HOUSTON — A medical career requires great commitment, hard work, and endurance.

If anyone knows this, it’s Alberto Benitez.

His coworkers at Spirit EMS voted him as the 2022 Spirit EMS Employee of the Year. Benitez, a basic EMT, said he does what any employee would do.

“I was shocked,” Benitez said in a press release. “I was just doing what any job would ask me to do. I’ve been working my whole life. My dad owns a Mexican restaurant in Auglaize County. That’s what my life has always been, to work and keep people happy.”

Benitez, 22, has been with Spirit for about two years. He first started working with them after he graduated from their EMT Scholarship Program.

He works out of their Houston station and makes medical transports, as well as takes 911 calls from the Houston area.

Being an EMT gives Benitez an outlet to make people feel safe and happy around him.

“I always tell people to always treat people the way you want to be treated,” he said. “I always treat everyone with a lot of respect. With this company, I felt that. I felt safe, I felt like I could really make a difference.”

Benitez said his decision to get into the medical field came out of nowhere.

“When I decided to become an EMT, it was very different from what I wanted to do.,” he said. “I was accepted into college to be a performing arts student. You never really know your true calling until it reaches out to you. EMTs and first responders were really knocking at my door.”

Spirit EMS President/CEO Brian K. Hathaway said it wasn’t a shock to him when Benitez received the top votes for employee of the year.

“Alberto is one of the most dedicated people you could meet,” Hathaway said in the release. “His overall great demeanor and constant willingness to go above and beyond for his patients, facility staff, and co-workers is well recognized. It was great to see him receive this honor and we are excited to see him continue to grow as an EMS professional.”

As a part of the honor of being named employee of the year, Hathaway said not only was Benitez awarded a 75-inch big screen television, but a professional picture was taken that now banners the side of an ambulance that only the Employee of the Year and whomever he is running with gets to drive.

“The idea was derived from a trucking company I saw that recognized their employee of the year by giving them a semi that had employee of the year on the side,” Hathaway said. “After I saw that, it sparked an idea for me to take that one step farther and have a photo of the Employee of the Year made up and then placed on the side doors of the ambulance.”

In light of his award, Benitez thanked upper management for the many opportunities they’ve offered.

“They’ve really given me the stepping stone to be a better worker,” he said. “I’m actually going to join their paramedic program in June. I want to expand my opportunities.”

Spirit EMS is located at 5484 State Route 49 S., Greenville, with additional locations in Defiance, Houston, Sidney, Van Wert, Celina, and Liberty, Indiana. Due to expanded needs for their services, Spirit is hiring for all locations.

For more information on open positions or to apply, go to www.spiritmedicaltransport.com/job-openings