Michelle Williams is studying to be an EMT, working for the Red Cross, serving at Union Square Cafe, and forging her career as an actor.

I just finished a 15-hour double shift at my restaurant. That may seem brutal to someone who's never done it, but, well, actually it is brutal. Still, we've all done it a thousand times. When I woke up I thought I would be upset about working all day, this day in particular. I missed all of the 9/11 services, including the first lighting of the Twin Towers memorial. But as the day wore on, it seemed fitting to be exactly where I was six months ago. Strangely, I happened to be working with the two men who stood with me and watched the towers fall.

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About 9:30 tonight I ran outside and over to Union Square West to get a glimpse of the lights. I stood there, shivering, wishing the towers were still there. My roommate had called and left a message that the memorial can be seen from my bedroom window. Had we moved here before October, we might have been able to see the Trade Center. Now the lights stretch incredibly high, higher than any building ever could.

The days I don't have class, I long for it. It's a terrific way to feel about school. Tomorrow night we continue the practicals for patient assessment and have a written test over that chapter. Friday night's practical covered the time between the EMT's arrival on the scene and determining the "CUPS" status: Critical, Unstable, Potentially Unstable, and Stable. You determine this status through the Rapid Trauma Assessment I mentioned in yesterday's entry. Right now we are only working with trauma patients; things will get more complicated when we start assessing medical patients. Tomorrow we will continue the practicals beyond the CUPS status to the end of patient care.

I am thankful that we are learning these skills in a logical sequence and breaking everything down—it is all about incredibly important decision-making. Beyond all of that, beyond my compulsion to ace the class and be an excellent student, I am learning something infinitely more applicable than algebra. A botched equation is one thing; a bungled assessment could be life threatening.

The most entertaining moments in class are the teachers' war stories. We have our main instructor and then six or seven others who show up for the practicals. They have drilled us in CPR, vital signs, lifting and moving patients, and now patient assessment. We all have our favorite teachers, for different reasons. But they all are talented and capable. I would feel safe if I called 911 and any one of them showed up at my door. At the same time, they are rough and funny, and they tell us what it is really like in the field. My favorite is a big blond fireman-paramedic with a foul mouth and a sharp sense of humor. While we were working on vital signs, he paced up and down the room, telling his war stories and readjusting our stethoscopes. He described a "blanket lift," which is where two EMTs lift patients who are lying on a blanket to carry them to a stretcher. One time he and his partner lifted from either side, and it turned out to be two blankets and "Gramma just hit the floor. SMACK!" We are junkies for trauma and everyone in the class was calling for more.

The practicals are hugely important, not just to teach us skills but also to see who is really meant to work in this field. First of all, you must be strong. My instructors keep insisting that it's all technique and form and how you must use a "power grip" and "power lift" but I don't believe they are entirely correct. Yes, form and technique are vital, but strength is what keeps us from dropping patients down several flights of stairs. We had two days of this practical, taking turns being the EMT and being the patient. I will attest, right now, that being carried down two flights of stairs strapped to a long piece of plastic or a metal and mesh chair is NOT my idea of comfort or fun. It certainly generates compassion. Add to that the terror of having just broken your leg or having had a heart attack and then being carried down flights of stairs on a long piece of plastic.

There were some people in the class—both men and women—who struggled with this practical. They will simply have to hit the gym before they can get a job or they won't pass the physical. Carrying a 200-pound man down two flights of stairs on a long board is the most difficult physical thing I have ever done. I can do it, barely, but what if my first patient weighs 250 pounds? I guess I'll be calling for backup … or convincing some brawny firemen to come help.

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