# do you like driving?



## Joe (Dec 13, 2011)

just a random question. so far most the people ive talked to in person say either they hate driving or the love it. i know in the ALS units the emt is gonna drive to the hospital but what about you and your partner? do you love driving or hate it? im undecided. i am going to get a new partner tomorrow and i dont know what to tell him/her haha. we respond code to the call every time no matter what. we code to the hospital probably 70% or so ive noticed so far. i love driving to the call so far but with all the fd medics and my partner in the back i get kinda scared. i find myself going too slow sometimes. like wide open road speed limit of 55 im doing like 40 O__o ive picked up my pace a little more now


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## Simusid (Dec 13, 2011)

I don't mind driving.  I definitely do not *love* it.    Most of the cars I've owned can fit easily in the back of an ambulance (fiat 128, Rabbit, RX7, Z4).    I'll tell you what I *hate* though.....   backing up..... ugh


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## STXmedic (Dec 13, 2011)

I prefer driving. Not because I love it, but I don't trust other people to drive


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## JPINFV (Dec 13, 2011)

I preferred splitting driving duties. I don't hate driving, but it sucks to attend all day OR drive all day.


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## lightsandsirens5 (Dec 13, 2011)

Joe said:


> just a random question. so far most the people ive talked to in person say either they hate driving or the love it. i know in the ALS units the emt is gonna drive to the hospital but what about you and your partner? do you love driving or hate it? im undecided. i am going to get a new partner tomorrow and i dont know what to tell him/her haha. *we respond code to the call every time no matter what.* we code to the hospital probably 70% or so ive noticed so far. i love driving to the call so far but with all the fd medics and my partner in the back i get kinda scared. i find myself going too slow sometimes. like wide open road speed limit of 55 im doing like 40 O__o ive picked up my pace a little more now




:blink: Cereal?


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## WolfmanHarris (Dec 13, 2011)

Joe said:


> just a random question. so far most the people ive talked to in person say either they hate driving or the love it. i know in the ALS units the emt is gonna drive to the hospital but what about you and your partner? do you love driving or hate it?



We alternate call for call. I don't dislike driving and I do enjoy the focus and challenge needed to respond effectively and safely in our more urban areas, I don't really care which one of us is behind the wheel. When it comes to the odd out of town transfer we do, I would way rather be in the back. That's deadly boring.



> we respond code to the call every time no matter what.



Really?! If the call information is stubbed toe? Or generally unwell? Or fall 3 days prev difficulty ambulating, you respond L&S to these? Do you have discretion not to? 



> we code to the hospital probably 70% or so ive noticed so far.



Why? I'd say less than 5% of calls here get an L&S return, if that. STEMI's, Stroke bypass, trauma bypass, pre or post-arrest and the very, very infrequent working code are about it.



> i love driving to the call so far but with all the fd medics and my partner in the back i get kinda scared. i find myself going too slow sometimes. like wide open road speed limit of 55 im doing like 40 O__o ive picked up my pace a little more now



No. Slower is probably better in these cases. Well, certainly smoother is. Get them there safe without throwing anyone around.


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## Handsome Robb (Dec 13, 2011)

I don't mind driving. I don't like to do it the whole shift but if we have an all ALS day I don't have much of a choice. Most partners are good about taking the wheel for a bit once they are finished charting or at least asking if you would like to ride shotgun for a bit. I do agree with poetic on liking to drive for the simple fact of not being super comfortable with some people driving. 

I'm not a big fan of driving code to the hospital, for the sake of my partner's safety. In the rarity that we do a code return they are so busy that they usually aren't belted in. With that said our code returns to the ER are at the speed limit unless you have an open stretch and only really using RLS to clear intersections.


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## DrParasite (Dec 13, 2011)

WolfmanHarris said:


> We alternate call for call. I don't dislike driving and I do enjoy the focus and challenge needed to respond effectively and safely in our more urban areas, I don't really care which one of us is behind the wheel. When it comes to the odd out of town transfer we do, I would way rather be in the back. That's deadly boring.


I much rather be in the back on the long out of town (and occasional out of state) transfers.  driving the ambulance for more than an hour puts me to sleep, and it's not good when that happens if I'm behind the wheel.


WolfmanHarris said:


> Really?! If the call information is stubbed toe? Or generally unwell? Or fall 3 days prev difficulty ambulating, you respond L&S to these? Do you have discretion not to?


we do.  stubbed toe can be referred cardiac pain from a diabetic (or so I was told on here or on another forum, i can't remember), plus people lie to dispatchers all the time, so what you are dispatched for and what is actually happening are often different things.  no discretion, it's in written policy, and I happen to agree with it.


WolfmanHarris said:


> Why? I'd say less than 5% of calls here get an L&S return, if that. STEMI's, Stroke bypass, trauma bypass, pre or post-arrest and the very, very infrequent working code are about it.


boss is trying to push for every single transport to be with L&S, regardless of patient condition.  I told him if he put that policy in writing, as well as stated that in the even of a crash due to unnecessary use of L&S, they would cover all my legal fees and any other fees that resulted from the crash.  I'm still waiting to see it in writing.....

and I like driving, only because I hate writing charts, and whomever drives tends to do the initial assessment on the patient.  but we mostly switch off every call.


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## Anjel (Dec 13, 2011)

I work a double basic truck. We alternate every other call driving. 

I absolutely hate it. I have hit two things. And will not back up without a spotter.


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## Joe (Dec 13, 2011)

wow there are alot more people on here that like driving than ive found in my division.

yea we are contractually obligated to respond l&s to every single call. if dude called and said he was having trouble pooping, chances are we respond l&s. and yea we do code to the hospital quite often


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## Nerd13 (Dec 13, 2011)

I hate driving. I love my job. Part of my job is driving. I've been forced to get over it. I still hate it but it's not as bad and being a paramedic I get most of the patients so its not so bad.


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## Joe (Dec 13, 2011)

you know it was kinda funny. in school all i wanted to do as an emt is run l&s. now i think i actually get more enjoyment frrom the pt's and firefighters i deal with than i ever thought i could get driving. its kinda weird. i actually dont even mind the paperwork.


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## Handsome Robb (Dec 13, 2011)

Anjel1030 said:


> I absolutely hate it. I have hit two things. And will not back up without a spotter.



We have backup cameras


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## STXmedic (Dec 13, 2011)

NVRob said:


> We have backup cameras



Our bus (bus, not ambulance) has three cameras, and I hate them. The backup camera is useful, but the sides blow.


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## JPINFV (Dec 13, 2011)

NVRob said:


> We have backup cameras




I know how to use my mirrors.


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## Handsome Robb (Dec 13, 2011)

JPINFV said:


> I know how to use my mirrors.



Only thing I use the camera for is distance once I get myself in the spot, other than that, it's all mirrors. 

We have a drivecam, backup cam and camera that turns on when your right blinker is on.


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## cynikalkat (Dec 13, 2011)

Simusid said:


> I don't mind driving. I definitely do not *love* it. Most of the cars I've owned can fit easily in the back of an ambulance (fiat 128, Rabbit, RX7, Z4). I'll tell you what I *hate* though..... backing up..... ugh


 
I too have driven things that fit inside ambulances (even a vanbulance). Also, I loathe backing up! Im learning!


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## CritterNurse (Dec 13, 2011)

I'm a fairly new ambulance driver. I can count on one hand how many times I've driven with a patient. I took AVOC a year and a half ago, and EVOC earlier this year. I also took the in-house driving practice which involves first driving around town with certain people in the department, then moving on to driving the ambulance back from the hospitals, before you start driving to calls and driving with patients.

I clench my jaw when driving. I'm white-knuckled. I'd rather clean up explosive diarrhea or projectile vomit from the back of the ambulance. 

I'm more relaxed driving when there's no patient, but knowing there's a patient back there and that people are trying to work makes me stressed.

I know with time and practice I'll feel more comfortable driving, but right now if someone else volunteers to drive, fine with me.

In my own car I'll start to sing along with my MP3 player if I'm finding myself clenching my jaw. It helps relax me, and its hard to clench your teeth when singing. I'm afraid I can't get away with that in the ambulance. I know most people in my area haven't heard of the stuff I like. And I know I can't sing. We can listen to the radio on the way back to the station, but the radio is off when going to a call or transporting a patient.


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## Handsome Robb (Dec 13, 2011)

CritterNurse said:


> I'm a fairly new ambulance driver. I can count on one hand how many times I've driven with a patient. I took AVOC a year and a half ago, and EVOC earlier this year. I also took the in-house driving practice which involves first driving around town with certain people in the department, then moving on to driving the ambulance back from the hospitals, before you start driving to calls and driving with patients.
> 
> I clench my jaw when driving. I'm white-knuckled. I'd rather clean up explosive diarrhea or projectile vomit from the back of the ambulance.
> 
> ...



Remind me to never be in a vehicle that you're driving. 

Come on people, it's not rocket science. Think of it as a UHaul with red lights and a noise maker.


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## Simusid (Dec 13, 2011)

I'm always conscious of the crew behind me and the patient's comfort too.  But my ambulance doesn't corner like my tiny convertible.  Once in a while that is a problem if I'm not paying attention.   Once in a while I don't take the corners quite wide enough so that's a problem too.    

I can't be blamed for the horrific new england pot holes though.


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## truetiger (Dec 13, 2011)

I like splitting the driving to the call 50/50. I don't mind one bit driving from scene to hospital


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## JPINFV (Dec 13, 2011)

CritterNurse said:


> In my own car I'll start to sing along with my MP3 player if I'm finding myself clenching my jaw. It helps relax me, and its hard to clench your teeth when singing. I'm afraid I can't get away with that in the ambulance. I know most people in my area haven't heard of the stuff I like. And I know I can't sing. We can listen to the radio on the way back to the station, but the radio is off when going to a call or transporting a patient.


Just remember, slower is always better for the back, and you can always close that little door between the cab and the patient compartment.


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## Handsome Robb (Dec 13, 2011)

JPINFV said:


> Just remember, slower is always better for the back, and you can always close that little door between the cab and the patient compartment.



You guys have a door? We just have a little square pass-through with no option of closing it.


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## JPINFV (Dec 13, 2011)

NVRob said:


> You guys have a door? We just have a little square pass-through with no option of closing it.



Yep. The Wheeled Coach and Horton ambulances had a full walkthrough (although very tight) with a door and the Leaders had a more square like opening that also had a door. However, since the companies I worked for required posting, the door was open for the most part since we used that area to store backpacks.


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## Aprz (Dec 13, 2011)

I am with JPINFV, splitting it. Driving is a nice break from patients. Patients are a nice break from driving. When I first started driving, I wasn't very comfortable with it. I am starting to get used to Type III Ford E450 (there are several types of this one too e.g. heavy duty, I like the smaller ones more). I still prefer Type II Ford E350, and dislike Type II Dodge Sprinters. My least favorite thing about the Sprinters isn't driving it, but the radio control panel, AC, and clock is a really whacked out setup in my opinion. I don't like that the gear shift either, but since it isn't manual, I don't really have to play with that anyhow. My favorite thing about driving the E350 is when you press the gas peddle, you can hear the engine roaring, and the ambulance starts to shake, it feels like turbulence when sitting in a plane (free massage), and you find out you're only going 25 mph. The Sprinter lacks those features.


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## FourLoko (Dec 14, 2011)

We have drivers and attendants. Dual drivers is only required on 24 hour shifts.

I don't mind driving because it's pretty routine. Recently however many of our frequent flyers have been more unstable and I've been stressing myself out as I pass every freeway exit trying to remember which hospital is the closest and how to get there.


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## Joe (Dec 15, 2011)

FourLoko said:


> We have drivers and attendants. Dual drivers is only required on 24 hour shifts.
> 
> I don't mind driving because it's pretty routine. Recently however many of our frequent flyers have been more unstable and I've been stressing myself out as I pass every freeway exit trying to remember which hospital is the closest and how to get there.



This is where a gps with nearest hospitals feature comes in handy Haha.


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## Aidey (Dec 16, 2011)

JPINFV said:


> Just remember, slower is always better for the back, and you can always close that little door between the cab and the patient compartment.



I disagree, smooth is good, but you have to find a balance between smooth and driving so slow you are a traffic hazard.


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## Handsome Robb (Dec 16, 2011)

Aidey said:


> I disagree, smooth is good, but you have to find a balance between smooth and driving so slow you are a traffic hazard.



I'm still working on this. Any hints? haha.


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## JPINFV (Dec 16, 2011)

Aidey said:


> I disagree, smooth is good, but you have to find a balance between smooth and driving so slow you are a traffic hazard.




To me, the important place for slow is turns and bumps. Going over train tracks? Go slow. Making a right turn? Go slow. If you think you're going too slow, you're probably going the right speed.


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## bw2529 (Dec 16, 2011)

I'm a driver, not yet an EMT, so I'd say yes: for now, I like driving. Once I get my card, I may change my mind.


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## DesertMedic66 (Dec 16, 2011)

I like an even 50/50 split. I have been complimented by medics on my driving. But once I am in my personal truck I am a totally different driver.


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## Aidey (Dec 16, 2011)

JPINFV said:


> To me, the important place for slow is turns and bumps. Going over train tracks? Go slow. Making a right turn? Go slow. If you think you're going too slow, you're probably going the right speed.



I agree that there are times to be slow but my main partner is such an overly cautious driver all the time that it is a problem. Ironically he almost never says anything about hard stops and bumps.* He will give up the right of way in almost all situations, doesn't turn right on red lights, and waits for all lanes to be clear before turning into a multilane roadway. So if there are 3 west bound lanes he waits until all 3 are clear before turning into the inside lane. 

Oh, and speaking of the inside lane he hates driving in it because he feels that it isn't as safe as the outside lane, even though he admits he has no evidence that one lane is safer than the other. 

Taking corners, bumps and turns slow is one thing, going 10mph under the speed limit on a straight stretch on the interstate is another. 

Edit: No, my partner is not some 19 year old kid who has only had a license for 2 years. He has had his license for 15 years or so. 

*His philosophy is that if his foot is already on or near the brake there is no point in warning us in the back because we already know he is stopping.


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## Joe (Dec 16, 2011)

I also hate inside lanes. Half the time cars poke out from side streets and block like half the lane. Other than that this is mu 3rd straight shift if driving and I love it. And I always warn my partner of numbs and stuff. The last thing I want is for her to fall and hit something haha


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## Aidey (Dec 16, 2011)

If a car is poking out from the side street they will block the whole outside lane before they block the inside lane. 

Inside lanes, or the left most lane have a number of advantages. They are generally smoother because there are no storm drains, driveways etc along the side of them. Also if you need to upgrade to code you are already in the correct lane.


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## Handsome Robb (Dec 16, 2011)

We drive everywhere in the left lane for the most part. For the exact reasons you stated, Aidey. I drive the speed limit but am slow on stops and starts during transport. It might make other people a bit grumpy but my FTO made me ride around on a backboard on the stretcher for a bit, not a pleasant experience.


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## saskgirl (Dec 16, 2011)

I would way rather be in the back than drive, but lately I've been with the rookie who isn't allowed to drive unless empty, so I gotta drive...


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## NomadicMedic (Dec 16, 2011)

I only drive the medic unit to calls now. Every call that I take, I'm in the back of someone else's ambulance, so I'm at the mercy of a driver I may not know. ;(. The bumps and turns can be brutal if I'm with a driver that doesn't quite get the "slow and smooth". 

I do miss driving the ambulance a little.


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## mycrofft (Dec 16, 2011)

*Liked driving?*








Not so much in the winter.

Seriously, I liked it where I was knowledgeable about the streets, but when I moved I wound up permanently in the back. Herding those Cadillacs was like flying a F-104 anyway, not much lateral wheelbase and way too much horses, and rearwards visibility like you were driving a storm culvert.


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## Imacho (Dec 16, 2011)

Depends. I only drive the Chevy units. They have the sort of feel that the wheels are actually connected to the steering wheels. And the suspensions actually absorbs the bumps and pot holes and I can actually maintain control of the vehicle.  When it comes to the Fords, I hate driving. I feel like I'm gonna die every time I turn the wheel. No sense of connection to the road at all.  So I may drive once a month just to break the repetition of tending.


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## Joe (Dec 16, 2011)

Aidey said:


> If a car is poking out from the side street they will block the whole outside lane before they block the inside lane.
> 
> Inside lanes, or the left most lane have a number of advantages. They are generally smoother because there are no storm drains, driveways etc along the side of them. Also if you need to upgrade to code you are already in the correct lane.



Oops!  Sorry i may have been tired when I read all that stuff about inside and outside lanes . We usually roll in the lane closest to the center.


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