Lights and Sirens: How being an EMT Ignited My Drive for Medicine

By Jahnave Dadi, 3rd Year Student, Behavioral Neuroscience 

The blare of the pager at 2 a.m. has a way of jolting you into reality. In seconds, I’d be in uniform, climbing into the ambulance with my crew, sirens cutting through the quiet streets of Franklin, New Jersey. Since April 2021, I’ve spent hundreds of hours dispatched as a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician with the East Millstone First Aid Squad — each one an unpredictable chapter in a crash course on medicine, humanity, and leadership. 

Some nights were routine: helping an elderly patient with a fall, transporting someone for follow-up care. But others demanded every ounce of focus and composure I had. I’ll never forget the woman we rushed to after she suffered head trauma — just days after returning home from a liver transplant. Or the call that sent us scrambling through the woods to find an intoxicated man injured and alone in the dark. I’ve been dispatched to jail cells to treat people in custody, some with severe trauma, others with minor but very real pain. Each call reminded me that emergencies don’t discriminate — medicine touches everyone, everywhere, and often at their lowest moment. 

Becoming a crew chief amplified the responsibility. Suddenly, it was me making the calls: directing my team, assigning interventions, and ensuring patients received care quickly and effectively. In the back of the ambulance, there’s no room for hesitation. I had to stay calm, make decisions with limited information, and communicate clearly under pressure. That kind of leadership isn’t just about knowing protocols — it’s about building trust with your team and confidence in yourself, even when the situation feels chaotic. 

The monthly trainings kept my skills sharp, but the real growth came on the street. I learned resilience after long, draining shifts when I still had to show up ready for the next call. I built social skills by talking to patients in distress, learning how to balance urgency with compassion. And I discovered a side of myself I didn’t know existed — someone who thrives in high-pressure situations, who can bring order to crisis, and who finds meaning in being there for others when they need it most. 

Every time I step into that ambulance, I’m reminded why I want to become a physician. It’s not the adrenaline or the sirens — it’s the privilege of being trusted by people in their most vulnerable moments and the opportunity to make a difference, however small, in the span of a single call. My time as an EMT hasn’t just prepared me for a career in medicine; it’s ignited the passion that will carry me through medical school and beyond.