PULSE Magazine | September 2019 Isssue

Meet-A-Medic: Kristina Pina, Clinical Specialist Communications

Hi, my name is Kristina Peña. I am a Clinical Specialist in Communications and have been with the department for 15 years. I have an amazing wife and two beautiful little boys! When I’m not at work you’ll find me soaking up every minute I can get with my loves at any, kid-friendly event or location in Austin!

Where are you from originally and what brought you to Austin? I am originally from a small town outside of Houston. I used to visit my aunt and uncle in Austin during the summer and fell in love with this city. I once wrote a letter to myself as a freshman in High School that said I was going to move to Austin and, once I graduated, I moved as soon as I could. What inspired you to become a medic/What attracted you to this career choice? I’d always been interested in the medical field and saw this as a great opportunity to be able to help people but in a different way. To use my patch and provide lifesaving instructions to, literally, hundreds of patients a week is pretty incredible. It’s a very fast paced, often stressful job and it takes a special kind of person to do it. How long have you been with ATCEMS and what motivated you to work here? I have been with ATCEMS for 15 years and it has FLOWN by! The first real job I got in Austin was as a dispatcher with the UT Police Department. I worked there for 5 years before a friend of mine told me of an opening for a dispatcher for a private ambulance company. Once I decided to pursue a career as a Communications Medic, working for Austin EMS was always the goal. I worked for Rural/Metro Ambulance for 1 year and, after gaining some experience and getting my EMT-Basic, I applied with ATCEMS. I had heard so many great things and knew I wanted to work with the best! I love a challenge and I knew this was the place for me.

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