# Why they call us ambulance drivers.



## rhan101277 (Apr 8, 2009)

This is good, I found it somewhere.  Hopefully it hasn't been posted before.

If any of you ever wonder why WE (EMT's and Paramedics) hate being called an ambulance driver….. this is why… 


You wouldn’t call a policeman a police-car driver or a firefighter a firetruck driver…. so, why call us Ambulance Drivers……

I am Just an ambulance driver, you say as I am on the scene of a vehicle accident that has a popular high school student that is trapped in the submedged S.U.V. in the creek as I’m standing in chest deep water,freezing rain falling and stinging as it hits the exposed parts of my body. Holding her head above water to keep her from drowning until rescue could get there to cut her free—
BUT I’M JUST AN AMBULANCE DRIVER

I comfort a 89 year old woman who just watch me and my partner cover the face of her husband of 64 years as he lay dead in their bathroom floor—
BUT I’M JUST AN AMBULANCE DRIVER

I am on scene at another mva with mom trapped upside down in her car and her dead sons body laying on top of her without a second thought for my own safety i crawl into the wreckage to take C-spine control and calm the frantic lady—
BUT I’M JUST AN AMBULANCE DRIVER

I get called away from my just prepared meal to respond to the middle of B.F.E to a house with no numbers,no porch light on,nobody waiting to signal us in and they :censored::censored::censored::censored::censored: because we took too long only to find out the patient left in there own vehicle ten minutes ago…so we smile and walk away from the verbal lashing only because we are
JUST AMBULANCE DRIVERS

I stand in the middle of the street at midnight on the wrong side of town trying to patch the holes and stop the bleeding of a 19 year old shooting victim with the occasional bullet wizzing past our heads we never break stride because this kids life is in our hands—
BUT I’M JUST AN AMBULANCE DRIVER

Or how bout doing chest compressions on a 16 year old girl who decided this life was more than she could take.Her family screaming at us to help as though we are the ones who did this to her.Her lifeless body flailing about as the tube goes in and IV’s being started, my arms and back burning from the pain of 30 minutes of CPR never once giving up, hoping she would make it through and over come whatever lead her to this bad decision—-
BUT I’M JUST AN AMBULANCE DRIVER

Death is all around me and still i go home to live my life
i get kicked,hit,spit on, bled on, puked on,cussed at and disrespected…
i look into the eyes of a lifeless child at 7am and by 8 am i’m holding my child a little tighter and they know nothing about what happened. i have hundreds of hours of classroom time
years of in the field experience i have challenged death and won.

i’ve helped the helpless
i’ve neglected my family for yours
i find comfort in complete chaos
i eat cold meals if i eat at all
i work with no sleep for days at a time
i miss birthdays,holidays and school functions
i put myself in harms way for a total stranger on a daily basis

ALL BECAUSE I AM JUST AN AMBULANCE DRIVER

I AM AN AMBULANCE DRIVER!!! I DRIVE 90 MPH THROUGH CONJESTED TRAFFIC FULL OF PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO YEILD RIGHT OF WAY WHILE MY PARTNER STANDS UNRESTRAINED IN THE BACK OF THIS SCREAMING LAND MISSLE SAVING YOUR LOVED ONES LIFE!! NEVER ONCE DOES HE QUESTION MY DRIVING HE KNOWS THAT AT THE END OF THIS SHIFT HE WILL GO HOME TO HIS FAMILY SAFELY BECAUSE I AM AN AMBULANCE DRIVER….


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## nomofica (Apr 8, 2009)

Yeah, it's been posted before.


And the thread went on to the "well some people ARE only ambulance drivers" segway.


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## el Murpharino (Apr 8, 2009)

rhan101277 said:


> I AM AN AMBULANCE DRIVER!!! I DRIVE 90 MPH THROUGH CONJESTED TRAFFIC FULL OF PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO YEILD RIGHT OF WAY WHILE MY PARTNER STANDS UNRESTRAINED IN THE BACK OF THIS SCREAMING LAND MISSLE SAVING YOUR LOVED ONES LIFE!! NEVER ONCE DOES HE QUESTION MY DRIVING HE KNOWS THAT AT THE END OF THIS SHIFT HE WILL GO HOME TO HIS FAMILY SAFELY BECAUSE I AM AN AMBULANCE DRIVER….



I never have nor never will drive 90 MPH in an ambulance...the smallest mistake or blown tire at that speed not only kills your patient, but everyone on board.

I understand this is a poem and not to be taken literally, I know of people who do drive with that type of disregard...it is not only unsafe, but unprofessional.  How much time do we really save driving balls-out like that?  Really...


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## rhan101277 (Apr 8, 2009)

Yeah I just drive 10mph over the limit.  No sense in driving in due dis-regard.


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## AJ Hidell (Apr 8, 2009)

el Murpharino said:


> I understand this is a poem and not to be taken literally, I know of people who do drive with that type of disregard...it is not only unsafe, but unprofessional.  How much time do we really save driving balls-out like that?  Really...


Of course you know that a lot of whackers spend a great deal of their time driving like that, but your point is well taken.

I wish I had a dollar for everytime this nonsense was posted on a forum in just the last five years.  This does NOTHING to improve our image with the public.  It only attracts more adrenalin junky, hero-wannabe whackers to the profession with it's melodramatic hyperbole.  I'm betting that whoever wrote it was a low-time volly who has never actually seen half the stuff s/he wrote.


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## VentMedic (Apr 8, 2009)

rhan101277 said:


> I AM AN AMBULANCE DRIVER!!! I DRIVE 90 MPH THROUGH CONJESTED TRAFFIC FULL OF PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO YEILD RIGHT OF WAY WHILE MY PARTNER STANDS UNRESTRAINED IN THE BACK OF THIS SCREAMING LAND MISSLE SAVING YOUR LOVED ONES LIFE!! NEVER ONCE DOES HE QUESTION MY DRIVING HE KNOWS THAT AT THE END OF THIS SHIFT HE WILL GO HOME TO HIS FAMILY SAFELY BECAUSE I AM AN AMBULANCE DRIVER….


 
It takes a responsible attitude and good training to be an *Ambulance Driver*. The author of this little rambling of words displays none of that. Instead it demonstrates someone who has little regard for the safety of his partner, the patients and the public but still wants praise for a job well done. 

The whole piece reads of someone who is obviously having difficulty coping with situations that must be handled competently by an EMT(P) as part of the job. This person is probably one that did not know what he/she was getting into when entering this profession and may be in the wrong profession. He may be disillusioned with unrealistic hero fantasies where he may have been expecting applause and praise every time he races to the rescue. It may have been beneficial for his mental health if he had been better prepared for the reality of helping people and that the world of medicine does not always come with a pat on the back for every thing you do. 

My impression of the partner who doesn't say anything is that he knows he is paired with someone on the verge of losing it and is just waiting for a transfer to a new partner.

It also might have been more credible if he has used spell check before this piece was circulated to the public.


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## el Murpharino (Apr 8, 2009)

AJ Hidell said:


> Of course you know that a lot of whackers spend a great deal of their time driving like that, but your point is well taken.
> 
> I wish I had a dollar for everytime this nonsense was posted on a forum in just the last five years.  This does NOTHING to improve our image with the public.  It only attracts more adrenalin junky, hero-wannabe whackers to the profession with it's melodramatic hyperbole.  I'm betting that whoever wrote it was a low-time volly who has never actually seen half the stuff s/he wrote.



But I'm sure their belt is laden with tons of useful goodies.


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## firespec35 (Apr 9, 2009)

We do call them Police car drivers


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## zzyzx (Apr 10, 2009)

Wow, that is so gay. I don't even know where to start. I like the part where the dead kids is lying atop his mom and the AMBULANCE DRIVER crawls into the wreckage to hold c-spine. It's good to know that there are these unsung heroes keeping America safe.


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## VentMedic (Apr 10, 2009)

zzyzx said:


> It's good to know that there are these unsung heroes keeping America safe.


 







I couldn't resist this when I saw it on someone's profile.


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## Micro_87 (Apr 10, 2009)

That holds alot of meaning to me....good post


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## Mountain Res-Q (Apr 10, 2009)

VentMedic said:


> I couldn't resist this when I saw it on someone's profile.



That would be me.  THANX.

I recently got into it on another forum that I left, becasue he kept refering to me as an Ambulacne Driver just to piss me off.  When that wouldn't work on its own, he started saying that calling myself and Emergency Medical Technician was the same as being called a "Sanitation Engineer" and that I has a case of Title Bloatitis.  I know it has probably been said before, but the whole argument for me is that "Ambulacne Driver" usually denotes a lack of respect for what we (EMT's and Paramedics) really do.  I know we don't ordinarily get a lot, but we deserve some.  IMHO.

Oh, and in response to the driving thing.  It is an exageration, people.  We all know that a good "Ambulacne Driver" does not speed or race, but drives swiftly and as safely as possible, hoping that their swiftness will mean that they are able to revive that 3-year-old drowning victim, but knowing that it's probably time for grandma to go to the hospital becasue her BG is in the 300's (not that that isn't a call we need to go to and deal with; we just don;t need to be ther in 4 minutes versus 5).


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## fortsmithman (Apr 10, 2009)

With the service I belong too we start off at the designation Student On Board from there we can either follow one of two paths.  Path one is Emergency Vehicle Operator where all they do is drive with very little pt care.  Next path is EMR and later EMT and then become actively involved in PT care.  I chose the EMR path and currently waiting for the service to put on another EMR course.  With that said we do have Ambuance Drivers which is all they do.


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## vquintessence (Apr 10, 2009)

Do you guys get all in a huff when someones grandfather of 70+ years calls us an ambulance driver?  Despite my profiles title "ambwance driver", I have no problem with somebody who isn't in the medical field calling me an ambulance driver.  They just don't know any better, and typically mean no disrespect.

Prior to working in EMS, I had no idea what an EMT or Paramedic was.  Hell, I assumed every ambulance was the same level of care.  Had no idea what their limitations in practice or education were.

What I did know, was if anybody ever screamed at me for calling them an ambulance driver, I'd know enough to take note of their employer and license plate and give a call to their boss.


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## Mountain Res-Q (Apr 10, 2009)

vquintessence said:


> Do you guys get all in a huff when someones grandfather of 70+ years calls us an ambulance driver?  Despite my profiles title "ambwance driver", I have no problem with somebody who isn't in the medical field calling me an ambulance driver.  They just don't know any better, and typically mean no disrespect.
> 
> Prior to working in EMS, I had no idea what an EMT or Paramedic was.  Hell, I assumed every ambulance was the same level of care.  Had no idea what their limitations in practice or education were.
> 
> What I did know, was if anybody ever screamed at me for calling them an ambulance driver, I'd know enough to take note of their employer and license plate and give a call to their boss.



I hope no one here would scream at someone ignorant enough to mistakenly call them an Ambulacne Driver.  But my point is that even if no disrespect is intented, isn't the fact that they don't know proving that they don't really understand the EMS field, a measure of disrespect for what we do?  Not that it matters.  If someone I know calls me an Ambulacne Driver, I may politely inform them that I am a "___".  If it is a patient who does so, then I ignore it.


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## VentMedic (Apr 10, 2009)

Mountain Res-Q said:


> I hope no one here would scream at someone ignorant enough to mistakenly call them an Ambulacne Driver. But my point is that even if no disrespect is intented, isn't the fact that they don't know proving that they don't really understand the EMS field, a measure of disrespect for what we do? Not that it matters. If someone I know calls me an Ambulacne Driver, I may politely inform them that I am a "___". If it is a patient who does so, then I ignore it.


 
With over 50 different levels of certifications/licenses handed out by the states in the U.S. and with no consistency in the type of service offered from county to county or city to city, how do you expect the public to remember what EMS providers call themselves? If you pay attention to the forums and the various discussions, half the time the EMS providers themselves don't know what they are called with the constant changes with each state changing its certifications because one more "skill" was added to another cert.


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## Mountain Res-Q (Apr 10, 2009)

VentMedic said:


> With over 50 different levels of certifications/licenses handed out by the states in the U.S. and with no consistency in the type of service offered from county to county or city to city, how do you expect the public to remember what EMS providers call themselves? If you pay attention to the forums and the various discussions, half the time the EMS providers themselves don't know what they are called with the constant changes with each state changing its certifications because one more "skill" was added to another cert.



Granted, can;t argue with that.  Itt's just that from my perspective where I live with the type of EMS System we have I would prefer Ambulance Attendant over anything else.  Simply put, yes we all have different certifications.  You don;t have to call me by me cert, just by what I do, and I don;t ony drive.  Where I come from EMT certifications are held by EMS people, Fire fighters, SAR, Forest Service.  They all _hold_ EMT certification, but that's not their job.  They fight fires, they rescue people, and we, what, drive people to the hospital like a taxi?  You can;t get up in arms over it, but it would be nice to be respected enough by the public to be called something other than DRIVE.  IMHO.


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## ffemt8978 (Apr 10, 2009)

Hah...I prefer to be called an ambulance driver.  If I'm driving the rig, then that means I don't have to write the report.


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## Mountain Res-Q (Apr 10, 2009)

ffemt8978 said:


> Hah...I prefer to be called an ambulance driver.  If I'm driving the rig, then that means I don't have to write the report.



You know what is really sad?  When I was on Ambulance, I hated driving and loved writing out the PCR and Trip Ticket.  Paper work is a little fun for me.  Driving was boring, especially on long distance pateint transfers, which I seemed to get a lot of.


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## gicts (Apr 10, 2009)

half the time I drive the ambulance B)


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## rhan101277 (Apr 10, 2009)

Ambulance drivers should be considered professional drivers.


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## Mountain Res-Q (Apr 10, 2009)

rhan101277 said:


> Ambulance drivers should be considered professional drivers.



Like NASCAR?  I thought that people here were pissed at teh thought of us "owning" the road.


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## WannaBeFlight (Apr 19, 2009)

Very funny, but great points.


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## JPINFV (Apr 19, 2009)

Mountain Res-Q said:


> But my point is that even if no disrespect is intented, isn't the fact that they don't know proving that they don't really understand the EMS field, a measure of disrespect for what we do?



No, it's simple ignorance, and there's nothing wrong with that. Do you know the difference between an non-interventional cardiologist, an interventional cardiologist, and an electrophysiologist?

How about the difference between a cook, sous chef, and executive chef? Do you not respect the people you pay to cook your food or something if you don't know the difference?



As to the original post, is it bad that I roll my eyes, shake my head, and mutter under my breath every time I see something sappy like this?


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## JPINFV (Apr 21, 2009)

nomofica said:


> Yeah, it's been posted before.
> 
> 
> And the thread went on to the "well some people ARE only ambulance drivers" *segway*.




You know, I've always kinda of wanted to try a Segway. Too odd and expensive to own and operate on a regular basis, but it would be nice to just try one out some time.


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## Jon (Apr 21, 2009)

Mountain Res-Q said:


> Like NASCAR?  I thought that people here were pissed at teh thought of us "owning" the road.


NASCAR? Wouldn't work. We have to turn Left AND Right!



JPINFV said:


> You know, I've always kinda of wanted to try a Segway. Too odd and expensive to own and operate on a regular basis, but it would be nice to just try one out some time.



This scary. I was about to qoute that too.... but hesitated because it was over a week old.
Look at my avatar - I LOVE my Segway... with my special blue light!


In all seriousness - I've tried them several times - fun to play with.


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## zzyzx (Apr 21, 2009)

"Death is all around me and still i go home to live my life
i get kicked,hit,spit on, bled on, puked on,cussed at and disrespected…
i look into the eyes of a lifeless child at 7am and by 8 am i’m holding my child a little tighter and they know nothing about what happened. i have hundreds of hours of classroom time
years of in the field experience i have challenged death and won."

Does anyone know where this EMT works? Sounds like they get great calls out there. Bullets whizzing past your head as your intubating, challenging death and winning on a daily basis, wow, that's awesome.


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## BossyCow (Apr 21, 2009)

JPINFV said:


> No, it's simple ignorance, and there's nothing wrong with that. Do you know the difference between an non-interventional cardiologist, an interventional cardiologist, and an electrophysiologist?
> 
> How about the difference between a cook, sous chef, and executive chef? Do you not respect the people you pay to cook your food or something if you don't know the difference?
> 
> As to the original post, is it bad that I roll my eyes, shake my head, and mutter under my breath every time I see something sappy like this?




What is this???? Common Sense????? A rational approach without the 'chip on the shoulder' arrogance and hurty feelers????? Arrrggggghhhh.... this forum is soooooo going down hill!

Thanks JP. You have restored my faith!


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## JPINFV (Apr 21, 2009)

zzyzx said:


> "Death is all around me and still i go home to live my life
> i get kicked,hit,spit on, bled on, puked on,cussed at and disrespected…
> i look into the eyes of a lifeless child at 7am and by 8 am i’m holding my child a little tighter and they know nothing about what happened. i have hundreds of hours of classroom time
> years of in the field experience i have challenged death and won."
> ...




Why does that remind me of this scenario from the Less Stress EMS sim page?

http://www.lessstress.com/simulator/s24/24000.htm


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## BossyCow (Apr 21, 2009)

> "Death is all around me and still i go home to live my life
> i get kicked,hit,spit on, bled on, puked on,cussed at and disrespected…
> i look into the eyes of a lifeless child at 7am and by 8 am i’m holding my child a little tighter and they know nothing about what happened. i have hundreds of hours of classroom time
> years of in the field experience i have challenged death and won."



That is sooooo what is going through my head at 02:45 when I'm helping the drooling, obese, diabetic CHF pt off the commode and back to bed.


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## Sapphyre (Apr 21, 2009)

JPINFV said:


> You know, I've always kinda of wanted to try a Segway. Too odd and expensive to own and operate on a regular basis, but it would be nice to just try one out some time.



I've tried one.  For some reason I just couldn't balance right to feel all that comfortable controlling it.  But, the cops at our local outdoor mall seem to love them  (Remind me, I'll take you there when you get back out here).


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## JPINFV (Apr 21, 2009)

Why am I willing to bet that Irvine Spectrum will/already has one. I remember seeing them at an airport a few years ago for their security.


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## Sapphyre (Apr 21, 2009)

JPINFV said:


> Why am I willing to bet that Irvine Spectrum will/already has one. I remember seeing them at an airport a few years ago for their security.



Hmmm, I'll bet they do, or will soon.  I don't venture into OC much, I VERY much prefer the IE.  (909 Baybee! )


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## paramedichopeful (Aug 17, 2009)

FINALLY!!! I have wanted to say something about this for a long time but never found a good opportunity. What I'm sick of is people thinking that if they become an EMT/Medic then they can drive a multi-ton vehicle 100 MPH with L/S and blow through intersections, race down a highway, and get there just in time to shock the pt. back to life, like they're some kind of God. Wake up, people!!! The thing with the driving a LITTLE faster then the speed limit is that you only do it when it's absolutely necessary and it is safe to do so. Thanks to all the TV bullcrap everybody thinks that an ambulance is meant to be driven full blast and race like a sprint car. Then you get these whackers that put lights on their POV and drive like a bat outta hell to the scene, risking the lives of everyone else on the roadway just so they can look like some kind of damn hero. People need to make the decision, whether they want to be a :censored::censored::censored::censored:in phony *** race car driver that thinks they are some big :censored::censored::censored::censored:in hero, or if they want to go out there, do the job right, and make a difference in the community by helping others and caring, which is what the job is about to begin with. ...../ end rant. Excuse my french


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## Dominion (Aug 17, 2009)

call me ambulance driver all you want.  It only gets to me when people use it as a derogatory term (*cough*certain triage nurses at certain level 1 trauma centers*cough*).  Not going to yell at a patient though, although I have taken time with some patients to discuss the various levels if I felt they were interested.  Like if an older woman or maybe a patient that justn eeds to be talked to asks or says something about it, I'll say something "Actually did you know there are different levels of care that ambualances can provide."  I've yet to have a patient who wasn't interested or atleast saying "oh, huh, I didn't know that"  

Poem is crap though.


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## Hellsbells (Aug 18, 2009)

> i put myself in harms way for a total stranger on a daily basis



I don't, that is just plain stupid. That is what the Police are trained to do.


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## HotelCo (Aug 18, 2009)

Hellsbells said:


> I don't, that is just plain stupid. That is what the Police are trained to do.



Everytime you step into a patient's house you're putting yourself in harm's way. Don't think that just because PD has "secured the scene" that it means it's safe.


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## firefighter170 (Sep 3, 2009)

Im not only an ambulance driver, I am also a fire truck driver too


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## kecpercussion (Sep 3, 2009)

paramedichopeful said:


> FINALLY!!! I have wanted to say something about this for a long time but never found a good opportunity. What I'm sick of is people thinking that if they become an EMT/Medic then they can drive a multi-ton vehicle 100 MPH with L/S and blow through intersections, race down a highway, and get there just in time to shock the pt. back to life, like they're some kind of God. Wake up, people!!! The thing with the driving a LITTLE faster then the speed limit is that you only do it when it's absolutely necessary and it is safe to do so. Thanks to all the TV bullcrap everybody thinks that an ambulance is meant to be driven full blast and race like a sprint car. Then you get these whackers that put lights on their POV and drive like a bat outta hell to the scene, risking the lives of everyone else on the roadway just so they can look like some kind of damn hero. People need to make the decision, whether they want to be a :censored::censored::censored::censored:in phony *** race car driver that thinks they are some big :censored::censored::censored::censored:in hero, or if they want to go out there, do the job right, and make a difference in the community by helping others and caring, which is what the job is about to begin with. ...../ end rant. Excuse my french



Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning


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## MrBrown (Sep 3, 2009)

Raise the entry to practice standard from 120 hours to something out of the first world and maybe we'll be getting somewhere to cut down on the numbers of two-night-a-week-and-a-Saturday whackers who want to do nothing but drive p1!

Oh and can we please please please get rid of fifty million titles; are we Paramedics, Ambulance Officers, Intensive Care Paramedics, Advanced Paramedics, EMTs etc ... that doesn't help out!


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## 46Young (Sep 3, 2009)

To have any chance at longevity in this line of work, you need to be at peace with the way things are. The job is thankless, the vast majority of calls do not actually require an ambulance, the majority of the public has little to no idea as to our capabilities, most of your calls are just holding someone's hand and making them comfortable. Chances are you'll retire poor as well.

Occasionally you'll get a thank you letter from a pt/pt's family. This will typically be from a routine txp (in your eyes, anyway), and not some hero Third Watch stuff. That's about it.

The job is far from glamorous. some deal with it well, some get disappointed, frustrated, and will eventually burn out/drop out/get sued for pt care errors.


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## MrBrown (Sep 3, 2009)

I dont think the ambulance service has had much to done to it to make it an attractive career move; combine the low pay with low training (hence: somebody who is easily replaced) and add in a lot of media hype (and that what, like, 1% of calls are anywhere near what the dribble on the telly shows?) and there is your problem!


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## 46Young (Sep 3, 2009)

MrBrown said:


> I dont think the ambulance service has had much to done to it to make it an attractive career move; combine the low pay with low training (hence: somebody who is easily replaced) and add in a lot of media hype (and that what, like, 1% of calls are anywhere near what the dribble on the telly shows?) and there is your problem!



In some areas (here in the states) it's the quickest way to make decent money without actually having to go to college. It's fairly easy to find side work as well. Sad but true. It's a major reason why I chose to do medic school first rather than nursing.


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## Luno (Sep 4, 2009)

*Because that's what you do*

As much as people try to redefine it, doing your job is not HEROIC, and we are not HEROS for doing what we accepted as our responsibility, it's what we said we'd do.  The plumber gets it, the sanitation engineer gets it, accountants get it, apparently as a profession, we still don't "get it."  But then again, it's the same as money and respect, hahaha, we just don't "get it."


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