Oklahoma Woman Journeys From Paramedic to Nurse

May 04—Clarissia Hagemier was on her first response unsupervised as a paramedic when she rushed to a scene where a baby was rescued just before drowning.

"When we got in there (the baby) was gray and having a seizure," Hagemier said. "I scooped him up so we got the patient in the truck. We had to intubate him. We worked hard to save his life and by the time we got to the hospital he was doing good."

Hagemier worked as a paramedic for 17 years.

"It's a pretty physical job," Hagemier said.

She has now gone from rushing patients to the hospital as a paramedic to caring for them once they get there in her role as a licensed practical nurse at the McAlester Regional Health Center.

"We do patient care, we administer drugs per doctor care, we do everything an RN does except for cardiac medications," Hagemier said of her position.

She said working in the medical field was always something she had an interest in.

"Since I was in high school it just seemed pretty appealing to me," Hagemier said.

She said she hoped to take the next step and enroll in Eastern Oklahoma State College's Registered Nursing Program this coming fall.

She said her favorite part of her job now is working with the people who need her help.

"Patient care," Hagemier said she enjoyed. "I love our patients."

Copyright 2015 - McAlester News-Capital, Okla.