Taryn Hoffman, a third-year physiological sciences student, has served for over a year as part of the Emergency Medical Services of UCLA.
Hoffman said the job allows her to come to the aid of ailing students and community members, which is one the most important duties she undertakes as an emergency medical technician.
UCLA’s EMT staff, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, work long hours serving the Bruin community, Hoffman said.
She added that her interest in medicine sparked her involvement in the Emergency Medical Services program. Her commitment has led to a balancing act of class, Greek life and all the duties of an EMT.
She said she spends long hours working as an EMT. A typical shift lasts eight, 15 or 24 hours, which the medical technicians split up and share to accommodate their personal schedules, she said.
“It can be difficult to balance work, but having a (regular) schedule makes the situation manageable,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman said she and the other Emergency Medical Technicians respond to some of the 1,200 medical aid requests received each year, including emergency medical calls made to the hospital from residents in the Westwood area and on campus.
Often, the students answer these calls without assistance, but in severe cases they work in conjunction with the Los Angeles Fire Department.
In between emergencies, the medical technicians also operate the lost and found and write campus police reports.
Typically, Hoffman said she spends about 30 hours every week fulfilling these duties in addition to her course load of three classes.
She said her experience serving the emergency medical needs of UCLA and the Westwood area have influenced her plans to apply to medical school, which has added MCAT preparations to an already hectic schedule.
Despite this, she said she still looks forward to applying this experience and training in the field of emergency medicine as a trauma surgeon.
John Thompson, a fifth-year biology student, has also grown from his experience working for the UCLA EMS.
Thompson said he has worked for a year and a half with the organization, preparing him to a future of medical school and eventually emergency medicine.
In addition to the 20 hours John spends as an EMT each week, he said he also commits one to 10 hours as the maintenance coordinator, fixing the equipment and vehicles of the EMS.
He said he must ensure that the three ambulances of the fleet are stocked and operational to fulfill the standard on-call requirements, as well as for special engagements like basketball games or other campus events.
Thompson said he has been especially busy recently with the arrival of a brand-new ambulance.
The new ambulance, which was designed by previous student technicians, is larger and styled like a box.
These ambulances are much larger than the current van-style ambulances and accommodate more equipment and personnel to treat patients. It also features the new “Rumbler” siren.
He said the siren emits a lower-frequency tone that better alerts drivers and pedestrians to the approaching ambulance. It also features an updated paint scheme with a white base and light-blue trim.
Tom Reynolds, the manager of EMS, said that the siren is currently the only one of its kind on the West Coast.
Along with new colors and design, Reynolds said the ambulance will still provide the top-notch emergency care expected from the UCLA EMS.
He added that after final preparations are made on the new vehicle, the oldest ambulance will be decommissioned and donated to a service that supplies colleges with such equipment.
The new ambulance, the most important tool of an EMT, is an excellent way to show the commitment of the EMS to providing the best possible care to all students and community members, Reynolds said.
This same commitment has been exhibited since 1979 when the organization was first founded, Reynolds said.
He said the commitment has been carried on by its student emergency medical technicians, such as Hoffman or Thompson.