It's Hardly Brain Surgery

The Schow family lived in a nice suburb outside of Salem, Oregon. The streets were cobbled with small stones, and a few roadside stores that have been selling goods for generations. The town was filled with wooden homes and small plots of land that people used for farming. There were hills and apple orchids on the outskirts of town. The rolling hills were covered in long grass and wildflowers. Apple trees lined the outskirts of town, and the scent of blossom filled the air in the springtime. The night skies were clear and filled with stars, with an occasional shooting star firing across the sky. These were the types of sunsets you cannot find in the city or near the city. The Schow family had three members, Paul, Mary, and Roger. Paul and Mary had been married for twenty-five years and had a son, Roger. Roger Schow stood six feet in height with wavy brown hair. He had a medium build even though he worked out every day. After college, he joined the military and was deployed in a war zone. He developed post-traumatic stress disorder after his deployment and had to confront those demons in order to move forward with his life. Unfortunately for Roger, things just kept happening to him that would cause more and more post-traumatic stress. Shortly after returning from war, Roger met a new family member, Sprinkles. Sprinkles was a small, orange tabby who liked to prowl between rooms, seeking attention and a warm lap to curl onto. She had golden-green eyes with a black stripe in the center of each, giving her an almost alien look. Roger had come to love her in the short time from his return. One morning while backing his car out of the driveway, Roger ran over what he thought was a rock. The thud he heard could only be made by running over a rock. To his horror, he had run over Sprinkles that accidently got out of the house through the open back door. His bad luck seemed to follow him everywhere! He took the day off from his job as a local EMT to burry Sprinkles and hold a memorial for her with his parents. The next day, he was more confident driving into work as he knew if he ran something over it would not be Sprinkles again. 

Roger sighed and shook his head as he looked at the patient in front of him. It was yet another routine call to deal with a minor injury that he had seen a hundred times before. He had hoped that his EMT training would help him be better equipped to handle these everyday emergency room scenarios, but he had yet to make any real progress. He was certain that he had mastered the basics, but every time he was presented with a new problem, his mind seemed to go blank. He had never been particularly adept at problem solving, and he felt increasingly frustrated with his lack of progress. Still, he had to try. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the challenge ahead.

“So, what seems to be the problem?” he asked, hoping that this time he could avoid his usual mental block. The patient seemed to be in some kind of pain, but Roger was not sure what was causing it. He looked around for any clues, but there were none.

“I… I’m not sure,” the patient stammered. “It just came on suddenly. I can’t – I don’t know what’s wrong.”

Roger’s heart sank. He had been hoping for something more concrete to work with, but it seemed that the patient’s condition was still a mystery.

Suddenly, a thought popped into his head.

“Well,” he said, a bit hesitantly. “It’s hardly brain surgery, but let’s see if we can figure something out.”

He began to quickly assess the patient, looking for any clues that might help him find the cause of the pain. After a few minutes, he had a possible diagnosis.

“It looks like you have a muscle spasm in your shoulder,” he said, a bit relieved that he had been able to come up with something. “That’s probably what’s causing the pain.”

The patient nodded, and Roger quickly began to treat the injury. He was relieved that he had been able to diagnose the problem and treat it, even if it was a minor injury. He was determined to continue to improve and become a better EMT.

After a few minutes, the patient thanked Roger for his help, and he watched as the patient walked away with a smile on his face.

Roger smiled to himself and shook his head. “It’s hardly brain surgery,” he thought. “But it’s still important work.”

As he made his way back to the emergency room, Roger's thoughts began to wander. He had always been a bit of a dreamer, and he couldn't help but think about all the things he wanted to do with his life. He had been so focused on becoming an EMT that he had never really given much thought to what came next. But now, as he walked through the bustling hospital corridors, he began to see new possibilities. Maybe he could become a doctor, or a nurse, or even a paramedic. He had always been drawn to the medical field, and he knew that he wanted to make a real difference in people's lives.

As he entered the emergency room, he was greeted by the sounds of beeping machines and the chatter of nurses and doctors. The chaos was familiar to him now, and he felt a sense of calm wash over him. He checked in with the charge nurse, who gave him a quick update on the patients they were currently treating. One of the patients caught his eye—a young woman with a bandage around her head. Roger felt a pang of sympathy for her, imagining what she must have gone through to end up in the emergency room. He wondered if he could do more for her than just treating her physical injuries. He approached her bed and introduced himself, asking how she was feeling. She looked up at him with tired eyes, and he immediately felt a connection with her.

As he examined her chart, he saw that she had been in a car accident and had suffered a concussion. He knew that head injuries could be serious, and he wanted to make sure that she was getting the best care possible. As he talked to her, he found himself opening up about his own struggles with EMT training. She listened intently, nodding as he spoke. Roger felt a sense of relief that he could talk to someone who understood what he was going through.

After a few minutes, the woman smiled weakly and thanked him for his help. As he turned to leave, Roger felt a sense of purpose wash over him. He knew that he wanted to do more than just treat physical injuries – he wanted to help people heal emotionally as well. He began to spend more time with his patients, listening to their stories and offering words of encouragement. He found that he was able to connect with them in a way that he had never been able to before, and it brought him a sense of fulfillment that he had never experienced. One day, as he was finishing up his shift, he received a call from the woman he had treated for the muscle spasm in her shoulder.

"Roger," she said. "I just wanted to thank you again for your help. You know, you're really good at what you do."

Roger felt a warmth spread through his chest at the compliment. "Thank you," he said. "I'm just doing my job."

"It's more than that, though," the woman insisted. "You really care about your patients. It's rare to find someone who is both skilled and compassionate."

Roger felt a lump form in his throat. He had always wanted to make a real difference in people's lives, but he had never thought that he was doing anything out of the ordinary.

"Thank you," he said again, feeling a bit overwhelmed. "That means a lot to me."

As he hung up the phone, Roger couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction wash over him. He had found his calling in life, and he knew that he was making a difference in people's lives. It was a job that he loved, and he knew that he would continue to do it for as long as he could.