"We basically followed a trail of blood up the stairs," he says. "When we found the first patient there was no blood in her body; it was all on the floor. Then we walk into the bathroom and there was hanging in the shower."

As a current student, says he sometimes finds himself an awkward situation when he to calls at Harvard.

"I've done calls on I know and walked into their and they didn't even recognize me," says. "You see people at their When you see somebody face in a pool of vomit you don't hold it them."

Pro has a positive relationship with University Services, Mergendahl says.

"We have very good relationship with Harvard Health Services overall and Harvard University Police as well," he

But paramedic says students often go UHS for serious medical problems they would be better off at a hospital.

"People that are go [to UHS] and they shouldn't Powers says. "Their health is

Paramedic

Being a paramedic some notorious side effects, including odd sense of humor.

"I a unique job, and it's much like being a firefighter or a police officer," Mergendahl says. "The people that it attracts are naturally people that have to deal with all sorts of strange circumstances. Consequently, I don't know if it's a defense mechanism or what, you develop an odd sense of humor and a slightly strange way of looking at things."

Tripp says he has experienced a similar phenomenon.

"Everyone talks about paramedics' gallows humor," he says. "It's just a way of coping. If you didn't laugh, you wouldn't survive."

Tripp also says anyone who plans on being a paramedic should do it for the love of the job, not the money.

"This profession is under-paid anywhere you go," he says.

Pro, like most ambulance services, collects income by billing the patients it picks up, but does not discriminate against those who don't have health insurance or aren't able to pay.