Lauren Rutkowski: The female EMT
Year: 2014
Major: Emergency Medicine
My friend Lauren is the coolest girl around. Aside from being in a sorority (Tri Delta), having a killer fashion sense, she is also part of Pitt’s emergency medicine program, the best in the country. And as of the start of this semester, Lauren became a female EMT in a relatively male dominated profession.
HC: Tell me about the Pitt Emergency Medicine program. A lot of people are unaware that Pitt has this program.
Lauren: Yeah I know! It’s generally regarded as the best in the country. Most paramedic certifications take anywhere from a year to a year and a half, and here it takes nine months, which shows you the rigor of it. Even if you use it as a stepping-stone in your education, you get tremendous clinical experiences, more so than medical students.
HC: How was your first day as an EMT?
Lauren: I never worked on an ambulance before so I was terrified. I started shaking when I went to my first call. But I managed to keep it under control and it turned out to be a lot of fun and not as bad as I thought it would be.
HC: How is it being a woman in what is usually a male dominated profession?
Lauren: There are a surprising amount of girls in the Pitt program- but you’re right, not a lot in the professional career. I do get treated a little differently. They are generally harder on me.
Female patients also have a tendency to be meaner. Men tend to hit on you. But you have to prove that you can do it. You have to prove that you are just as good as the male care providers.
HC: What’s the worst thing you’ve seen?
Lauren: A cardiac arrest last week- that was crazy. I started compressions and eventually broke his sternum. But I was very composed and really this whole thing proved to me that I can work in an emergency setting and can do what I need to do
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HC: Would you recommend it?
Lauren: Definitely, it’s way better than sitting in a classroom all day. You also grow more responsible and grow as a person. It’s incredibly rewarding. Especially being a girl and kicking some ass!