I interviewed Medical Student Zoe. We talked about her experiences and opinions on EMS while being in med school. I hope you enjoy it! This episode with Zoe dives into her first exposure to medicine as a member of her local EMS post and how emergency medicine showed her the fragility and rawness of life. She also talks about how she had to utilize her critical and quick thinking skills when in a hospital cardiac/stroke call.

Meet Medical Student Zoe – Part 1/2 – Emergency Medicine Memoirs

Meet Medical Student Zoe – Part 2/2 – Emergency Medicine Memoirs

She first explains how her involvement in the EMS post pushed her to grow and learn about patient care and patient interactions. Her love for EM once she joined the post was strong, granting her the Commander position. She emphasizes how important being exposed to first-line work is as it makes the world seem different. It allows civilians and individuals to look at the world differently and exposes them to all aspects of their community that they might not see every day. She also adds that first-line work exposes individuals to the fragility and nakedness of the beautiful thing we call life.

She reiterates that she’s never felt as touched by reality and humanity as when she’s practicing medicine. It’s in these raw moments that the heartbeats, the tears, and the laughter of these patients have touched her. Zoe also mentions that making sure patients know you’re there for them as a human being is one of the most important things, as medicine is an art of humanity.

Interestingly enough, Zoe experienced one of the most critical decisions she ever had to make pertaining to medicine in a calm hospital rather than in a raucous and chaotic ambulance. She was doing her rounds, and on her last hour of rounds, she went to say goodbye to her patient. Her patient immediately told her that something was not right. Instead of dismissing what the patient was saying, Zoe knew she had to listen to the patient as it was a skill she learned from EMS: patients always know if something is wrong, and facial cues can detect everything. Zoe instantly called the critical call team, and sure enough, the patient went into arrest. Her quick thinking skills and knowing to trust the patient, and herself, saved her patient’s life. Zoe reiterates that making sure patients know you’re there for them as a human being is one of the most important things, as medicine is an art of humanity.

She then goes on to talk about the importance of ethics in medicine. She talks about how, as a physician, it’s important to realize that you are the leader. The end decisions with someone’s life will come to you, and it is up to you to diagnose and treat the patient to the best of your ability. Although it is possible to consult a legal team, at the end of the day, after consulting the risk-benefit analysis, doing what is believed to help the patient succeed the most is the most important.

In the end, medicine is humanity, and humanity is medicine. It must not only be viewed as a profession but also as a calling, deeply mixed with the raw ideas of human beings. Additionally, ethics plays an immense role in medicine, and Zoe explicates that medicine is the art of removing the mask and seeing what’s truly below without letting other things get in the way.