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Disaster Medical Specialist

Carla – future disaster medical specialist

The career I am interested in is a disaster medical specialist. Disaster medical specialists assist injured individuals that have been caught in a natural disaster. These specialists help people across the world, even outside of disasters. I have chosen this career because I have a passion for helping as many people as I can and a desire to spend my life saving others.

To be a disaster medical specialist, one must attain a college degree and attend medical school. Attaining an Associate's Degree in Medicine qualifies a person to be a disaster medical specialist, but most people want a better degree in Medicine so they work for a Bachelor's Degree for specialization in emergency care. Medical school requires an additional four years of education and is required. Students must complete the required field and classroom training consisting of practice trauma cases and emergency medicine training amongst other exercises.

I see many opportunities when it comes to helping people. Caring for people is what I like to do and it fits my personality. However, this career puts its trainees under a lot of stress because nothing is certain. A trainee never knows when they will be sent off to a new place or what to expect and has the constant pressure of saving their victim 's life. Being prepared and confident in what you are doing is a large part of being a disaster medical specialist.

I learned about this career from my older sister. She watches Grey's Anatomy and told me about an episode where the doctors had to aid victims in a ferry crash. I immediately became interested in the career. I wondered if I had what it takes to become a disaster medical specialist. I researched the career before deciding I wanted to pursue it.

Carla's essay appears here as written, to preserve the young author’s unique voice and individual writing style. However, we have deleted personally identifiable information to protect the student’s privacy.