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Tag: diversity
EMS Profiles | Meet Elissa Schilmeister
Elissa Schilmeister
Paramedic
Westchester EMS
Chappaqua, New York
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How did you come to be in EMS?
I have always been interested in helping others and fascinated by science. I followed a different career path and studied Biodiversity and Conservation Conservation Biology. After working as an Environmental Educator Educator, Volunteer Coordinator, and becoming a licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator, I was approached by a member of my local volunteer ambulance agency. I started volunteering and quickly became an EMT and officer. The more involved I became the more I fell in love with EMS.
What do you love about working in EMS?
What I love about EMS is that there is always something new to learn, always a new situation. I like meeting new people and being able to make an immediate difference.
Do you have any advice for someone considering becoming an EMT or Paramedic?
Ask questions. Make the most of every situation, including interfacility tranfers. Go with your gut feelings.
EMS Profiles | Meet Brett Zingarelli
Brett ZingarelliLieutenant
Saint Francis EMS
Wilmington, Delaware
Saint Francis EMS
Wilmington, Delaware
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How did you come to be in EMS?
My grandfather passed away from cancer when I was 12 and I wanted to find a way to help people. EMS was the first way I found to help at a young age.
What do you love about working in EMS?
Every day is different. No matter what happens I know that I’ve affected someone’s life for the better when the shift is over.
Do you have any advice for someone considering becoming an EMT or Paramedic?
There is no other feeling in this world like helping other people. If you come in and do your best every day is rewarding.
Anything else you’d like to say?
There is a place for everyone in EMS. Follow your passions and you will find the career rewarding.
EMS Profiles | Meet Rosetta Scott
Rosetta Scott, NREMT
Emergency Medical Technician
Saint Francis Hospital EMS
Wilmington, Delaware
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How did you come to be in EMS?
My father suffered a heart attack at home and as I waited for 911, it felt like forever. I decided I never again wanted to be without the knowledge of how to help others.
What do you like about working in EMS?
I love the opportunity to interact with diversity in our communities. It is an honor to help people of various populations.
Do you have any advice for someone considering becoming an EMT or Paramedic?
My advice to future EMS professionals is to be easy with yourself and continue to ask questions. Never stop learning, even after you earn your certification.
EMS Profiles | Meet Jarlicia Islandriana Scott
How did you come to be in EMS?
I found myself searching for a career in the healthcare field and discovered a local EMT training program. I didn’t know much about EMS at the time I applied. As I got deeper into it, I became more and more interested. I enrolled in the Paramedic program to further my career and continue my education.
What do you love about working in EMS?
What I love about working in EMS is the thrill and the excitement—the whole experience. I love the fact that I can tell people outside of the profession that I’m a Paramedic.
Do you have any advice for someone considering becoming an EMT or Paramedic?
Treat each and every patient as if they were your family member.
Anything else you’d like to say?
EMS is a fun and challenging career. It has its moments but every call makes you greater. My primary goal is to provide patients with excellent pre-hospital care.
EMS Profiles | Meet Jameson Fernandez
Jameson Fernandez
Emergency Medical Technician
Cataldo Ambulance
Somerville, Massachusetts
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How did you come to be in EMS?
The light and sirens going by first caught my attention as a young child. That love only grew as I got older. I would watch and ask for all things that had to do with first responding. I loved it all, and imagined serving as police, fire or EMS when I got older. Over time during these growing years I eliminated fire and law enforcement as just not for me. EMS was the winner across the board.
I found myself at the age where I asked, ‘Self, what do you want to do?’ and, ‘What is the career of my dreams?’
The answer was EMS.
What do you love about working in EMS?
What I love about EMS is there is literally never a dull moment! Nothing day is the same, no call will ever be the same. EMS and standing orders are always evolving and trending up. We are always there when you need us.
Do you have any advice for someone considering becoming an EMT or Paramedic?
My advice is to go for it! Buckle up and enjoy one of the most rewarding career paths that can simply not be duplicated in other professions.
I recommend EMS for the skillset development. It hits such a wide variety of life lessons in just one shift. As an EMT, you’ll see the do’s and don’ts to life as a whole, and it gives you the ability to help people from the community.
You are continually educated and truly the sky is the limit in emergency medical services. Being an EMT opens so many doors in so many directions in the medical field. You can start EMS like me from fleet maintenance, where I learned about the vehicles, to a chair car, to communications and dispatch, to the road as an emergency first responder, and then on to an EMT certification. The future is full of next steps, and I’ve already done a lot. You can even get your advanced EMT, then your Paramedic then do a bridge program and go into nursing. The possibilities are endless and attainable.
Anything else you’d like to say?
EMS is the way to go. Get started!
EEOC Weighs in on SCOTUS Decision On Affirmative Action Programs in Education
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HHS OCR Settlement in FL to Improve Access to Care for Communities of Color
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CMS Webinar on Addressing Healthcare Inequities
SAVVIK Foundation Study on Diversity in EMS
Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the emergency medical service community.
Delaware State University has teamed with the Savvik Foundation, a non-profit representing
emergency medical service (EMS) to assess equity within the EMS profession. We have created a tool to assess equity in the EMS profession.
Participants will be eligible to receive a $20 Amazon gift card upon completion of this survey. This information is confidential and anonymous. We will not be using your name in any publications regarding this process.
By responding to the questions, you are permitting us to use this information to guide
our recommendations and share our findings in articles.
If you have any questions regarding your participation in this study please contact the
principal investigator, Dr. Knolan Rawlins, at krawlins@desu.edu or Ms. Chanel Haman in
the Office of Sponsored Programs at 302.857.6834 or chaman@desu.edu.
Thank you,
Dr. Knolan Rawlins
NY | All-Female Jewish Paramedic Service Has License to Operate
After Lengthy Fight, All-Female Jewish Paramedic Service Has License to Operate
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – After a battle of several years, a group of all-female Jewish paramedics can finally operate their own ambulance service.
AAA Seeks Perspectives on EMS Diversity & Inclusion
As the demographics of our nation change, it becomes ever more essential for emergency medical services to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace more representative of the communities that we serve. To support this mission, the American Ambulance Association seeks tips, ideas, and perspectives from our membership on best practices for attracting, recruiting, and retaining the EMS workforce of tomorrow.
For this project, we are using the word “diversity” to refer to characteristics including—but not limited to—race, sex, gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic class, disability, and/or age.
While we are truly appreciative of all responses, AAA especially welcomes the perspectives of those who are themselves members of groups historically less represented in the EMS workforce.
If you would like to contribute your thoughts to this project, please complete our short form below. You do not need to disclose your identity if you do not wish to do so.
Spotlight: Desiree Partain, Medstar Mobile Healthcare
Desiree Partain
Mobile Integrated Healthcare Manager
Medstar Mobile Healthcare
Fort Worth, Texas
Other Titles & Roles
MIH Manager at Large, IBSC, NAEMT member
Tell us a little about yourself.
Born and raised in sunny San Diego, California. I have a military ( marine grandfather and navy grandfather, brother, and nephew) and first responder (law enforcement mother) family background. Days were spent in the water, whether it was our backyard pool or the beach. My parents instilled a strong work ethic in me at a young age that began as the neighborhood babysitter, to various positions at assisted living facilities and finally in EMS. I learned to take pride in the things I had and my work, whether it was completing a household chore, a writing assignment at school, or the vehicles I owned.
Your history with EMS
My mother was a police officer in the town I was raised in so the police and fire department was often my home away from home. I can remember being so fascinated with the ambulance and in admiration of the paramedics when I would go to visit. I told my parents when I was little that when I grew up, I would become a paramedic. After graduating high school, I began the series of classes to obtain my EMT. When 9/11 occurred, I remember sitting in my advanced first responder class that day and knowing that I had made the best decision to be apart of the first responder industry. I got EMT certification in 2002 and my first EMS job that same year. I began the paramedic academy in 2005 where I was the academy leader and valedictorian. I received my paramedic certification and began working on the ambulance in 2006. I was also working for an air ambulance company and an adjunct instructor. In 2009, I moved to Fort Worth, Texas to gain further experience on the ambulance. I took a critical care course in 2010 and began working as a critical care/mobile health paramedic in 2011. I obtained my Bachelors in Health and Human Services in 2013 and began a quality assurance/training coordinator position specific for mobile integrated healthcare in 2014. In 2015 I began working as the MIH Manager where I obtain my CCP-C and CP-C certification and completed my Masters in Healthcare Administration in 2018.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love people and being able to help someone who may be having one of the worst days of their life. I view my position in EMS as more of an opportunity to be a life changer than a life saver. Being in management, my position is to lead other life changers. On the mobile integrated healthcare and critical care side, I love being a part of the innovation and out-of-the-box thinking. It’s great to be able to come to work and be in an environment that embraces change rather than the status quo of “we’ve always done it that way” type of thinking.
What is your biggest professional challenge?
Staying current. EMS and healthcare is in a constant state of change and with those changes comes new processes, protocols, and general information that need to be learned. Remaining current with the changes on top of daily responsibilities can be a challenging balancing act.
What is your typical day like?
Working in the administrative side of EMS, a typical day often involves multiple meetings either on or off site. I generally allow myself some time in the morning to go over my tasks for the day, read, and respond to emails. In between meetings, I will work on projects and to-do’s and filter questions or issues with team members. The end of the day is spent reviewing meeting notes, action items and my plan for the following day.
What are your predictions for EMS 10 years from now?
My vision for EMS 10 years from now is an industry that is even more integrated with the overall healthcare system. The use of systems to further enhance efficiency and communication in the emergency and non-emergency settings. Integrated care that starts at the time of the 9-1-1 call with the most appropriate resource deployment, on-scene management whether its offering care without transport or transport to a healthcare facility aside from an emergency room.
What advice would you give to someone new to EMS?
Take pride in what you do in this industry from your uniform appearance, to your ambulance, to the patients you serve, and to yourself. Take care of you first by practicing self care and finding a healthy balance between your personal and professional life. Create professional goals for yourself whether its through education, positions, or organizations and hold yourself accountable to accomplish those goals.
ACA Section 1557: Final Rule Published that Affect Healthcare Providers
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ACA Section 1557 | Final Rule Published that Affect Healthcare Providers
This content is for AAA members only.
Please either or Join!
