The Moral Courage of EMT Workers

EMTs work in 8 to 10 hour shifts, responding to 911 calls and assessing injuries every minute. They drive ambulances to provide immediate, life-saving care. 

EMTs initially evaluate the severity of the situation and the patient’s condition when they arrive at the location, checking for signs of breathing and determining the level of treatment needed. They perform CPR, deliver oxygen, control bleeding, and splint fractures. They rush patients to the hospital while a partner EMT continues to monitor their condition and provide care. They work on the actual ambulances that handle 911 emergencies and patient transfers. They also sometimes are cross-trained as firefighters, or work in the Emergency Room (ER) as assistants to doctors and nurses on medical procedures. During these mentally burdening circumstances, EMTs practice emotional resilience because they face stressful situations like tending to severely injured individuals, but still persist in their field in order to help as many people as they can. 

The job of an EMT is extremely emotionally and physically demanding. EMTs use deep breathing and meditation techniques to help stay calm and centered during stress-inducing situations. 

Undergraduate Julia Kim from Washington University in St. Louis encapsulates her experience as an EMT by explaining how “you never know what the day is going to look like, and you meet extraordinary people.”  EMTs practice moral courage in their job because they meet people every day to tangibly help them, and. They advocate constantly for their patients’ well-being.