I have been working as an ER tech/PCA for about 4 1/2 months now in a level 1 trauma center, and have been through a lot already! But one of the most memorable things that has happened to me thus far happened this past weekend. A guy came in with what he said was severe chest pain, and when they brought him back I could tell he was in some major distress (not like the ones who are talking on their phones and laughing while you're trying to help them). I knew this was probably going to become a serious situation. I hurried to get an EKG machine, and got the EKG in under 5 minutes. I haven't had any training in reading EKGs yet (that class is next semester for me), but I had been learning on my own time in the past about some of the major signs to look for...as soon as I got a clear reading I could see that he was having an acute MI (inferior STEMI). So I rushed to get the MD and the nurses so they could do their work, and we got the pt up to cath lab in under 20 minutes. It made me feel great that the RNs and MD told me that if I had not acted as quickly as I did, the pt would not have had a very good chance of surviving. That is why I want to become a nurse....to make a change in someone's life.