Being a paramedic has always been Neti Redelman’s lifelong dream. “I absolutely love taking care of patients, and I love emergency medicine,” she said. “I’m living my dream job.”

Neti has worked at CRH for two years. She earned her Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) license in 1998 and worked in that field for several years before switching careers to a job outside of healthcare and raising five kids. But she never gave up on her dream and earned her paramedic’s license in March 2020. She also teaches EMT classes.

As a paramedic, Neti responds to 911 calls, which can range from a person suffering cardiac arrest to someone who has fallen and broken an arm, or a motor vehicle accident. “We’re pretty much an emergency room on wheels,” Neti said. The team treats the patient, including administering medications as ordered by a physician, and then transports the patient to the Emergency Department or a Stroke or Trauma Center, if needed.

Neti likes that she has to be quick on her feet when looking at a situation and assessing a patient. Because she responds to emergencies, which can be very scary for patients, she wants them to feel cared for and know that she will help calm and take charge of the situation.

Neti and the other paramedics work 12-hour shifts. Every shift is different – from the station where the paramedic is based to the EMT they are partnered with to the truck they will be driving that shift. There are four EMS stations – our Central Ave. station and three others located at Columbus firehouses. The county is divided into four areas, and each station is assigned to one geographic area where the team is dispatched. “It keeps you on your toes – you’ve got to know the entire county. You’ve got to know how to work with everybody,” Neti said.

The people Neti works with are part of the reason she enjoys her job. “CRH is blessed with an incredible group of not only EMS providers but Emergency Department staff – we start the care, but we really don’t get to complete the care,” she said. “It’s a blessing to get to work with a great group of providers.”

“Walking into someone else’s emergency,” can be a thankless job, Neti said, but she finds joy in getting to help patients, who range from the youngest taking their first breath to those who have taken their last breath. “I look forward to many, many more years continuing to serve our community, growing as an instructor, and continuing to grow this EMS industry,” said Neti.

Thank you for your passion and dedication to your career and our community, Neti!