Degree/training: I’m a certified EMT
Career Aspiration: I want to be a forensic pathologist Why did you choose your career path? I’ve always had an interest in the body’s functions when we pass away and I’ve always wanted to work with people who have a deep interest in medicine.
Where did you hear about a health career path and how did you enter this path? I grew up watching police and detective shows so I always thought it was cool how crimes were solved just by one person examining a body. I entered into EMS to figure out if I would be comfortable touching and seeing people bleeding or even dying. If I wasn’t fine with anything in EMS, I knew I wouldn’t be able to be a pathologist.
What advice would you give those who are guiding students into health careers? I would tell them to be patient and not expect people to have the same amount of progress at the same time. People work at different paces and some burn out quickly if pushed too hard.
Did you start to think about this career path in middle school? I did start thinking about pathology in middle school, but I was changing my dream career almost every year. I remember wanting to be a police officer all of elementary school, then a scientist (didn’t really know what kind), a firefighter, and a writer. My aspirations have changed so much but not really, I’ve always wanted to be someone I can look at in the mirror and be filled with pride. Pathology just pulled me in, I don’t know when exactly it happened but i can’t think of another career I want to do at this very moment.
Describe any volunteer experiences that contributed to your decision to pursue training in a health career? I volunteered with the local fire stations during my clinicals for getting my EMT. Every station I was at, I was met with such acceptance that I started to question whether being a paramedic would suit me more. The firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics all taught me so much and opened my eyes to the other paths in healthcare
and encouraged me to pursue what I wanted to do. EMS is like a giant family so I'm hoping for even just a little of that in pathology.
What high school courses do you feel helped you? My EMT teacher helped me. She taught me most of what I know in the medical field and was determined to help me pass my EMT after I failed my psychomotor testing the first time. With her I’ve come to realize that the healthcare field is about learning rather than getting angry when you fail a test or don’t understand something, you have to ask or learn to grow as a person and a provider.
What courses do you wish you took to prepare you for current health career training? I wish I took more classes centered around understanding the heart, I’ve always been bad at figuring it out.