***This episode contains mentions of medical negligence and insulin rationing, and contains longer discussions of broken bones, eating disorders, and medical racism.***
Callie: Hey y’all. Welcome to Fast Facts for Gen Z. I’m your host, Callie, and I don’t know anything about anything. Come with me on my exploration of the world, and I’ll tell you everything you ever, and never, wanted to know, through the eyes of Gen Z.
Today’s episode: Gen Z’s growing involvement in the workforce and what it’s like to be an Emergency Medical Technician, or EMT.
Today I’m joined by a good friend of mine, Anna Grace. Hi Anna.
Anna Grace: Hi!
C: Can you tell me a little bit about who you are and why you’re here today?
AG: My name is Anna Grace Burns and I am eighteen years young and at the age of sixteen, I decided that I was done with being terrified of medical emergencies and so I took class and I became a state certified EMT.
C: Can you tell me briefly about, like, what that is and how you got the certification?
AG: So an EMT is… it’s the person in the back of the ambulance. It’s, you know, whenever Grandma falls at three o’clock in the morning and someone needs to come pick her up, or if there’s a really bad car wreck and you see the ambulance bussin’ down the highway, then you will see these fancy people in these ugly pants pop out of the ambulance and do what they gotta do.
C: Nice! So you- you worked a little bit as an EMT pre-COVID, right.
AG: Yes, so I wasn’t officially working but I did do my clinicals and did all the necessary training in order to become a state certified EMT, because while I was in the midst of my class I turned seventeen right about in the middle of it, and in North Carolina, at least, to be a practicing EMT, you have to be eighteen, for, you know, insurance purposes and liability issues.
C: Right, right.
AG: But it was one of the most formative experiences that I’ve ever had in my life.
C: What did a day in the life look like for- for an EMT, pre-COVID at least.
AG: So pre-COVID, shifts are typically 6 AM to 6 PM or 6 PM to 6 AM. That was what my clinical rotations were like, but in the county that we live in, they’re on 24/72s, so you’re on shift for twenty four hours and then off shift for seventy two hours. Which I think is pretty cool. At least for me whenever I did my clinicals, I showed up to the station at about 6 AM, and introduced myself to everybody, got my pager, got any tools that I didn’t already have, and just kind of waited. What a lot of people don’t know is that, at least in the stations that I was at, it’s not 24/7 calls. There’s a lot of downtime. Yeah, I mean, maybe in like, New York City, but in our small little podunk town, there’s not always things going on and so there’s a lot of downtime, a lot of movie watching. Just wait for something to happen. And you know it would either be four hours for four minutes before something would happen. And then once you get a call your pager will go “beep-beep-beep-beep-beep” and that’s super annoying, but then you throw all your things into your little backpack and you hop on the back of the ambulance and you drive there. You know, whether or not it’s, like, super bad and you need to go lights and sirens, or if it’s just like somebody tripped and fell and, like, twisted their ankle, you know.
C: Not a life threatening situation.
AG: Yeah not a life threatening situation. Then we would just, you know, make our way there.
C: If you had to guess like now, obviously it’s probably a little bit different what their day to day looks like, what do you- what do you think it would be?
AG: Definitely extended PPE – Personal Protective Equipment for those of you who haven’t heard that term floating around in the past year – extensive PPE and definitely a lot more caution, because you know even pre-COVID there was always measures that we would take. You know, you put on your gloves, and there’s certain calls that you would have to wear a handy-dandy mask for. Now, obviously the masks are always on, and if it is a possible COVID case, you know, you get your gown, your face shield, your double mask, gloves, and all that thing to make sure that you don’t take that back with you.
I can’t imagine that in-station life has changed too much. Because they’re, you know, exposed to each other for long periods of time.
C: Sure that becomes almost your- your bubble.
AG: Yeah exactly, it is your bubble. Because, you know, that’s, I mean that’s basically who you live with. You know some people do 48/72s.
C: Wow.
AG: Which is.
C: A lot.
AG: Luckily there is a lot of beds, a lot of bunk beds and covers and blankets and no one is going to judge you if you fall asleep in the middle of the dining room on the table. I know that from experience.
C: Nice.
AG: I remember I was working in a town about thirty minutes away from us. I had to wake up at like four o’clock in the morning for my 6 AM shift and by like 10 AM, I was fighting to keep my eyes open.
C: I’m sure.
AG: And I had drifted off and then I woke up to the sound of footsteps and they were just walking past me. They didn’t think twice. They were just like, “All right. Well. She’s asleep.”
C: Working as a- as an EMT, like obviously that’s a- that’s a frontline healthcare position. You’re right on the front lines of the healthcare system and you’ve seen both sides of it, so I was wondering what your thoughts are on universal healthcare.
AG: Whenever Callie and I were preparing there was- she asked me if there’s anything that I specifically wanted to talk about, and universal healthcare was one of them. There’s one particular case that comes to mind whenever I think about why we need universal health care.
So we got a call for somebody on a field who had twisted their ankle, and you know that’s a pretty common thing, to twist your ankle playing soccer, or football, or whatever. And so we just were driving regularly, and then we got an update over the radio that the police on scene said that the foot was twisted all the way around.
C: Yikes, that’s not a twisted ankle. That sounds broken.
AG: Yeah no, I mean, it’s twisted, but twisted in directions it’s not meant to go to. So we immediately turned to lights and sirens and we quickly, quickly drove our way there. And upon getting on scene, I see this guy lying on the field, absolutely stone-faced, like not reacting to it whatsoever. And I look at his ankle, and first of all it’s not twisted all the way around, thank you police officers.
C: Thanks cops.
AG: As we began to cut his sock off I saw – y’all know that little bone right above your foot that, like, sticks out.
C: Mhm.
AG: It was sticking out about three inches too far.
C: Uhhhh.
AG: It hadn’t broken skin, but it most certainly was not in the position that it was supposed to be and.
C: That’s not how bones should be shaped.
AG: Nope, bones don’t do that naturally. I was like “oh crap that’s probably very painful” but he was just lying there, just no reaction whatsoever.
C: Wow.
AG: One of the first things my paramedic says to him is, “Hey dude, look, let’s get you some pain meds, because standing you up is gonna hurt, sitting you down is going to hurt, doing anything is going to hurt.” And he adamantly refused. My medic was like, “What? Why is this guy not wanting medication?” But, I mean, what immediately went to my mind, because, you know, I’m imagining the worst case scenario, of course, you know, I was thinking, you know, maybe he’s a recovering addict.
C: That was my first thought as well, when you first started talking about it.
AG: Maybe he’s a recovering addict and doesn’t want to, you know, step back in. Then my medic said something that didn’t even occur to him. He said, “Hey, you know this won’t make the ambulance trip cost any more, right?” And the guy looks at him, he looks pretty confused, and he was like, “Really?” And my medic was like, “Yeah no, like, this is all part of it, like the ambulance is a flat trip.” The guy was like, “Oh, well…” and I could see that he was contemplating on it. But then he was like, “No no, like, it’s okay.”
My five foot two self was the one who had to stand this man up, this is a grown man, and I had to stand him up on one leg, so a lot of upper body strength was put to test there. We get him in the back of the ambulance and we start talking to him, you know, talking about what happened, you know, how he’s feeling and then just asking… you know, making general conversation after all the important stuff has been talked about. And then the thing slipped. “I don’t have insurance.” In the entire time I had seen them, that was the most emotion that I’d seen him show. Was when he revealed to us that he didn’t have insurance. And then he was saying, “I didn’t even call, I was just going to put ice on it and hope it got better.” Because he was so scared that getting this pretty serious injury taken care of was going to put him into debt.
I’ve been pretty lucky in my life with my health issues, but you know my mom hasn’t, and I can see the toll that medical bills can take on families and people. And I really sympathized with him in that moment, or empathized, rather, because I really could put myself in his shoes. You know, we just, we got to the hospital, we were pretty close, we got to the hospital and as we were wheeling him in, he pulled his hat down below his eyes and he started to cry. And, you know, that was the last I saw of him. I don’t know what his official diagnosis was or, you know, how anything ended up working out for him. But he stuck with me, not just because of his pretty awesome injury, but because he was so scared that he was gonna have to go into debt because he was doing something he enjoyed doing and happened to get hurt.
You know from a very young age I’ve had an in-depth understanding that our medical system is flawed and it’s not accessible to everybody.
C: Yeah, yeah, being able to survive in the American healthcare system requires a lot of privilege.
AG: It absolutely does and there’s a lot that needs to be fixed and I hope to be part of the generation that steps forward and fix that.
C: Yeah I- I one hundred percent agree with you. I hope that Gen Z is the generation that really commits to stopping cycles of abuse, both societally and individually.
Your story paints a very clear picture of the problems in the healthcare system, and yet the topic of universal healthcare is kind of touchy in politics and in- in daily life. What- what about this subject makes the debate complicated? Like why isn’t there an easy answer?
AG: There isn’t an easy answer because EMTs and paramedics are also chronically underpaid. They do not get nearly enough money for the work that they do. We are quite literally the hand between life and death. You know, obviously part of the fees that come with riding in the ambulance, with going to the hospital, goes towards EMTs and paramedics. So if we were to lower the cost, then what are we going to do about paying EMTs and paramedics and paying them a wage that they can survive off of? It’s a sticky situation, you know, who deserves the money.
C: Yeah. Where’s the money going, if not to EMTs?
AG: That’s a great question. I couldn’t tell you. We have beautiful hospitals in our state and very well-equipped hospitals for emergency situations and there’s constantly being renovations done.
C: Some of which are legitimate and important.
AG: Yes, absolutely. And another thing that makes it messy is, if we have free healthcare, you know, at least cheaper healthcare, then, you know, people who are abusing the healthcare system and just want to go to the hospital because they’re, you know, lonely or bored, because that’s- that’s an issue in some other countries. I have done a lot of research and looked into the healthcare system in countries such as Australia, and there’s people who will call twenty times a day just because they want somebody to talk to. It diminishes the work that can actually be done, and, you know, there should be more mental health resources and some people, as sad as it sounds really are just after the happy go-go juice that we can give them if they say they’re hurting.
C: Yeah, yeah and I mean like that- those are reasons why the solution to healthcare being too expensive isn’t just cheaper healthcare. It has to be also better healthcare.
AG: Yeah. You know, certain police officers have heavy duty assault rifles and when we don’t have a machine that does CPR automatically to reduce the risk of the person who’s doing CPR getting exhausted, or the problem of doing CPR while in a moving vehicle. Which, for those of you that don’t know, is a bad idea don’t do CPR in a moving vehicle. It’s called a Lucas device and it-
C: So this device does exist, it’s not something that you need funding to develop, it’s a real thing.
AG: Yes, it’s something that you could have, but it’s very expensive and I think one Lucas device goes for about twenty thousand dollars.
C: Wow.
AG: It’s basically a giant suction cup that you attach to people and it does CPR for you, but we don’t have enough funding to get one for- to every emergency service department.
C: Right, yeah. The- the price of that medical device brings me to another issue, which is that, like, obviously the blame for high prices doesn’t fall solely on hospitals because hospitals have to be able to purchase incredibly expensive medical equipment and pharmaceuticals. Much of the time medications are hugely overpriced by pharmaceutical companies and medical devices as well. Obviously medical devices are expensive, but they don’t have to be twenty thousand dollars.
AG: One of my least favorite subjects to talk about but something that I know quite a bit about is, like, insulin prices. Insulin prices have increased by – again, I don’t know this for sure, I think I just read this somewhere – but insulin prices have gone up by two hundred thousand percent since… I believe it was the nineteen fifties. And that is just… it’s mind boggling and offensive-
C: It’s unbelievable.
AG: And it’s just- it’s extraordinary. Big Pharma is-
C: (sarcastically) Big Pharma.
AG: Ha. Stealing. It’s stealing from the wallets of the poor and the people who are chronically ill with something that is, you know, inevitable or unpreventable such as diabetes. You know, Type One diabetes is- there’s nothing you can do to stop it and it’s just the luck of the draw.
C: Yeah, I mean, the question pharmaceutical companies are asking is “how much will a person pay for their life?” And the answer is almost anything.
AG: Yes.
C: So they charge almost anything.
AG: It’s just absolutely insane. Insulin is insulin. It’s not like it’s had some big glow up-
C: (laughing) Yeah, they figured it out.
AG: -in the last 50 years. It’s simply insulin. I know people who are diabetic and people who can’t afford their insulin and so they’re rationing, and that goes into a whole other conversation about the prevalence of eating disorders and how easily they can get started especially with a flawed health care system.
“Oh, I’ll just eat everything I want to eat at the end of the day and then use my insulin then. And then I will starve myself for the next twenty four hours until I will binge and eat all this food again so I can use my insulin just once.” Rather than, you know, having small meals throughout the day and having to use insulin periodically. So yeah it’s- it’s a sticky situation that.
C: Also doesn’t have a single faceted answer.
AG: No. It does not and it’s… shameful. That’s- that’s the word that comes to my mind initially. It’s shameful. You know, it’s just- it’s incredibly flawed and I just- I wish that there was an easy answer to fix it all.
C: It’s a problem that has an answer but it’s a complicated answer. Let’s be honest, the government’s not very good at giving complicated answers.
AG: No, especially when it seems simple to those who, you know, from a glancing view it seems simple: health care should be cheaper.
C: We’ll- we’ll move on from this- this topic soon because it’s kind of sad, but are there any issues in the healthcare system that people tend to overlook in favour of thinking about how it’s too expensive? Like are there other underlying problems that you see?
AG: Women in healthcare is extraordinarily important because women’s symptoms can be chronically overlooked. When I was- I would say about sixteen, I was in the height of a vicious eating disorder, and I was very very sick. I was losing hair, my resting heart rate was about a hundred and ten. Normally for a person my size it would be about eighty, seventy, but mine was a hundred and ten because my heart was working overtime. And I finally decided to take the leap and tell my doctor that I was struggling. She said to me, and I’ll never forget this she said, “It seems like you’ve got a pretty good handle on it, so I think you’ll be okay.” And so I was not. I was not okay. I was killing myself. I tried to ask for help, and she, if anything, fed into my sick mindset that I was fine and that I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I went on for about two more years without getting any help. I held on to that for a long time because if my doctor didn’t believe there was anything wrong with me, then why should I believe there is anything wrong with me.
C: Sure, yeah, we’re taught to place so much value in the opinions of these people and we’re taught that these are the people we should be reaching out to. And if you reach out for help and there’s no help there, how do you ever recover?
AG: It’s been statistically proven that, especially women of color, their symptoms are overlooked or undermined for god knows what reason.
C: Well.
AG: But- well, I mean, besides the racism there’s no real reason why their symptoms should be overlooked.
C: Right, yeah, no actual, legitimate reason.
AG: Yeah, exactly. That’s an issue, you know, it’s where we struggle. Something needs to be done about it, and whether it’s better training or just a wake up call for all doctors. You know there- there’s a published piece of work that medical students are meant to study that says that African-American people don’t feel pain the same way that white people do.
C: Still? Students still study this?
AG: I’m not sure if they still study it but I know as of quite recently, that was still in published pieces of work that are meant to be studied. Obviously that is so ridiculous and not true.
C: Yeah, completely false.
AG: Yeah.
C: False information.
AG: Systematic grasps of racism still affect us day to day.
C: Of course.
AG: And it’s terrifying because you know it’s 2021, you’d think that we would be better off, you’d think that we would be in a better place in terms of race and religion and sex, but we’re not.
C: You’d think and hope and you’re right, we’re not. So, moving on from that realm, you’ve worked in several other jobs before, in addition to being an EMT. What were they and, like, how did they differ from the experience of- of doing your clinicals as an EMT.
AG: So I worked the very glamorous job of McDonalds.
C: Nice.
AG: For about two years. You know, the high paced, tense environment was not unfamiliar to me as I began my clinicals, but it’s a very different situation, you know-
C: Obviously, yeah, but very similar feelings, like, just within yourself.
AG: Yeah, absolutely. The adrenaline rush and the ability to think clearly and tense situations is something that I, you know, as much as I hated that job, I can thank it for showing me how to be calm in tense situations. It was a weird job and definitely teaching me about working with the public and what that’s like.
C: Yeah, engaging with the public as an EMT, especially in super stressful situations for everybody involved – I can imagine that McDonald’s would be surprisingly helpful.
AG: Yelling at me because I allegedly did something wrong common in any place- workplace so you’re going to go into, and learning how to accept that and learning how to roll with that is crucial.
C: Yeah, definitely. What else have you done other than McDonalds?
AG: Another job that I have that I’m still currently working at is Aerie, and that is an amazing job. First of all because the clothes are so cute, second of all because, you know, it’s just a great environment. It’s definitely my favorite job that I’ve had that’s like a traditional job. Switching over to being a full time nanny, which I am very excited for. But I’ve done a lot of babysitting in my time. That’s definitely the favorite thing that I’ve done to earn money because I love kids.
C: Yeah, felt that, felt that. I bet being trained as an EMT makes some parts of babysitting a little bit less stressful.
AG: Yeah, absolutely. It’s also super appealing to parents when they find out that state certified EMT. I am who I am because I’m a hard worker and that was instilled in me at a very young age and I put it to practice, you know, as soon as I turned fifteen.
C: Yeah, you- you put your mind to something you can do it because you will work at it.
AG: Yeah, absolutely. If you’re looking for a sign to get a job and work, even though it’s very confusing and hard times, I encourage you to do it. Having your own money is extremely liberating.
C: Totally.
AG: And also, just feeling that sense of accomplishment after, you know, a long hard day at work because you made it through and you didn’t cuss anybody out and you didn’t get fired. You know, I consider all of those things wins.
C: Yeah.
AG: I am extremely privileged to have been able to get a job and have a car, you know, even though sometimes I swear I hate my car. But I’m very lucky.
C: Very lucky to have it.
AG: To get a car even though it was my uncle’s old car.
C: Sure, sure.
AG: And I got it for a steep price of a cheeseburger and a coke. You know, I have been extremely lucky to be able to work because I understand that, you know, not everybody has a parent who will drive them if they don’t have their license, not everybody has the opportunity to get a car, and reliable transportation is one of the first questions they ask you whenever you get a job. And people shouldn’t have to be those, you know, inspiring stories where they walked ten miles to work every day that shouldn’t-
C: Yeah, that’s not a story of inspiration, that’s a story of heartbreak.
AG: Yeah that’s- that’s horrifying and it’s not, you know, “Awwww,” its “Wow.” Because that just shows the lengths that people will go to to get minimum wage.
C: Yeah, I mean, like I said earlier, what will people do to survive? And it’s almost anything.
AG: Yeah it’s… it’s scary.
C: We’re gonna wrap up in a second but, Anna, what’s- what’s next for you? You talked about college, talked about being a special education major?
AG: I am planning to attend Appalachian State University in the fall of 2021, and I am looking to get a job in Emergency Dispatch when I’m up there to put my certification to use. But then I am planning to become a special education teacher and get the F out of North Carolina.
C: (laughing) I admire your conviction and your well-laid-out long-term plan.
AG: I have had a life plan since I was about five years old.
C: Oh, I know that about you. All right, well, thank you Anna, thank you so much for talking to me.
AG: All right have a wonderful rest of the day.
C: Thank you! Bye.
AG: Bye.
C: Thank you for listening to Fast Facts for Gen Z. Big thanks to Anna Grace for coming on today. You can follow this podcast to be notified when new episodes come out and you can find transcripts of every episode on my website at http://www.fastfactsforgenz.wordpress.com. This is Callie, signing off.
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