The "Inexperienced, experienced EMT"

Hey everybody, so I have been working for a company for about 3 months now...learned the ropes pretty good, I have quite a few medics who like working with me (at least they act like it around me and i hear good things lol) and the other day they were complaining to me about another basic who is not doing so well (two in face, one hired with me another who's been around for awhile) both of these basics kind of freeze/freak out with the brown stuff hits the spinning thingy. One of the basics just got his card (literally got his card after he was hired) so its kind of expected the other basic has been an EMT longer than I and worked for this company longer than I....still has no clue where they are driving (sometimes needs directions back to the station) and has gotten lost on the way to the hospital a few times....then can not locate things on the rig...

anybody else every run into this problem/what did you do?

With people like that, I never did get into the drama of complaining about them to other crew. I would tell my concerns to a supervisor if I had first-hand experience with them. The second thing I would do after that is... nothing unless I was scheduled to work together. Then if that happens, I will generally give them very explicit instructions about what to do and when to do it. I've worked with people like that before and sometimes they need to be given very specific directions so they don't have to think.

I remember my first experience like this. I had been an EMT for ~1 month, and was working what was supposed to be a transfer shift with a guy who had been doing it for like 10 years. Should be a nice, easy shift, I say to myself.

Naturally, we get dispatched to an emergency right away. Partner says to leave the gear in the truck because we won't need it - I listen to him because hey he's been doing this forever and I'm a total newbie. We walk inside. Turns out we need that gear... On scene partner is completely useless and doesn't know what to do (I guess this is why he only works IFT despite his seniority). At this point I say to myself, "well, I guess I'm the senior EMT for today," and basically take over.

You will run into this kind of person everywhere you go in EMS. Both kinds actually, the ones who complain about other employees behind their backs and the ones who lose their cool when the poop hits the air mover. Best thing I think is to keep your mouth shut unless you actually witness them do something that needs to be reported, i.e. something that puts another person's safety at risk or negatively affects a patient outcome. If you have to work with them, just as Akulahawk says, give them very specific instructions. That will help clear things up for them and give them something to concentrate on.

As for the ones who do the complaining, try not to join in. Its easy to get caught up in it but its just plain disrespectful and damages your own credibility.