“Bear Stearns is on the tape!”
Within hours of the head trader screaming the news, one of Wall Street’s renowned investment banks would disappear. On this cold March morning, Bear Stearns Companies Inc. had crumbled. Investors had lost confidence in the bank and pulled their money. My employer for my first year after college was gone. For many people who worked for the company, life savings would be wiped out and they would soon realize that they devoted their lives to something that no longer existed. Most of my coworkers were in a state of shock and angered to be losing their jobs. Deep down inside, a part of me felt very relieved.
I was given a second chance, an opportunity to change careers to my passion — the field of medicine. In returning to the path I believe I was ultimately meant to take, I could pursue a career that would have a positive impact on and enrich the lives of others.
Medicine had intrigued me since a very young age. I grew up across the street from my town’s first aid squad. For as long as I can remember, when I heard the sirens in the middle of the night, I stood up and pressed my face against the window to watch the flashing lights pass by. I was so curious. Where was the ambulance going? Who was in danger? How were the people on the ambulance going to save the person in need?
This curiosity led me to join the rescue squad at the age of 16. It took only one response for me to fall in love with emergency medicine. Those with similar experiences understand the culture of being an EMT at such a young age. Nothing comes between you and responding to calls. You spend your weekends hanging around the rescue building, driving around town listening to the police scanner and waiting for the pager to go off. You’re rewarded each night knowing you’re there for those in need, regardless of whether you had a call or not. Time spent with family and friends is cut short to help strangers. Sleep is lost to rush people to the hospital in the middle of the night. Your life becomes devoted to providing care to others.
In college, I was unsure of what career path I should follow. I loved medicine but struggled in the sciences. I took a professor’s advice and majored in economics, a subject in which I excelled. Throughout school, I was able to fulfill my passion for emergency medicine as an EMT. In looking toward a future career, I took an internship at Bear Stearns after my junior year of college. At the end of that summer, I enthusiastically accepted an offer for a full-time job with the company.
It’s incredible how much things change when you know you’ll be making a lot of money. Certain things in life become a little more convenient. You don’t have to think twice about your expenses. Before I started work, I received a large signing bonus. My starting salary was strong, and with my holiday bonus, I was making six figures. I was just 23 years old.”ž
For most people, life couldn’t be better under these circumstances. Many people work endlessly to earn half as much. Initially, I thought that such a salary would compensate for not pursuing my passion; however, I quickly learned I was wrong.
Something was missing.”ž
I remember waking up on Monday mornings, knowing I had an 80-hour work week ahead of me. I would walk down Madison Avenue at 6 a.m. and stop to watch a passing ambulance. I tried convincing myself it didn’t matter, because I was making a lot of money.”ž
The collapse of Bear Stearns put everything back into perspective for me. There was no longer any doubt in my mind that the importance of a career in medicine far outweighs the financial wealth those on Wall Street are so infamous for having. Healthcare providers have the skills to help people in distress. They have the knowledge to care for patients. And most of all they have the intangibles; they take home the feeling of fulfillment and satisfaction, knowing that their job has a direct impact on people’s lives.”ž
Furthermore, prehospital providers learn a number of skills that will prepare them for any career. First of all, you don’t panic in stressful situations. You understand that panic doesn’t change anything, so you might as well remain calm, remember your training and work as hard as you can to reach a solution.
Teamwork is the second key skill you develop. As an EMT, I worked with multiple EMT partners as well as paramedics, police officers and firefighters. Almost all emergencies require several people working together.
At the same time, you also need to communicate with your patient. Healthcare providers work with infants, pediatric and geriatric patients, and the general public. They encounter drunks and drug addicts. They have to deal with language barriers, psychiatric patients and unconscious patients. And they need to provide the best care possible to this wide range of people. Medical professionals have to treat an unconscious patient who overdosed with the same compassion and care as a young child who fell off their bicycle.
Lastly, you learn management skills. You always make do with what you’re dealt. Emergency medicine is about applying available resources in uncertain environments. Whether it’s a patient trapped in a vehicle after a car accident or an obese patient on the fourth floor of a building with no elevator, you sometimes have to improvise to provide the best solutions for your patients. You not only have to manage your patients but also yourself. You learn time management skills. You’ve experienced being awake all night and functioning on little sleep. You’ve experienced having to be at your best when your body is physically exhausted. By having to work during such extremes, a path in any other career will be a piece of cake.
On Wall Street, I witnessed people panic when unexpected news arose or a trade did not go as well as planned. As an EMT, I witnessed people remain calm during car accidents, cardiac arrests and other emergencies. One would think it should be the other way around. When I worked at Bear Stearns, I watched people miss family dinners and outings since they were so committed to their work. As an EMT, I observed people miss family dinners and outings to help others in distress. I never understood why people on Wall Street would give up so much valuable time for business. To me, it was never life or death like a medical emergency is. On Wall Street, people asked me how I handled all the stress of my job with such calm and ease. I always told my superiors that my EMS experiences taught me how to remain calm in any situation.
My time on Wall Street taught me that you should always pursue your passion. At times, this may seem inconvenient and even impractical. But if you give up, you’ll regret it. A Bear Stearns executive once told me, “If you love your job, you won’t work a day in your life.” I recently enrolled as a post-baccalaureate student and plan on attending medical school in the next few years. The road ahead of me is long and challenging; however, I know that once I get there, I’m going to have a fantastic career. I’ll finally look forward to my Monday mornings.
Yoni Litwok,EMT-B, graduated from Brandeis University in 2007 with a degree in Economics. Prior to graduation, he was clinical supervisor and director of operations of the Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps. He also was a member of the Marlboro (N.J.) First Aid and Rescue Squad throughout high school and college. Post-graduation, he worked at Bear Stearns as a credit analyst. Yoni is currently a post-baccalaureate student at Rutgers University. He also serves as a Regional Coordinator for the National Collegiate EMS Foundation. You may contact him atylitwok@gmail.com.“ž