I think a lot about how difficult an EMT class should be. It’s considered an entry-level role in healthcare, but medical terminology and anatomy don’t come naturally to most people, and many students are surprised by how much the class asks of them. Some fall too far behind and throw in the towel, or decide to try again later.

I’d rather you know what you’re walking into. In this episode, I compare EMT training to learning music. Anatomy, patient assessment, and every other skill are individual notes, and each one takes real time to learn. With practice, the notes become melodies, and eventually you can play the full song: caring for someone on the worst day of their life.

We also talk about the plates you’ll keep spinning outside the classroom, like work, family, and everything else, and why you should decide ahead of time which one gets your attention if one starts to wobble.

If you’re thinking about becoming an EMT, start here.

Chicago EMT Training offers EMT certification courses in Chicago with Spring, Summer, and Fall cohorts. Learn more at www.chicagoemttraining.com/nextclass

Most of our students sit in that classroom because they're starting out. Dr. Joe Kent sat in it while already forty-plus years into practicing medicine — as an infectious disease physician who spent the pandemic on the other side of the numbers everyone else was just reading in the news.

He took our EMT course in the summer of 2026 as a way to gain some practical skills and spend some time with his daughter Katie.

Today we're talking about what it's like to go back to the beginning on purpose — what COVID actually looked like from inside it, what he saw sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with the next generation of providers, and what he wants that generation to carry with them that his own didn't always have.

This is Dr. Joe Kent.

Connect with Dr. Joe: herbkent@comcast.net

Tori M has been with CET for almost three years! Originally from California, she moved here for medical school at UIC College of Medicine. Her love of emergency medicine and longing to reconnect with the work after moving led her to find us through some mutual friends and we're grateful for the time she shares with us.

Connect with Tori: vmoll1@uic.edu

Terrence absolutely crushed the class and was a pleasure to work with throughout the entire summer. As we wrapped the summer class, I thought it would be great to record a final boss with him as well as learn more about his background and where his future lies. Please enjoy my conversation with Terrence Carey.

Brandon and Jaelyn were our busiest instructors this Summer. I wanted to catch up with them over a podcast to learn more about their backgrounds and how they became BFFs.

Connect with them:
brs0098@gmail.com
jaelynrah1@gmail.com

Karina has been absolutely crushing our class and graciously agreed to record neurological scenario video. In doing so, I wanted to learn more about Karina's background, her why, and where she hopes to go in healthcare. Thanks for tuning in.

Karina's Neurology scenario

Axel and I just wrapped up two patient scenario videos for youtube and I thought it would be a good opportunity to reflect on his experiences in our class. He absolutely crushed every part of it.

Reach out to him: axelairfoley@gmail.com

Nik joins us on the podcast to reflect on his journey throughout EMS. He is currently a FF/PM on a couple municipalities. From starting UIC EMS with us, the consistent growth, and self-awareness for burnout, we're grateful to have Nik on our team.

Connect: nikchevas@yahoo.com