Going Far: Melanie Rivera finds her way back into an ambulance

At one point when she first moved to Florida from New York City, Melanie Rivera thought she would never be an emergency medical technician (EMT) again. She continued working in the healthcare field in a local hospital, first as a cardiac technician and then as a mental health technician. However, after working in the hospital for a few years she began to hear the call of the streets and feel the urge to return, leading her to the Center for Public Safety at Seminole State College of Florida.

Since her original certifications lapsed as she worked elsewhere in healthcare, she completed the Emergency Medical Technician Certification in 2019 and started working on the Paramedic Technology Certificate program. However, COVID-19 threw a wrench in her plans when her classes were forced to move online. “I have to have a teacher in front of me,” Rivera said. “I really tried my best, and I read the book from cover to cover, but it wasn’t clicking, and I knew I had to withdraw from the program.”

Thankfully, public safety programs where hands-on training is essential, had some of the first classes to make their way back to campus with the additional guidelines and protocols the College implemented to protect the students and faculty. Rivera was able to pick up where she left off and learn in her own style.

Rivera claims that she didn’t intend to become an EMT. “It was an accident. It was nothing I thought of doing at all,” said Rivera. “Originally, I went to college to do radiology. So, I did all the pre-reqs and was on the waiting lists and finally when I got accepted into the program, I found out I was pregnant.” Not wanting to expose her baby to the radiation associated with the program, Rivera shifted and entered the EMT program since it was in the medical field and she would still have the chance to help people.

“I fell in love with it. I like the spontaneousness of it. Every day is something different,” she said. “I love helping people in their critical time of need, when it is just you and them.” She knows that being an EMT or paramedic isn’t for everyone. “You see people in their worst state, and you have to be compassionate,” she said.

Her career could take her in a few different directions, but she hopes it will take her right into the middle of the action, ultimately to the sky even! Once she gains her five to six years’ experience, she plans to apply to become a flight medic and assist people via helicopter.