Several years ago, one of my mentors wisely said, “every day and every moment is a job interview, you never know who is watching and what they might mean to you now and in the future”. I have often repeated these words to myself throughout the course my life and career, and more times than I can count, they have proven to be true. One time in particular that comes to mind was when I was testifying before a government council on behavioral health, providing both subject matter expertise regarding a policy change they were considering as well as presenting a potential program to better address mental health crisis and associated emergency response. That moment provided one opportunity within weeks and another several years later.
The first opportunity was immediate recruitment to join the working group tasked with getting community paramedicine from concept to bill to state law. After several months, meetings, trips to the state capitol, and more testifying before the legislature, we were successful! Many members of the working group have gone onto other related adventures and projects. Some remain in their previous positions or companies, continuing to be innovative and changing the way we provide care and services to our communities. All of them are influencers and amazing people to know. I am grateful for the lasting relationships the working group involvement afforded me.
The second opportunity was nearly three years after testifying before the government council. A member of the audience remembered the presentation on the program to better address mental health crisis and associated emergency response and wanted to provide state funding to try it. It came as a complete surprise but we were eager to give it a whirl and ultimately, the program is getting even-better-than-expected results! We call it the Crisis Response Team. A public-private partnership with the state, local fire department, private ambulance, and a nonprofit working together to provide an ambulance response with an advanced EMT, paramedic, and licensed clinical social worker to behavioral health crisis calls within the emergency response system.
And so those words of my mentor continue to repeat in my head frequently, even in the most seemingly insignificant of circumstances. Every day, we come in contact with more people than we realize. How do we portray ourselves? What do we communicate to them through our words and actions about our values, purpose, and potential? If we were to treat each project, each conversation, each encounter as if it were an interview for the future job of our dreams, how would that influence our effort and behavior?
Sarah J McCrea-Dameron 