask me a quick question. I said of course, thinking that he would be asking something about when the bus was coming or where it goes. He ended up asking however "That smile you just gave me.... what was that about? Is it the cigarette I have in my hand or the way I am dressed or what...?" I was caught off guard and said the first thing that came to mind "It's been a good day, I'm happy and why not smile?" He chuckled and said "I guess that's reason enough. and Thank you." This little experience made me realize that a simple smile shared with someone can make a change in their day.

I've made it a personal goal to smile at everyone I meet in passing and love as many people as I can unconditionally. The second one is going to be a toughy because I've grown up thinking that in order for you to love someone they have to earn your love or prove that they are worthy of it. This book made me think if God treated me that way, I would never be good enough. But the god I believe in loves everyone for who they are blemishes and all and I'm going to try to do the same to make this world a little more heaven like and enjoyable to be a part of.

Long overdue

I know I'm long overdue for a post or two, Fall semester is 1/2 over and I'm really enjoying it thus far. I have two classes one of which is an internship. I'm on campus one day of the week for 3 hours and work part most of the other days. The last 3 months have been interesting. I decided to end a two year relationship that I had invested a lot of time and love in. I don't regret a thing. We were just two VERY different people and were starting to realize that what we ultimately wanted in life varied a bit. It was rough and not easy by any means. It's taken some getting used to being single again. I've been able to concentrate on refocusing myself on my goals and aspirations. I've wanted to be a Firefighter Medic for a few years now and I'm two months away from enrolling in the Paramedic program at the U and I couldn't be more excited! Life is never easy but oh, life is sooo sooo good! I will follow this post up with more that will include pictures from my various adventures and experiences!

Perry Family Photos take 2

Portraits with the Perry Family