Daniel "Wesley" Brookshear

Daniel "Wesley" Brookshear was blessed to grow up in a family of public servants; his mother is a licensed practical nurse (LPN), his aunt served in the U.S. Army, and another aunt works as a police officer. He also watched his parents devote themselves to providing a joyful and fulfilling childhood for him and his two sisters; one of whom has special needs and required full-time care. Their example of selfless care and compassion inspired Wesley to pursue an emergency medical services (EMS) career.

Wesley's EMS journey began 22 years ago when he discovered American Medical Response (AMR). First working in Knoxville, he got his feet wet in the field before he transferred to Colorado Springs to earn his college degree.

He says, "[AMR] helped pay for my bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership at Colorado State University as well as my master’s degree in education and human resource studies."

This opportunity—now known as American Medical Response’s Earn While You Learn (EWYL) program, an award-winning training course that enables future emergency medical technicians (EMTs) to study while earning a paycheck—prepared Wesley for his future in EMS. After seven years spent earning his degrees, he gained certification and joined AMR Colorado Springs full-time.

The skills Wesley continued to develop in the field made him an increasingly valuable team member, one who could effectively communicate those skills to others. "AMR helped fuel my passion for education by supporting me," Wesley says, and so he then gave back and helped support the next generation through teaching, which led him to become a clinical education specialist in 2018.

Wesley later returned home to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he has held professional roles including supervisor and field training officer. He's currently a field training coordinator, overseeing AMR Knoxville's Mission District outreach program for East Tennessee, helping unhoused individuals with wound care and resource management. In addition, he continues to work on an ambulance in his free time as a critical care paramedic; a position to which he advanced solely out of interest and love of the profession.

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Wesley concludes, "The greatest gift in EMS is being welcomed into a complete stranger's home and caring for their most valuable treasure, their loved one, during a time of need."

This beautiful sentiment is precisely what makes Wesley a meaningful part of GMR and EMS. This organization's gratitude for him, having witnessed his growth as an educator and clinician, is truly special. Any EMS professionals who follow in Wesley's footsteps are sure to shine brightly in their careers, in the same way that he continues to do so.