CAITLIN WHITE
Assistant Living Editor
Most Pepperdine students earn a few extra dollars here or there by baby-sitting or working on campus or in a local business. Students usually have some outside commitment as well, whether it be a job, a fraternity or sorority, or a sports team. But for one Pepperdine student, a commitment to saving lives goes above and beyond the everyday troubles of most students.
But the stress is no trouble at all for senior Sean Roberts. As a certified EMT, he faces death and near death situations at work, at almost every turn. This kind of pressure is something Roberts deals with in 12-hour stretches.
What got you interested in being an EMT?
I took an EMT, or emergency medical technician class my senior year of high school, just kind of on a whim to fulfill some elective requirements. But then, after that I decided to also go through the state process to get certified. I started working as an EMT during my freshman year at Pepperdine and I have been one ever since.
What is the process for applying to be an EMT?
First, you have to be certified in order to apply. Then, it is pretty much like a typical job application. They do a background check and an interview, and if you pass those, then they offer you a position.
What does your job entail?
My official title is EMT Field Supervisor, and I’m employed by a company in Santa Monica called Gerber Ambulance Service. We are a private company that is contracted out to the city of Santa Monica, because they don’t have their own ambulance service, although we occasionally do use some of the city’s equipment.
When I get on the job site, I always check all the units to make sure they’re ready to go and then we go out into the field and wait for 911 calls.
So what do you do while you’re on call?
We sit and wait in whatever area they assign us to stay in for that night, and we handle all the medical calls for that specific section of the city. We usually post to where a lot of people are, so in case anything happens, we’ll be close by. That’s why you’ll see ambulances around like the Third Street Promenade, or the Santa Monica Pier, because that is where accidents and things are more likely to happen.
How many calls do you average a night?
It really varies. I’ve had zero calls in a night, and I’ve had up to 12 calls before, so it really does depend. But I would say on average we have about five calls a night. The night can be different depending on whether I am driving that night, or riding in the back and attending to victims, my partner and I switch on and off between these two positions.
Why does a job like this appeal to you?
I really like to go out there with the people, and help out the community. It’s the type of job, where you go to work, and you don’t know what is going to happen that night, but you know that whatever you do, you’re going be helping someone out. So that is an aspect to it that I really enjoy.
What are the hours you work?
I work a shift that is 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., but I only do it about two times a week. So that is 12 hours, but because it is only two times a week, it is do-able. I make sure on days that I have to work, that I don’t have class until noon the next day. On those days, I do suffer a little bit of sleep deprivation, but it’s really not that bad at all.
Is this a part of your major? Do you plan to continue in the future?
No, it isn’t really a part of my major, my major is Organizational Communications. But I do want to keep doing this sort of work actually. After I graduate next semester, I plan to apply to paramedic school, which is like the level above EMT, and after that, I would love to work in a big city somewhere like New York or Boston.
I’d love to work in a big city because there is plenty of action and ways to get experience and room for advancement.
Is the job scary?
It can be really scary when you are driving the ambulance with all the lights on, and people just aren’t paying any attention. It just takes one driver talking on their cell phone and not paying attention to hit you head on, and that could kill you. So you actually have to be extremely focused and careful when driving. But we always travel in twos, one driver, and one attendant, so we always have a partner.
Dealing with the victims can be difficult because you witness a lot of really nasty things, so you feel bad for the people, but you also are always helping people. It’s the type of job where you feel like you actually accomplish something, so there is a lot of job satisfaction.
10-04-2007