Dear Reader

I worked as a paramedic most of my adult life. Nursing or P.A school was always something I assumed I would eventually get to. After I was injured on the job and told my career in this field was over, I accepted it and moved on to other things I loved like, training dogs for service. It wasn’t until last year in a rural section of Minnesota I came upon an accident that made me reassess my direction. Seconds before my arrival, a young teenage boy had fallen while long boarding down a steep hill and sustained a significant head injury.

Because of the location I knew it would be some time before the ambulance arrived and that there was a good possibility it would be a BLS (basic life support) crew I knew that if this young man had any chance whatsoever, to live it was imperative that certain actions were put into play. The time between the BLS crew arriving, evaluating and then having to call for a paramedic who could provide more advanced care (ALS) would be too long. I convinced the 911 operator to patch me directly to the ER Md, to whom I reported the critical stages of the boy’s condition. Thankfully the MD trusted and agreed with me. He immediately ordered a dispatch of an ALS unit. He also ordered a diversion to a trauma center where a neurosurgeon and trauma team were waiting his arrival.

That young man is alive today because of this extraordinary TEAM effort that included everyone involved, from bystanders,the 911 operater, fire, and police along with the hospital staff. Because of this team, coupled with the amazing faith and support of his family, after 36 days in a coma and a surprisingly short few months of rehabilitation, today, almost exactly 1 year later Sam,is back in college working towards his future.I know that in this case I did play an important role in Sam’s miraculous recovery but, as I have learned over the 16 years I worked in the field of emergency medicine,it is only by a collaboration of team players that miracles like this happen everyday. Personally, I became aware of how much I missed being a part of that kind of group effort and every aspect of patient care. So after letting those thoughts stew for a few months along with some relentless badgering from family and friends I decided to add a detour to my path.

Today,almost exactly one year later, I am also back in school working towards my future and the next phase of my career. Its exciting to be back in school the pace suits me and it feels good to get my rusty synapses fired up again. I decided to take Eng 98 as well as 101 because, the ability to write clearly and effectively it is a crucial skill to have while moving forward in school as well as my future career.

“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.” Robert McCloskey

The quote above is the header of my blog, I thought it was appropriate for my E –Portfolio as well because this is how I have always viewed my writing. I have struggled with the ability convey my thoughts onto paper and have it read as it did in my head. I always felt as though I never really learned how to write properly. I had much to say but didn’t know or have the confidence to do more of it.At work I was able to produce immaculate run reports for my job, but they are 80% abbreviated in medical shorthand and it was essentially telling a story verbatim.It was when I found myself writing a letter or something of that sort, I would struggle however,I am sure a lot if it was my being overcritical along with a confidence issue.

This class has afforded me the opportunity to try my hand at a variety of writing skills. Through homework, class participation and the essays I can proudly say that this class has helped me realize my potential as a writer. I now know that I CAN articulate my thoughts correctly. I do still struggle with the grammar aspect and have put comas in places that no comma should ever be forced to go, but I will keep trying.

This new skill in progress is something I am really starting to enjoy. The revision process seems to have gotten a little shorter, the ideas come a little easier and I appreciate more than ever the books I am reading. I am having fun being creative and trying to expand my vocabulary and I have also started to keep a journal. This is something I have always wanted to do. I regret that I didn’t have the confidence to write down my thoughts and memories of some pretty great, and not so great life experiences so that I would have the chance to reflect on them later. I am a big thinker, I run out of room in my head and if I cant talk about something its nice to know that now I can, and will write about it.