Icelandic woman taking medical skills home from Fall River

Far from her home in Husavik, Iceland, Maria Sigurros Ingadottir is training at St. Anne’s Hospital to be an emergency medical services technician.

FALL RIVER – Far from her home in Husavik, Iceland, Maria Sigurros Ingadottir is training at St. Anne’s Hospital to be an emergency medical services technician.

She’s also enjoying the local culture, some shopping and even a “Portuguese steak with an egg on top.”

Ingadottir, a nurse in Iceland, plans to earn her certification and take her skills home where she’ll work as a Red Cross EMT on one of the few ambulances available in her north coast town of the sparsely populated country.

“We don’t have any paramedic programs in Iceland,” Ingadottir said. “We have to go elsewhere.”

In fact, there are less than 100 paramedics in the country of about 350,000. Ingadottir will be the third certified female EMT in all of Iceland.

That’s because there are “so few” ambulance calls in Iceland, including in her town of roughly 2,500, she explained.

“It can take hours for one call,” Ingadottir said.

Most residents under Iceland’s national health care plan see their primary care doctor when illness strikes. Only true emergencies are treated with a call for an ambulance.

Those who do need medical help right away are often treated by an EMT on the spot. Otherwise, it’s at least an hour to the nearest “big hospital” by vehicle, or to the airport for air transit.

In Iceland, EMT’s are paid more than nurses. But for Ingadottir, it’s not about the money.

She said it’s a “challenge” to work as an EMT in Iceland, and that’s a big attraction.

“You have to be sometimes creative,” she said. “Sometimes you have to stabilize (a patient) with what you’ve got.”

It’s not uncommon for a paramedic in Iceland to perform more complex care than an EMT in the United States. That includes stitching a patient, which would not be allowed locally.

But, it makes sense in Iceland.

Ingadottir said the hospital in her town has no emergency room. It’s small and generally cares for the elderly or may take patients needing post-operative care from a larger hospital, and those being treated for pneumonia or lesser ailments.

Training at St. Anne’s Hospital, she’ll likely see as many ambulance calls in one shift as she will in six months in her town.

Ingadottir said that “everything is big here,” including the number of patients in and out of St. Anne’s Hospital, the ambulance calls, and even the number of restaurants and places to shop. “There’s so much.”

Ingadottir, 30, a mom of a 4-year-old, said the training, air fare and lodging, will cost her roughly $26,000 U.S. dollars.

But, it’s been a long-term goal for her.

“I really thought this was the best time to do this,” Ingadottir said. “My dream is to be a paramedic.”

Traveling to the United States — it’s not her first time — is also a vacation. When Ingadottir’s not training or studying, she’s planning day trips. The Wrentham Outlets is a favorite spot and one she’s visited in the past. She’s been to Providence and Newport and even saw Radio Head in concert.

She’s also enjoyed some local cuisine. She said she likes Portuguese restaurants because they serve a lot of seafood. But, she’s no stranger to meat, including that Portuguese steak she recently enjoyed. What she misses is leg of lamb, a popular dish in Iceland. She said it’s a much more gamie flavor than is available here.

Another thing she likes here is the heat. “It’s cold in Iceland right now,” Ingadottir said.

Ingadottir is training through a program of the National Medical Education & Training Center, with a local office in West Bridgewater.

Ingadottir said she learned about the program and sent an email to express her interest.

“I heard this was a really good school,” Ingadottir said.

Ingadottir, who will fly home at the end of the month, plans to return in several weeks for additional training before she tests for certification.

“The staff here is so helpful,” Ingadottir said.

For Ron Audette, St. Anne’s Hospital EMS manager, it’s unique to have an international trainee. Between the cost to Ingadottir, travel, and extensive training she’s been undergoing, he said he was “in awe of” Ingadottir.

“I knew the staff here would embrace Maria. They’ll miss you when you’re gone,” he told Ingadottir.

Email Deborah Allard at dallard@heraldnews.com