A Place At The Table
An Encinitas Community Story Project
Celebrating the daily contributions of our Affordable Residents
Mahsa with her mom Naimeh Woodward, in her mom’s backyard.
Mahsa Olamai
EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN
SCRIPPS HOSPITAL
“So we got a pulse back in his heart, and it started pumping again. And then it stopped. . . “
HOUSING STORY
I lived with my mom and stepdad in Encinitas, in the home I had lived in since I was a teen, when I went to La Costa High Canyon High School. I had looked for places to live, but unless I lived with other people, I could not make it work financially. Even a studio is impossible. I loved Encinitas, and as an adult I wanted my own space. I had a boyfriend and there was no privacy there. However, it was just not affordable for me to even consider renting a place of my own. In the end, I chose to move out of the area.
Tell us about the work you did as an EMT.
A man in Encinitas tried to kill himself on the train tracks. He changed his mind at the last minute, but didn't move in time and he ended up losing a leg. He came in with CPR status (meaning his heart was not pumping), because he had lost so much blood. And so we worked with him to revive him. We got him back and then his heart stopped again, so we revived him again, and then he went to surgery.
We had to do CPR because his heart had stopped pumping. With CPR I’m basically pumping the heart for them so that they're getting oxygenated blood to their brain and to their organs. If you do revive them, you want them to be as fully functional as possible. And if you're not moving oxygenated blood to their brain, then they’re going to be a vegetable. So he got a pulse back in his heart, and it started pumping again. And then it stopped. And then we got him back again. A lot of times it's certain medications you give them that'll jump-start their heart. And then he went to surgery. We don't get things like that everyday, but it happens a decent amount .
“He came in with CPR status (meaning his heart was not pumping), because he had lost so much blood. And so we worked with him to revive him. We got him back and then his heart stopped again, so we revived him again, and then he went to surgery.”
How did you get trained to do this?
I graduated with my bachelor's in human biology from UC Santa Cruz and then I took an EMT course up in Santa Cruz and became EMT certified. I have my BLS certification, basic life support, CPR certification. I'm doing all of that to go to PA school, to be a physician assistant. And, because the schools all want patient contact hours, I’m working in the ER. I've learned so much since I've been there and I think it'll help me a lot in the future.
“I really like helping people. That’s really the core reason I chose medicine. I grew up that way, wanting to be useful.”
When did you first start to think about going into this line of work?
When I was little, I wanted to be a veterinarian because I love animals, but I'm allergic to a lot of animals. So once I realized that, I knew, okay, maybe I can't do it. Then I thought about different career options and the different things that I did like. I've always liked science and math. And so when I took that internship class in high school, I had a variety of internships I could choose to take. I chose ER because it was really close and I thought it'd be cool. Then the next semester I interned with an anesthesiologist so I could watch surgeries. I found all of that super interesting. I've always liked science and that's where it stemmed from. I also like it because with science, you either can go into research or the medical side. I liked the patient end of the work. I like the human interaction a lot. And, I really like helping people. That’s really the core reason I chose medicine. I grew up that way, wanting to be useful.
