EMT teacher gave a speech about "vegetables" today.

High school student here -- my school has a program where students are able to take an EMT course embedded into the curriculum, so I chose that.

My class is currently going over the trauma unit, meaning my classmates and I have seen some pretty rough things. (We were told the worst we've seen is at most a 5 on the roughness scale of what EMS professionals would see, though.) After we finished practicing C-spine stabilization today, my EMT teacher sat down and said he had a speech to make.

He said that, if any of us were to become EMS professions, we should find a way to cope with the horrible things we'd see. He clarified all the dark jokes he'd make with the other EMT teacher we have was a way of coping with the trauma from his EMT job. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, apparently, the rooms of patients attached to life support were called "farms" due to how many "vegetables" (patients in a vegetative state) there were. Additionally, we learned that EMS professionals often have the highest suicide rates of any profession.

I'm... not sure if I want to become an EMT anymore. I don't think I've ever fully comprehended what exactly EMS professionals actually witness on the scene. The most gruesome things I can imagine, then multiplied by five, are likely what y'all see on scenes without much warning.

Thank you all so much for what you guys do. It's tough. You guys don't get enough credit or recognition. My gratitude may not mean much as an 18-year-old with hardly any experience in the field, but I'd like to express it nonetheless to show that you all are truly spectacular.

(And, in case my EMT teacher sees this: Hi. Thank you for everything you do. I'll be sure to tell you the next time I see you.)