Drinking From A Firehose by Kathryn

Drinking From A Firehose by Kathryn - June 2024 Scholarship Essay

The pace of paramedic school is often described as akin to “drinking from a firehose”. Students are blasted with information, forced to memorize medication dosages, formularies, protocols, and hundreds of medical conditions. When the firehose is aimed at you, there’s only so much water you can drink at one time.

True learning occurs outside of the classroom, in situations we never thought were possible nor we would ever find ourselves in, and thus the definition of student becomes quite expansive: breathless-infant life-summoner; suicidal cousin cutter-downer; mangled truck-driver unfolder; assaulted party-goer evidence retainer; blue-bloater CPAP coach; elderly veteran story-listener-toer; octogenarian rib-breaker; stroke-sufferer hand-holder; battered child song-singer-toer; drunken collegiate vomit-bag-holder; horse-bucked farmer bone-realigner.

Every single moment I get to spend with a patient is an informal opportunity to learn more. In these moments I get to apply classroom concepts to real life, but I also get to treat each person I interact with as a human library - as a new and untapped source of knowledge and wisdom. These situations are invaluable as experiential learning opportunities. They nurture creativity, promote critical thinking, and encourage a continuous desire to learn and do more so that I can treat the next patient even better.

My formal education will always teach from a textbook, laying the foundation for continued academic growth and success. But my informal education occurs during every interpersonal relationship I make on the job. Neither type of education is superior, rather they complement each other spectacularly, creating a well-rounded experience that fosters personal growth and encourages further learning.