In 2023 I spent 200 hours as a volunteer emergency medical technician (EMT), where I learned that EMTs are really just PMs/designers/needfinders/interviewers turned to 100. Designers, for example, interview their users to develop a deep understanding of their needs, brainstorm ideas, and create solutions that meet those needs, over weeks or months, in low-pressure settings where mistakes are part of the process. EMTs develop rapport with their patients to understand their symptoms, decide on an intervention, and administer treatment in minutes, in extremely high-pressure settings where mistakes can do serious damage. Here are some practices I learned:
Interview effectively by finding and following the story
By treating all kinds of patients, from college students to older adults, in high-stakes contexts, I've learned how to tailor my approach to the individual user, ask thoughtful questions, and dig deep until I understand the entire story behind a problem: what we call the 'line of questioning.'
Advocate for users by predicting needs
At the emergency department, EMTs go out of their way to advocate for their patients to hospital staff to make sure their stay is as comfortable as possible, whether that's prioritizing the patient to get a bed sooner or requesting cold packs for an injury. Sometimes I was the only person anticipating my patients' needs and ensuring those needs were met. My guiding question was always, "What can I do to make this experience better for the user?"
Work where I'll have the most impact by reading my team's needs
This goes hand-in-hand with user advocacy — both skills require a high level of situational awareness and constant recalibration based on feedback. When four EMTs are all treating one patient, things can get hectic. I learned when to step back to take care of smaller details, and when to take on higher-level responsibilities if I noticed a gap in our care.
Build a culture of feedback by making space for high-frequency feedback sessions
A lot of patients are unwilling to give feedback to EMTs even if they're in pain, because they don't want to seem 'difficult.' I learned to proactively ask for patient feedback, evangelizing patient interaction from the start as a two-way conversation rather than a one-sided interaction. I also gave and received feedback from the rest of the crew in scrum-like debriefs after each call where we reflected on what went well, what could have gone better, and our goals for next time.