The Night Shift

Since I last posted I’ve seen a schizophrenic, car accidents, an abortion mishap, a stroke, the children’s ward, a psych hospital, and so much more. So many things have happened, but to say I’ve seen it all is a major misstatement considering all the stories I’ve heard from the ambulance drivers I have had the priviledge of working beside. I’ve met so many great people and have put in so many long hours of volunteering in the ambulance and like I've been saying time and time again, I'm enjoying every last second. I want to mention one of the drivers in particular who was especially kind. I rode with him for my third night shift and since it was just me and him in the ambulance, I got a lot of really good life advice. Like any ambitious college student, I am having some unsettling doubts and confusions about what I want my life to look like in the future, and it was nice to open up about it and get advice from somebody who has lived a meaningful lifetime.

Speaking of night shifts, a pretty significant thing that has happened thus far is the fact that I've started volunteering on night shifts. On my third day as an active volunteer, one of the drivers I was riding with during the morning (not the same one I mentioned above) invited me to join him on his night shift that night. Of course I joined without hesitation, and I got to see a whole new side to MDA. At night it is a special kind quiet. You get to blast your music with the windows rolled down, drive as fast as you want, and attend to some very interesting amulance calls. Usually the type of people to call for an ambulance at 3 am are either in a serious emergency, or are just very lonely and feel the need for someone to care for them (I'm not joking, it happens way too often). Either way, I really enjoy working at night and then getting to see the sunrise while cruising through the streets of Tel-Aviv.

My next night shift after that first one was the night I got back from a family trip to Eilat, a city in down south. We got back at around 9 pm and at 10:30 pm, I set out for another night of lonely old people and grumpy nurses. This particular shift was very important to me because as soon as I got to the station, I was invited into the MICU, or the Medical Intensive Care Unit. The way MDA works is that typically volunteers who go through the MDA overseas program only work on BLS (basic life support) ambulances because that is the extent of training that we get. The MICU is much more involved because the medics have the authority to carry and administer medication as well as use a lot of equipment that the BLS does not have. On the MICU I learned how to operate and read an EKG, the uses of all the different medications on the ambulance, and how to put in an IV. I am very excited for my next MICU shift so I can apply everything that I learned (except the IV part because I'm technically not legally allowed to do that lol). The driver and paramedic I was with on the advanced ambulance were very open to teaching me, which I am beyond grateful for.

Today, I just finished what was almost a 24 hour shift. I left for a night shift at 10:15 pm last night and finished at 8:00 am. I went home, showered, ate, and left to go back to the station at 10:15 am for an 11:00 am -7:00 pm which ended at about 8:30 pm. The people here at the station don’t understand why I am putting in so many hours and working so hard for literally no money, but they don’t really get that this is an amazing experience for me and the fact that I have less than a month left to experience it makes me feel sick to my stomach. I would give anything to be able to stay a little longer in Israel, as I really don’t know how soon I will be able to come back. The thought of leaving makes me feel so sad, especially since I’m going to be going back to dreary old Rochester for another entire school year. The best outcome I can hope for is that this experience opens me up to new things back home, like further travels and involvement in different clubs on campus. I just have to remember what this whole thing means to me and continue to work towards one day being able to do something just as fulfilling and motivating with my career.