Work Wednesday: Jared Mandel
Tingjun Long | Staff Photographer
Jared Mandel stands in front of his emergency vehicle that he drives as supervisor of Syracuse University Ambulance. He enjoys developing new drivers.
The most important lesson Jared Mandel teaches incoming members of Syracuse University Ambulance is to treat every patient like family.
“It’s a scary experience and most likely its one of the worst days that (the patient is) having,” said Mandel, who works as an SUA supervisor. “The way you carry yourself and treat the patient makes a difference for the person.”
Mandel joined SUA 3 years ago while he was an undergraduate student at SU. Now a second-year graduate student, Mandel handles new member training, which includes how to properly care for patients and how to drive an ambulance.
As one of four supervisors, Mandel works to ensure that SUA is following the policies and procedures of the organization, as well as New York state regulations for pre-hospital care in regards to ambulances. Mandel must know what each crew on duty is doing at every moment and must go on emergency calls with a crew if the situation is high priority, or if the crew is less experienced.
Some people only associate SUA with transporting drunken students to the hospital on the weekends, Mandel said. But SUA responds to emergency calls that range from someone having a heart attack to someone drowning in a university pool. The organization will also sometimes respond to calls from the city of Syracuse that the city is too busy to respond to.
“Your first time pulling out of the driveway with the lights and sirens going is really intimidating. You’re normally used to driving and stopping at red lights and sitting in traffic,” Mandel said. “Now you are going through red lights and around traffic, and so it’s a lot to take in.”
As a supervisor, Mandel said he has the opportunity to help members reach their full potential in their involvement with the SUA.
“We are all students, so everyone is here for a reason — because they care about the campus,” Mandel said. “My goal is to give everyone the opportunity to learn and grow in this organization and to be where they want to be when they leave here.”
Published on April 1, 2015 at 12:01 am
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