The Three Hour Interview

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, 

A tale of a fateful trip...

Pridemark Paramedic Services Denver base of operations is 63 miles from my home in the suburb of Arvada.  Driving down the snowy interstate towards the metropolis gave me plenty of time to go over the answers to possible interview questions…Why do I want to work for Pridemark?  Why do I want to be an EMT?  Why should Pridemark hire me over my competition?  I had the perfect answers for all those questions!

Turning off interstate 76, I was surprised at the high concentration of industrial buildings.  I warily took in my surroundings as I turned down side streets to reach my final destination.  The high concentration of auto shops and storage sites left me feeling a bit unnerved.  I thought back to the evening before when Alex helped settle my nerves by reminding me to “think of this as a chance to practice your skills for free."

I drove past the building wanting to check out the neighbors and get a feel for the area…just a few more auto shops and a 7-eleven.  I pulled into the rear parking lot and sat in the car to do some last minute studying. 

Upon entering the building I noticed two other interview candidates waiting in the lobby.  Trice (he had previously interviewed with Pridemarks sister company, Rural/Metro and was unsuccessful) and Philly (Paramedic who flew in from Phillidelphia for the interview) were genuinely nice people whom I could easily work with.  I was promptly greeted enthusiastically by Gail Benker, the administrative coordinator for Pridemark.  If nothing else comes of this experience I will be forever grateful to Gail for her enthusiasm and encouragement during the interview process. 

Sitting in the lobby, waiting for Gail to get things organized for the interview candidates, I was able to scope out my competition as the next few people arrived.  Nervous Guy (Paramedic from Florida that stressed over the written exam) and Red Rocks (got his EMT-basic at Red Rocks Community College) entered the lobby and everyone began probing for information about who was an EMT or Paramedic and where they were from.  Sporty (talked about football teams like they were his people and his decisions in picking up so and so or dropping whos-it) came in next.  We were led to the adjacent conference room to squeeze around a table meant for six and we were nine.  The last three people to arrive were Cheerios (paramedic who consequently has stale cheerios smooshed into the upholstery of his back seat), Ginger (has red hair and came back from her oral interview flushed), and Bad Credit (apparently he was bummed we had to fill out a release for a credit report).

The first station in this three part interview was filling out paperwork for a background check and credit report and a written exam.  The EMT exam was 50 MC questions and not very difficult.  All the EMTs in the room were finished within a half hour.  The three paramedics took a little longer since they had an actual written portion.  Except Nervous Guy…he didn’t finish until a good 2 hours into the process.

So, we sat there in the small conference room…sometimes shooting the breeze, other times in awkward silence…waiting for our names to be called for the other two stations: Practical Skills Test and Oral Interview. 

The practical skills test was surprisingly casual compared to my National Registry Skills tests.  There was an evaluator and a patient who were both extremely friendly with beautiful smiles that put me at ease.  I was able to ask some follow up questions at the end and in general I felt the whole experience was pleasant.

After many random conversations and a few pertinent to the job, my name was called for my final station: the Oral Interview.  Entering the “interview room” I noticed it was used as storage for all things that had no home…fake Christmas trees, wheelchairs, tables, filing cabinets, etc.  Sitting around a small table sat my interview panel: two men and one woman…who double as Pridemark employees..not administration…no supervisors…employees.  This is one of the differences in Pridemark’s hiring process…all prospective candidates will be interviewed and judged by Pridemark employees.  The reasoning is sound..they are the ones who will have to live and work 12-24 hour shifts with the likes of me if I get hired so they might as well get to choose who they can stand to be around.  Needless to say, I felt comfortable and relaxed during the questioning, but I still left feeling uncertain about the outcome.

During the interview panel there were the basic expected questions that I was asked and there were a handful of unexpected questions.  


One of my favorites...

• What is your favorite TV show?  The Big Bang Theory, of course!  Which they had never heard as a response before…not sure if that is good or bad.  I then went on the shoot myself in the foot by saying House was my second favorite, which, unfortunately made one of my interviewers cringe while saying his dad is a doctor and he hates how that show portrays physicians.  Damn…I was doing so well, too!

Questions I asked them:

• Reading the 2010 Pridemark Pulse newsletters gave me a sense of a very professional company that seemed close, like a family or a tight group of friends.  I’d love to hear from you what you enjoy most about working for Pridemark?  The three of them immediately chuckled while looking at each other as if sharing an inside joke and went on to explain how they had just talked about their answers to this question.  Thinking I was creative for asking such a unique question made it so much harder to hear that almost everyone asks this of them.  Two responded that they love the way Pridemark becomes like a second family for them.  The other said that he loves how Pridemark is a small company and he can walk down the hall and step into the CEOs office for a chat if he wanted.

• What is the time frame in finding out the results of this interview?  We don’t have that information…we just ask the questions…you’ll have to ask Gail that kind of information! 

I was shooed out of the interview room…understandably, since they still had at least five others to interview and it was now 4pm.  I was the second person to leave and like I said…it was 4pm…we had been there for three hours…and seven candidates were still left sitting around the boardroom table waiting for their interviews…I wonder when the last person got out of there?...I wonder if being last would affect their interview if it’s late and the panel just wants to be done…

So here I sit on pins and needles waiting for the phone to ring to tell me the good or bad news…I’ll keep you posted…


2:21pm...I just got the call I've been waiting for...Pridemark wants to hire me!!!  My pay will be similar to PSD substitute pay...I get full benefits after 30 days...I'll start out working 8-10 hour shifts during the day...my official hire date will be February 14 which is the same day I begin a week long orientation...but, I can get Feb. 18th off and make it up later so Al and I can head out to Utah for the Red Hot races...in 7-10 days I'll get called in to take a drug test and fill out some more paperwork...YEAH!!!  I'm super excited.

The Look of the Cake, It Ain't Always the Taste*

The look of the cake...old, wrinkled, sagging skin, muscle weakness, hard of hearing, wheelchair bound, tortuously slow-shuffling gaits, diapers, food spilled down their fronts, uncomfortable and frustrated.  This describes only a few of the people I have transported in the past few weeks.

It ain't always the taste...mostly, I've been fortunate enough to be in the company of people genuinely happy...to get outside and have someone they can depend on to get them where they need to go, to be picked up on time, to be going by wheelchair instead of stretcher, to have someone to talk to, to be smiled at, to be looked into the eyes with sincerity, and to have their hand held in greeting and goodbyes.

Driving the wheelchair van, a.k.a. Para-Transit, the past 3 weeks has given me a unique perspective on the lives and personalities of the older generations.  I've been graced with the presence of beautiful people who have experienced so much more than I have and all of whom have amazing stories to share if given the chance or right circumstance.

Following are some of the things I've been told while transporting my elders:

"You look so healthy!"

"I knew you did something outside, like run.  You looks so tan."

"The pretty woman's gonna drive you."

"What's that...a skull on that car?  I guess people like that sort of thing these days."

"You know, I was still driving my car before I got hurt. I only drive during the day. Not at night.  I can't wait to get better so I can drive myself to the grocery store."

"I'm so pleased you're here.  I had to come by stretcher.  I'm so glad I can go in my wheelchair!"

"I hope it's you who comes and takes me the next time I have to go."

"Oh! They've never been on time before!  You know what it is?  It's because they sent a woman this time!"

"I immigrated here with my husband during WWII.  I have such fond memories of Germany...and sad ones, too.  I used to swim in the Rhine River."

"Is there a back door you can you take me through?  I don't want my friends to see me like this."

"You know that song, Dust in the Wind?  Well, that's what I think of when I see the Rocky Mountains looming in my backyard.  They make me feel small.  It's good to feel small.  Things change, moments pass, nothing lasts forever.  I don't need a kidney transplant.  I've lived a good life.  I'm satisfied."


Some of the people I've transported have not been able to talk to me for various reasons.
I knew that my patient with Parkinson's understood me as I squeezed his hand and looked into his beautiful, clear, blue eyes to say goodbye.  With his gaze deeply fixed upon mine and my hand held tightly in his, I like to think that he would not let go because he didn't want me to leave.  In reality, his Parkinson's made his muscles stiff.  Oh well, I'm still gonna think that he wanted me to stick around.

My patient who was deaf had to be transported by stretcher.  I sat in the back with him while my partner drove.  He could read lips so we were able to communicate a little.  We also used hand gestures to communicate...I wished so badly that I could remember what I had learned from my ASL class.  He was tired and really wanted to rest on the way to his nursing home.  At one point, during the drive, he needed help moving so he was not lying on his decubitus ulcer which was on his bottom.  I held his hand to help him and then he didn't want to let go.  So, I gladly held his hand while he slept.  It made me sad to think that he might be going someplace where he would spend his days alone, with little human contact.  As I was leaving him in his room, he smiled at me, looked into my eyes, and said goodbye like someone does when they can't hear how they sound.  I hope I was able to provide him with a little comfort and company, even if for a short time.

I look forward to the new people I get to meet each day.  My greatest desire is to share a little brightness...sunshine...smiles...sparkle...into their lives as they progress on their journey of healing and rehabilitation.




*Lyrics from the Black Keys: "Next Girl"