Student by Day, EMT by Night

emt-student-resizedBy Fiona McKenzie
Contributing Writer

By day you see him walking through campus with his backpack, by night you see him zooming past you in an ambulance.

ESU Criminal Justice Major Tyler Fox has long days of classes followed by even longer nights, working his full time job as an Emergency Medical Technician.

Fox is in his junior year at ESU and has been working as a full time EMT for a little more than a year.

Fox works a rotation shift at West End Ambulance from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

“The good thing about my job is I will work five days in a row and then I get four days in a row off,” said Fox. “The way our work schedule is set up is we have 12 hour shifts at a time and then we get a long time off and I work on a rotation so during my off week is when I do all my fun stuff.”

Working as a full time student while being active in first responder emergency services is not an easy job.

According to Fox he receives two-to-three emergency medical calls every shift.

Every time he climbs into an ambulance, he experiences tending to traumas as well as minor things like colds and other subtle illnesses.

As he helps save lives, Fox also has to keep a balance of social life, work, school and time for himself. However, he is able to manage.

In reply to being asked why he didn’t choose a simpler job such as working at a coffee shop or a store while attending school, Fox replied, “I like making a difference in the community. I feel more fulfilled at this job than I would in something like retail or at a café, I feel like I’m really doing something important.”

Fox says working as a full time EMT and being a full time student at ESU is hard, but in the end when he finishes school the experience will have been rewarding.

Fox is not the only student on campus working to help benefit our community. However, he is the only ESU student working at West End Ambulance.

There are also several other students working as first responders whether it is in the fire department, police squad or as a medical technician.

It is quite a task being able to attend school whilst benefiting the community and saving lives. Luckily we have students able to handle both.

Email Fiona at:
fmckenzie@live.esu.edu