As a child, I had always anticipated being a cadet in one way or the other.

As a Boy

As a boy, I had always imagined myself as a cadet in some capacity. I used to spend a lot of time reading medical books on first aid, such as When There Is No Doctor (Carol, David & Jane). I had a great urge and sense of mission to become a doctor at some stage in my life. This was reinforced by my parents’ remarks about how brilliant I was and how deserving I was of being a doctor. This drive and mentality prompted me to apply for a spot on the St. John’s cadet team at my high school, American High School in California. The procedure for joining the cadets was stringent, requiring high discipline standards and an enormous amount of endurance (Maxwell, Thuman, & Werner, 1992).

The Joining Process

The potential recruits were first required to apply for a membership position and drop their applications in the clubhouse of the St. John’s cadet. The applications were considered and the best members selected by the current officers who headed the club. After this stringent process, the suitable applicants were selected for rigorous elimination training exercises. It is only the applicants who passed these rigorous exercises and tests that made it to be cadets. The exercises took approximately two weeks and were tailored to ensure that only the cream made it as cadets.

Impressions and Experiences

It can be then understood when I say that I was impressed when I was accepted in the cadet programmed at the school. This was significant to me in two ways; it showed that I was among the best candidates while at the same time it provided me with the opportunity to experience firs hand what it was like to give first aid to real people. I had read a lot of content on how to perform first aid but never practiced it in real life. The best part was that the cadets would be trained in the club on how to perform their duties. On my part, it was largely a practical exercise that I had been keen on engaging in. The appointment was exhilarating while the experience was beyond definition.

Engaging as a Cadet

While a cadet, I engaged in several practice activities and won some few awards such as the award for the cadet of the year. The cadets were the first line of medical attention when a student was injured. Cadets were often required to go on camping with fellow students and be close to student activities that involved physical exercises, particularly games. In these instances, they were standby first aid assistants. I tended to fellow students with broken limbs and various illnesses. This was truly giving back to the society. I have always been enthusiastic about helping the needy in society and this was a clear way for me to do so. As much as the joining of the cadet fraternity was the significant part, the awards that I got and the potential avenues that were linked with the cadet rank were welcome added benefits that I enjoyed (St. John Ambulance, 2017).

Key Events

The key events that were of significance were;

1. Joining the cadet fraternity

2. Getting promoted to sergeant within the fraternity

3. Attending to the medically needy students in the school.

Conclusion

As I write this essay, I have the opportunity to see broken bones in terms of compound and simple fractures, tended them and often seen the students recover their ability to walk. This has been most fulfilling to me and all started with the joining of the cadet fraternity which is the significant event that this paper addresses.

References

Maxwell, J., Thuman, C., & Werner, D. (1992). Where There Is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook, Revised Edition. Berkely: Hesperian Foundation; Revised edition.

St. John Ambulance. (2017, February). Youth programs at St John Ambulance. Retrieved from sja.org.uk: http://www.sja.org.uk/sja/young-people.aspx