Working in emergency medical services with a disability

Two ER24 health practitioners talk about their personal experiences working in emergency medical services while dealing with dyslexia, and a hearing impairment.

“I see my disability as a help rather than a hindrance.”

“I see my disability as a help rather than a hindrance, as I look at things differently from most people. I think and see in pictures, which means I immediately know what I need to do in a situation. This helps enormously in a fast-paced environment like emergency medicine where you need to react quickly.

“I’d always battled with schoolwork and was diagnosed with dyslexia when I was 15. This learning disability affects my ability to read, write, and spell. I was given the choice to move to a special needs school, but I figured I’d managed to get to grade 10 at Worcester Gymnasium, so I should just see it through. In my matric exams, a teacher read the questions to me, and I answered orally. I always believed I was "stupid" because I couldn’t read or write, but I am excellent at solving practical problems.

“Because I didn’t excel at sports or academics, I chose to become a first aider at school and loved it. That led me to complete my Basic Life Support course, and I immediately joined ER24 as a medic. I paired up with more experienced paramedics and learned from them before completing my Intermediate Life Support qualification.

“After 10 years in road operations, I was accepted for the Advanced Life Support diploma. At the time, the Mediclinic Tijgerpark campus wasn’t equipped to deal with dyslexic students and was unable to accommodate my disability. My lecturer and I discussed ways to help students with dyslexia, like offering oral exams instead of written ones. It made me proud to know that I was helping people in the industry find better ways of doing things.

“I recently completed an NQF 5 Business Management Learnership as I aim to become a branch manager one day. I did it with minimal input – by listening in class and then summarising the content afterwards. My colleagues, along with my wife, Tao Carstens, who also works at ER24, are impressed by how I handle my disability. I feel that ER24 supports the needs of paramedics with dyslexia.”

“My disability taught me it’s okay to be different and that I can still make a difference in this world.”

“I was born with my hearing disability, and it’s had a big impact on me as I’ve had to adapt to the world to have a ‘normal’ life. But it hasn’t prevented me from carving out a career in emergency medicine. For me, helping those in need is like walking on sunshine. Every patient is different, has a different emergency and requires different care. To walk the extra mile with them makes me smile. My Bloemfontein ER24 colleagues have always been supportive.

“One challenge I face is working in a loud environment, such as a vehicle rescue where the patient needs to be extricated from the car with special tools. This makes communication with my crew difficult, but I manage to lip-read when I can’t hear above the noise. Another challenge is that my hearing aids aren’t waterproof, so when it rains, they can get damaged. I usually pack a beanie just in case. Sometimes, you just need to think outside the box to overcome an obstacle.

“My condition is called sensorineural deafness, which means the signals from my cochlea don't work properly. In a healthy ear, tiny hair cells called cillia help pick up sound. In my case, some of the cillia are damaged, so I can’t hear certain sounds, like birdsong or whistles.

“I started wearing hearing aids in grade 2. I was bullied at school for this, but I didn't let it get to me. Instead, I used it as motivation to achieve more and to work harder. My disability taught me that it’s okay to be different and that I can still make a difference in this world.

“My advice to others with disabilities is to never stop dreaming, always be humble and believe in yourself. Just because you’re different doesn't mean you can’t make a difference. In fact, you are the difference you want to make in the world.

“ER24 supported me by giving me the opportunity to volunteer as a first aider when I was still at school. They helped me discover my passion for helping people in emergencies. I also get to work with ER24’s community services for people with disabilities, which allows me to give back and show others with disabilities that they don’t have to let their condition hold them back.”