“When you let go of everything and focus on what it is that you can do for others it's amazing what you can discover about yourself.”
Shane Morris is a Florida State University student dedicated to providing the FSU campus and its student body with exceptional medical care.
From the beginning of Morris’ academic career at FSU, he was interested in the medical field and improving the quality of medical care on campus.
“I’m very passionate about the medical field for a multitude of reasons; however, to put it simply it’s all about helping others,” Morris said. “I find that from helping others there comes a certain sense of happiness and joy that you can’t find anywhere else.”
Morris aspires to work in the medical field after he graduates. He believes that every level of medical care is important and that being able to care for the sick and injured would be a rewarding career.
“Whether it is simply providing an ice pack for a bruise or life-saving care for patients, the field is tremendously rewarding,” Morris said.
In order to gain further medical experience and help the community, Morris joined the FSU Medical Response Unit, a basic life support and quick response unit that is staffed by trained student volunteers.
The unit provides a safety net on the FSU campus in case of medical emergencies in addition to the normal response already provided by the FSU Police Department and the community 911 system. The unit is available to any campus organization requesting assistance for campus events and to any students in need of medical assistance.
After joining the organization, Morris was elected as their executive director and has served in the role for two consecutive years.
“It is an honor to have the opportunity to share my passion for medicine alongside some of the brightest students and faculty this university has to offer,” Morris said. “While working with the medical response unit for the past four years, I have gained a substantial amount of medical experience.”
Morris is always looking for new innovative ways to improve the quality and effectiveness of medical care at FSU. With the help of the FSU student senate, Morris achieved adding two new emergency response vehicles to the unit.
“Knowing that our response vehicles will reliably get us to the scene of an emergency is essential,” Morris said. “It gives us the confidence to be able to carry out our duties with effectiveness and precision.”
Kristin Hernandez, the assistant program coordinator of the FSU medical response unit, describes Morris as a hardworking student dedicated to serving the campus community with the best possible medical care.
“Shane’s commitment to the success of our unit is admirable, and his drive to make sure we are providing the FSU campus the best possible services reflects his determination to succeed at whatever he pursues,” Hernandez said.
Not only is Morris committed to improving the quality of medical care at FSU, he also seeks to spread his knowledge and training of medicine to other parts of the world. He is a member the Tallahassee Haiti Medical Team, an organization comprised of volunteer doctors, nurses, EMTs and students who provide medical care and services to the people of Haiti.
Morris has volunteered for the organization for the past two years and said his time working with them was one of the greatest highlights of his FSU career. The first trip he took to Haiti changed his life.
“When you let go of everything and focus on what it is that you can do for others it’s amazing what you can discover about yourself,” he said. “On a humanistic level I couldn’t help but feel empathy and a burning desire to help the people of Haiti in anyway I could, whether it be medically or as simply lending a hand.”
Whether Morris is providing emergency care for students at FSU or lending a hand and medical services to under privileged communities in the world, it is evident that Morris’ calling is to help others.
After graduation, Morris plans on attending medical school and then hopes to become an emergency physician. His ultimate goal is to continue to travel to underprivileged areas of the world in order to provide them with better medical care and service.
“I aspire to return to countries like Haiti and provide the healthcare they so desperately need, no longer as an EMT but as a practicing physician,” Morris said. “My experiences providing medical care as an EMT for the last five years have most definitely sculpted an image of who I want to be and how I plan on becoming that person.”
By Victoria Sagebiel, University Communications Intern
Produced by the offices of Information Technology Services, the Provost, Student Affairs, Undergraduate Studies and University Communications.