A group of St. Vincent Charity podiatry residents recently participated in a ride-along for five total Cleveland Emergency Medical Service (EMS) shifts. This meant participating in the first response to medical emergencies in all areas of Cleveland. The exposure allowed the residents to appreciate the hard work put in for all members of the entire medical community. As their shifts unfolded, the residents experienced emergencies in residential neighborhoods, with the homeless, in apartments and even transitional housing. Some calls needed the accompaniment of Cleveland Fire Fighters and/or Cleveland Police.

“There were both serious and less serious emergencies, but nonetheless I am in awe of the sheer bravery of the first responders,” said Erin Younce, PGY3 podiatry resident. “It’s certainly a job that’s reserved for extraordinary people. I’m accustomed to a position where the patients come to me, not vice versa. I now have an entirely new perspective.”

“For me personally it was interesting to see where some of the patients were coming from,” said Joshua Fisher, PGY1 podiatry resident. “It allows you to realize what some patients are going back to once they leave the walls of St. Vincent Charity. We really are fortunate to have the opportunity to make our patient’s lives a little better in some way or fashion and, for me, that’s what drives me through my day.”

The rides were a wonderful experience for the residents and a chance to gain a whole new sense of humanity and worldview about what goes on outside the hospital, in the city of Cleveland and beyond.