If Only At Allen

A friend who started out in the world of medicine as an EMT and who is now in med school had this to say about the work that we do as emergency medical providers: we are participants in life's longing for itself.

Recently he told me about a call he once was on, for a severe anaphylactic reaction. The patient was on a beta-blocker for an unrelated heart condition. When he treated her with epinephrine for the anaphylaxis, he simultaneously administered glucagon, knowing that the cyclic adenosine monophosphate level in the cell would be lower because of the beta-blocker, knowing that the epi would have a hard time getting its message through because of this, and knowing that glucagon works by raising cellular cAMP levels. This was outside of his protocols so he had to call med control and explain to the doctor why he was considering administering the glucagon. I could only stare open-mouthed and think, this is exactly the kind of medic I hope to be someday!

And they say you will never need to remember the cellular biology portions of A & P!