Everyone, Everyday. Relentlessly: Meet Paramedic Rachel Patullo

As we update our brand name to UMass Memorial Health and launch a new brand campaign, it’s time to tell the world who we are, what we do and what we stand for as a health care system. Our relentless caregivers are the inspiration for the update of our new brand name and campaign. Find out more about these caregivers and how it takes everyone, every day, working together relentlessly to care for our patients and each other. This week, we interviewed Paramedic Rachel Patullo who shared with us stories from the field and what she loves most about the job.

Weeks after reporting for duty at a terrible fire in Worcester this past year, Rachel Patullo crossed paths with an eyewitness to the event in a nail salon who was struggling to cope with the aftermath. As they talked more, Rachel quickly realized the woman needed critical incident debriefing and connected her with the right counseling resources through UMass Memorial Health. Just like that, Rachel turned a weekly salon appointment into an opportunity to positively impact someone’s life. That’s the incredible power emergency medicine technicians (EMTs) and paramedics hold every day.

“You walk into someone who is so stressed out, and you are able to give them hope,” said Rachel. “The relief that you give when you explain to the first mom that babies cry and that’s okay, or that Dad is very sick, but you’re going to take him to the hospital and do everything you can for him on the way there.” 

Rachel was in school for nursing when her brother passed away suddenly. It was the compassion of the EMTs who stayed with her family for hours that inspired her to switch career paths. The day after her brother passed, Rachel recalls telling her mother, “Mom, I don’t want to be a nurse anymore. I want to be a paramedic. I want to do what they did for you. I want to help my community.” 

Now, Rachel does get to help her community every day with UMass Memorial Health and Worcester EMS. Months after crossing paths with the witness to the fire at the nail salon and setting her up with the right services, the woman reached back out to thank Rachel for all she had done. It’s stories like these that make us all incredibly grateful for all our caregivers who are willing to go above and beyond to deliver the care needed.

Rachel describes the unity and support her fellow EMTs give one another as unparalleled compared to any other job. Perhaps this is due to the practice these caregivers get supporting patients every day or even the bond that results from such a high-intensity job. “I’m an only child now, and when I lost my brother that was another big thing. I wanted the camaraderie and the brotherhood of being a part of something bigger,” Rachel said. “If I had a problem, I could call anybody, absolutely anybody in the department from the per diems to the people who haven’t been here in two years, and I would have someone to talk to.”

When she isn’t on call, Rachel’s favorite thing is spending time with her family. “My family is everything to me. I love my family,” Rachel said. “I would rather be hanging out with my mom and dad than most other people.”