( Alumni Profile: Darren & Becky Young )
Teamwork at Its Best
C
areer and marriage seem to be a perfect match for
Darren '95 and Becky Gerber Young '95. Their common
bond of nursing appears to strengthen their marital bond.
"I'll come home and he'll ask me what kind of patients I had or
what kind ofday I had,and he understands the terminology I
use. That's kind of nice," says Becky. Darren explains it in
more technical terms:"We use the same nomenclature."
Darren and Becky met in 1991 while freshmen at Cedarville.
They had many of the same classes and participated in many of
the same activities. They both worked at Cedarville's EMS,
where Darren served as chieffor two years. While in college,
they started volunteering with the Cedarville Township
Volunteer Fire Department.
After graduating from Cedarville in 1995,Darren and Becky
both went to paramedic school at Clark State Community
College in Springfield, Ohio.Becky also worked at Children's
Medical Center in Dayton, while Darren worked at Greene
Memorial Hospital in Xenia.About a year later, Darren went to
work at Children's, and they started dating. They were married
in May 1998.
"Right after we got married I went to work at Miami Valley
Hospital," Becky says. At first she worked in the emergency
room and then transferred to Careflight."We fly to the scene of
an accident," she shares."We also do inter-hospital transports.
Most of these are critical cases where time is important."
The new position meant more training and more
responsibilities."Because we don't have a doctor there, we
often have to make decisions on our own based on what we've
been taught. We have to use more skills than what a nurse is
trained to do," Becky explains. She plans to stay in that line of
nursing,saying,"I love being able to think on my feet. That can
be scary, because I am responsible for my decisions, but it's
also rewarding."
Darren's nursing career
is also heading in a more
challenging direction."I'm
back in school at Kettering
College of Medical Arts to
become a physician
assistant," he states.
Darren should receive his
physician assistant
certificate in July 2001.
He also works as needed
in the emergency
department at Children's
Medical Center in Dayton.
Darren explains that he
decided to go back to
school to advance his
career. He adds,"Because
of the time factor, I didn't
want to go to medical school. This allows me to work almost
like a doctor, but it only takes two years." He said physician
assistants have more autonomy than nurses."PAs kind of take
the place ofresident doctors," he says."They get training in
surgery and could do surgery with a physician present."
Darren says eventually he and Becky would like to do short-
term medical missions."A physician assistant has more
training,so it is suitable to that goal," he shares. Their missions
aspirations fit in well with their shared love oftraveling and
helping people.They are looking forward to adding this
exciting aspect to their nursing careers, but are waiting for the
right time."Now we would like to fit it in before we start a
family and after schooling," Darren comments.
Fitting things in seems to be the greatest personal struggle
this dual nursing career couple faces. Being on-call and working
long shifts can make planning and scheduling a little difficult.
"It's hard to commit to activities," Becky explains. The work
hours can also be challenging on their marriage. Becky says,
"Our schedules sometimes conflict. It is not uncommon for us
to go a couple of days without seeing each other."
Even so,they still find time for each other and for the
Cedarville Township Volunteer Fire Department.They live in
Cedarville, and if they both happen to be home when an
emergency arises, they go together. The Youngs enjoy the work
they do as volunteer paramedics."It's like a family down there.
That was one of the reasons we stayed in Cedarville," Darren
explains.
Though Darren and Becky haven't moved far away since
leaving Cedarville College,they have certainly gone a long way
in the nursing profession. Becky said her Cedarville education
has really helped her progress in her career."The strong ethical
teaching and emphasis on morals help me make good
decisions," she shares. Darren adds,"They taught us to think for
ourselves by promoting
critical thinking skills."
Darren says another way his
Cedarville nursing training
has prepared him for his
career is that he has been
trained to look at the whole
person."For instance," he
notes,"when someone
comes in with an abdominal
pain complaint,I have to be
in tune to other factors, like
maybe his home situation.
Sometimes I might find
that the abdominal is
psychosomatic.I really like
[the training I received at
Cedarville]."
Inspire 15
