Sarah Young was selected as Acadian’s 2016 Paramedic of the Year for its Louisiana/Mississippi operations, and has been employed with Acadian since March of 2014. She is stationed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Born in Juneau, Alaska, Sarah later moved to Washington State and began her EMS career at a fire-based EMS service. She attended paramedic class in Idaho. When she travelled to Baton Rouge for her clinical ride time, she soon decided that she wanted to make Baton Rouge her home.

Sarah has an amazing attitude and is a great employee and clinician. She sets the tone of the day by leading by example. She is a great leader for her co-workers and is a mentor every day on the job. As a safety and wellness committee member, Sarah is also a strong advocate for EMS safety.

Sarah remembers her most memorable call, hands-down, as the first time that she delivered a baby. She says, “Sometimes we are unable to save our patients despite our best efforts, but with childbirth you get to be there as a life is just beginning. It is such an incredible feeling to help a mother bring her little one into this world. To be there for their first moments and then to see the joy come across the mother’s face as she sees her baby for the first time, is incredible and unforgettable.”

To Sarah, being a paramedic means having the honor to serve her community and to be able to assist those in need. She says, “It is not something I take lightly, because that moment is the scariest time for a patient, and we have the ability to assist them through it and treat them with our skill set. I treat each patient as if they were a family member of mine, because they deserve the same kindness and compassion that we show to our loved ones when they are in need.” Sarah loves that her job allows her to “work within a dynamic team of first responders and other medical personnel to have a positive outcome for our patient. We are stronger together.”

When not working, Sarah enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking, and loves being outdoors.