Senior Liah Biran knows how demanding emergency medicine can be because she’s taken it on herself. She is training to become an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) while balancing long hours, intense coursework and the pressure of real-world situations with focus and determination.
Biran began pursuing her EMT certification and license in early January at A.D. Quality EMS Training. She was inspired by her father to join the medical field, as he was a combat medic in Israel, where her family previously lived. From hours on end of EMT certification and license classes to an internship with the Northborough Fire Department, Biran has continued to excel under this workload.
“I am from the Middle East, so I’ve seen how bad it can get,” Biran said. “Seeing the effect a good EMT has on a community or an individual was inspiring.”
Biran’s summer internship with the Northborough Fire Department EMTs was 8:30-12:30 daily. She would begin her day by checking the truck with the crew, making sure supplies were stocked and machines were working properly. If the crew was waiting for calls, she would learn extraneous skills from other EMTs and take online gen-ed classes for her own enjoyment, such as Physics 101.
“I would study with the new EMTs, and they would teach me certain things you have to know, like rapid trauma assessment, medical assessment, manual blood pressures and how to write a report,” Biran said.
The hardest parts of this ongoing journey are the long hours of driving to and from her EMT certification classes in Palmer, Mass., which is about an hour away, and the mental strain of being in the field. Biran expects to earn her certification and license in the upcoming weeks after passing a written and physical exam. Along with the final exam, Biran has also had to pass multiple in-class tests and homework quizzes throughout 180 hours of required class time, spending about 15 hours a week in class.
“She’s very invested and very focused on it, and that reminds me of me at that age,” Liah’s father, Oded Biran, said.
Liah Biran understands being an EMT is not easy; it is physically and emotionally draining. Seeing horrendous accidents daily and being in stressful situations while having to keep your cool and make the correct decisions to help the person in front of you takes its toll on an individual.
“[My teacher] doesn’t know someone who hasn’t had a mental breakdown on the job,” Biran said.
The most enriching parts so far have been hearing stories from the rest of the crew members while waiting on calls and actually being in action. Also, being able to help people in an impactful way has become an important aspect of her routine.
“Certain patients are really rewarding,” Biran said. “[For example, one patient] put her hand on mine and said, ‘Liah, you’re gonna be a great doctor.’”
Biran looks forward to a future in the medical field and hopes to stay in the Northeast for its amazing opportunities.
“I want to go into medicine, hopefully neurosurgery,” Biran said. “I know how expensive it can be, and schools want people with experience.”
According to her father, Biran has just the qualities a good EMT should have: according to her father, she is confident in her knowledge, responsible and has a way with people. Her father has no doubt she will be successful because of how she is able to see and treat people as humans.
“From my experience, some medical personnel tend not to see the person in front of them and just treat the condition,” Oded Biran said. ”While medical personnel who do see the person in front of them and actually address that person tend to get better results.”
