A year ago I started another EMS blog, called Paramedic Journal: A Year on the Streets.It was my intention to only record “a year” of being a medic, so anyone interested in knowing what the day to day life of a medic was like could have a reference. In Paramedic Journal the entries are rougher and, like the job, at times the entries are tedious. I try to make at least a small mention of each call I go on.
The benefit of writing about each day is the act of writing every day sometimes produces stories or insights that might otherwise have been lost. Sometimes something from the day that I paid little attention to comes into focus. It is for this reason that I am going to continue keeping that blog going.
People do EMS for many reasons: to help people, for the excitment, for the challenge of medicine… For me one of the big reasons is for the view into people — people at their best and worst. I am happiest when I can capture one of these moments. I don’t do it everyday, but by the sheer act of writing, sometimes these nuggets fall onto my paper.
I use Street Watch to post what I feel are the most interesting stories, moments or thoughts about the job of being a paramedic. Most of what appears on this blog originally appeared in the Journal in a rougher form. Some readers, particularly those who like a daily dose of the paramedic life, may prefer that site.
Thank you all for reading. Knowing that people click on this link gives me the impetus to sit down and try to make certain that each week there is something new to read.