Bryan Bashrum, out latest spotlight for our Acadian Alumni Association, is in his third year of medical school at Texas Tech. This week, he’s in his internal medicine rotation and has been able to reflect on his time spent as an EMT with Acadian.
“Dave Hubbard spent his time teaching about EKG readings, and I used that knowledge in my rotation today,” Bryan explained.
In 2013, Bryan graduated from high school in Texas and headed to Samford University in Alabama to start his medical education. His plan all along was simple: Finish high school, get into undergrad, graduate in four years and head straight to medical school.
However, Bryan realized after graduating from Sanford that there are multiple paths to get into medical school, and after not getting into medical school right after college, he decided to spend his gap year working in the medical field.
Bryan Bashrum is in his third year of medical school at Texas Tech. Before becoming a Red Raider, Bashrum was an Acadian Ambulance employee.
“The most accessible healthcare experience available to me was EMS. I knew I needed to find my way onto an ambulance to gain clinical experience,” Bryan said.
Bryan then moved back to Texas, where he attended Brookhaven College and became an EMT. Upon finishing his program, Bryan applied with Acadian in Dallas and left a huge mark on his coworkers in North Texas.
For one year, Bryan worked in Dallas, San Antonio and Monroe, LA as an EMT for Acadian. He was chosen to represent the company at career fairs and events, and his name is still widely known throughout Acadian.
Bryan said the most tangible benefit is that he learned how to build rapport with patients.
“You can’t treat someone who doesn’t trust you, and I learned how to gain a patient’s trust on the truck. That’s not something you can learn through studying,” Bryan said.
Bryan’s future is looking bright — and he’s hoping to become an orthopedic surgeon.
“It’s important to remember that there are multiple paths that all take you to the same place. I was forced to take a detour after undergrad and it ended up being one of the most incredible learning opportunities for me,” Bryan said.
Acadian’s hope is to hire more students like Bryan. Our new Acadian College Program allows students to attend EMT school on an Acadian sponsored grant, for a two-year, part time paid commitment as an EMT. For more details, please visit our college webpage.
