Process Paper
The
Leadership and Legacy prompt led to interesting discussions with my friends
about Al Capone, President Roosevelt and other topics. However, I was looking
for a regional topic that would allow me to more fully explore the subject. My
parents introduced me to the idea of Medic One. I did not know that Medic One is
a specialized part of the EMS system, and had never thought much about emergency
services at all.
A few quick searches on the internet revealed several key components about Medic One, including the fact that this system was created in Seattle and is one of the most successful EMS systems in the world. Dr. Leonard Cobb and Fire Chief Gordon Vickery are credited with the creation of Medic One. I found the book, Resuscitate which describes the history of Medic One, how an EMS functions, and most importantly what makes Medic One special. At this time, I sent an E-Mail to Jan Sprake, current president of the Medic One Foundation, and Mickey Eisenberg MD, medical director of King County EMS requesting an interview. In these interviews, one of the most important skills I learned was how to find medical studies, which were instrumental in the foundation of Medic One as well as the continued functioning of Medic One. I also was able to explore the Medic One Foundation archives and found several great pictures. After these interviews, I gained an understanding of the history of Medic One and how it operates in Seattle. However, this did not tell the whole story. When reading about the time period around the late 1960s, before Medic One, I learned about Dr. Pantridge and Dr. Nagel. These two physicians developed ideas that would be critical to the startup of Medic One, including the use of non-physician providers outside the hospital. I interviewed Captain Jonathan Larsen, current Chief of Seattle Medic One who shared the history of Medic One through a fire chief’s perspective. Through Captain Larsen, I contacted Dr. Leonard Cobb for an interview. I learned that Dr. Cobb and Chief Vickery built on the ideas of Dr. Pantridge and Nagel to form Medic One.
I chose to create a website because the story can be shared visually, audibly and with words. I collected all of my information and multi-media specifically for this format. A rough outline for my website served as a framework which guided my collection of data and choice of interviews. Creating the website naturally followed a logical flow from outline, to data collection to website design.
Medic One leads the world in cardiac arrest survival. Medic One paramedics undergo the most rigorous training of any EMS
department and strive to provide programs that improve other communities outside of Seattle. Creation of a system that functions well and
challenges itself to be innovative is the definition of outstanding leadership. The lives saved and the improvements in the medical
community in Seattle and around the world are the powerful legacy of Medic One.
A few quick searches on the internet revealed several key components about Medic One, including the fact that this system was created in Seattle and is one of the most successful EMS systems in the world. Dr. Leonard Cobb and Fire Chief Gordon Vickery are credited with the creation of Medic One. I found the book, Resuscitate which describes the history of Medic One, how an EMS functions, and most importantly what makes Medic One special. At this time, I sent an E-Mail to Jan Sprake, current president of the Medic One Foundation, and Mickey Eisenberg MD, medical director of King County EMS requesting an interview. In these interviews, one of the most important skills I learned was how to find medical studies, which were instrumental in the foundation of Medic One as well as the continued functioning of Medic One. I also was able to explore the Medic One Foundation archives and found several great pictures. After these interviews, I gained an understanding of the history of Medic One and how it operates in Seattle. However, this did not tell the whole story. When reading about the time period around the late 1960s, before Medic One, I learned about Dr. Pantridge and Dr. Nagel. These two physicians developed ideas that would be critical to the startup of Medic One, including the use of non-physician providers outside the hospital. I interviewed Captain Jonathan Larsen, current Chief of Seattle Medic One who shared the history of Medic One through a fire chief’s perspective. Through Captain Larsen, I contacted Dr. Leonard Cobb for an interview. I learned that Dr. Cobb and Chief Vickery built on the ideas of Dr. Pantridge and Nagel to form Medic One.
I chose to create a website because the story can be shared visually, audibly and with words. I collected all of my information and multi-media specifically for this format. A rough outline for my website served as a framework which guided my collection of data and choice of interviews. Creating the website naturally followed a logical flow from outline, to data collection to website design.
Medic One leads the world in cardiac arrest survival. Medic One paramedics undergo the most rigorous training of any EMS
department and strive to provide programs that improve other communities outside of Seattle. Creation of a system that functions well and
challenges itself to be innovative is the definition of outstanding leadership. The lives saved and the improvements in the medical
community in Seattle and around the world are the powerful legacy of Medic One.