By Bari Cohn
Staff Writer
Instead of running from the sound of sirens, Mira Costa sophomore Miles Douglas is training to be the one controlling them through an Emergency Medical/First Responder course.
Douglas began the course on Sept. 9 at the Southern California Regional Occupational Center, or SCROC, in order to get cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, certified and obtain a behind-the-scenes experience in the lifeguarding and firefighting field. According to Douglas, Junior Lifeguards motivated him to pursue this potential career.
“Junior Lifeguards motivated me to want to learn more about skills that are crucial to becoming a lifeguard or firefighter and improve on what I already know,” Douglas said.
The Emergency Medical/First Responder course focuses on giving students a real-life simulation of being the first responder on a scene and the opportunity to learn and practice the basic techniques necessary for saving the lives of others.
“SCROC classes differ from Costa classes because they are more hands-on, and they are focused a lot more on one topic,” Douglas said. “I prefer SCROC because it’s a more college-like environment.”
There are approximately 15 to 20 students in Douglas’ class, which takes place each week on Monday and Wednesday for three hours. All participants receive grades at the end of the session for high school credit.
“I really like that the classes are small at SCROC because it allows you to get closer to your teachers, and they can focus on you,” Douglas said.
A typical day in the class consists of a lecture on a new medical procedure, followed by hands-on practice. So far, Miles has practiced a variety of medical procedures, including oxygen administration, which is the process of supplying additional oxygen to medical patients, and the application of an automated external defibrillator, which is used to restore a patient’s heartbeat to normal.
“Hands-on practice is critical in a class like this,” Douglas said. “It’s important to not only understand how to perform the procedure but also to feel comfortable doing it on a real, live person.”
One of the most significant aspects of the class, according to Douglas, is his teacher’s real-life stories about the profession. The stories often include gruesome descriptions of accidents he has worked on.
“The stories have made me realize that this is not a job that just anyone can do,” Douglas said. “People’s lives are in your hands, and some people can’t get the job done properly without that fact getting to their head.”
According to Douglas, he considers himself lucky for discovering a passion that he can follow so early in his life.
“For as long as I can remember, it has been a dream of mine to train in the medical field, and it is great to see my dream come true,” Douglas said.
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