What made you do it?

[BinaryBryan]

Hello all!

Just a little introduction, my name is Bryan. I am actually I think a little different than the rest on this forum but I wanted to opinions of people who are considering and are new and experienced at being a paramedic, or EMT etc.
I have always considered the position myself but for this or that I always put it off for something.
Currently I work at a local cable company(I think we're third largest in the nation and we're buying TWC) as a lead network specialist so I have a career already that I enjoy. I am not married, or have children just my own responsibilities like car payment, insurance, etc.

But as much as I enjoy networking and my job, I still want to do something meaningful. After spending a month sleeping on the floor of a hospital when my mom was battling stomach cancer I realized how meaningful the jobs of medical personnel are(not to mention how kind they were to me as I spent every night there). And I have always had a calling to help people. To be able to help people and thats what drives me.
To be proud of what I do, not just say 'yea I made sure the nation could google their stupid questions today'.

So I drone on to ask a simple question, what made you do it?
Would you give up a well paying career to start over? To do something meaningful?
Do you feel your jobs are meaningful, do you come home proud, and accomplished?

Thank you so much for reading!

 

[Chewy20]

So I drone on to ask a simple question, what made you do it?
Would you give up a well paying career to start over? To do something meaningful?
Do you feel your jobs are meaningful, do you come home proud, and accomplished?

1. No idea.
2. No.
3. 9 times out of 10, no. Very rarely do I come home feeling like I made a difference. Welcome to public safety.

Everyone is different, this is just my view on things. I get paid well and a vacation makes me forget all about the crap. Could be the low level of autonomy I have as an EMT, but thats on me trying to figure out what I want.

 

[Run with scissors]

dam, killed this mans dreams lol

 

[akflightmedic]

So I drone on to ask a simple question, what made you do it?

A: I played doctor from the time I was 4 on up...I have always been a giver and empathetic to others. As I got in my teens, I realized despite my desire to be a doctor was immense, I did not have the attention span or patience to become one. Then I met some volunteers and was amazed at the people who were allowed to show up and do what they did, the way they did it. So I joined...

I went to school immediately and continued to advance myself. I had a paid job with the county 1 week after graduating EMT class at 18 years of age.

Would you give up a well paying career to start over?

A: This all depends on how many dependents I had, financial status and if I felt I would blow my head off if I went to the same job one more time. So...based on circumstances, yes I would give it up and start over (young, single, child free) or if I had people relying on me, then I would take the schooling, find a way to volunteer or work part time and ensure it is what I really want to do before making that huge leap.

To do something meaningful?

A: Do not get sucked up in the hero trap. It is a JOB. Yes we care for people in their time of need and actually see dire emergencies, but it is a job. Believe it or not, it can and does become very repetitive. Yes, every day is different, every emergency is different, but ironically it does get fairly monotonous at times. It is not all glory. Just know that going in...

Do you feel your jobs are meaningful, do you come home proud, and accomplished?

A: Sometimes yes, most times no. You show up, you do your assignments, you go home and live a life...just like everyone else in the working world. To me, the proud, accomplished moments are when I look at my kids and see the great humans they have become, the family unit I have maintained despite serious adversity, and the trips and fun things we do together.

I guess I am saying, your proud, chest thumping moments should be outside your career if you want to have a long, healthy life within EMS. Whatever does it for you, seize that...but do not let EMS become the only source of that.

Do not get me wrong...there are many moments over the decades that I still remember as if it were yesterday. But those moments pass.

 

[BinaryBryan]

1. No idea.
2. No.
3. 9 times out of 10, no. Very rarely do I come home feeling like I made a difference. Welcome to public safety.

Everyone is different, this is just my view on things. I get paid well and a vacation makes me forget all about the crap. Could be the low level of autonomy I have as an EMT, but thats on me trying to figure out what I want.

Interesting reply, but let me ask. Knowing what you do now, after the experience you have, if you you could go back in time to the beginning, would you do it all again? Do you regret it?

dam, killed this mans dreams lol

I don't know if he killed them hahaha


To Akflightmedic

I really like your reply. I have heard about the 'Hero Trap' and I am susceptible to that for sure, so that is a good point. I am not sure if I will blow my brains out at my current position(yet lol) but that is a good thing to consider. It would be a big leap, even without other dependents.
But I agree, I should have more proud moments outside of my career and my job.
I will look around my area for some volunteering opportunities, maybe that will help my choices.
But, same question to you as I asked Chewy20.

Knowing what you do now, after the experience you have, if you you could go back in time to the beginning, would you do it all again? Do you regret it?

 

[ViolynEMT]

If you have the time and money, you can go to school and become an EMT. It doesn't mean you have to get a job as one. I know that sounds fruitless, but
it's a personal accomplishment and is, at least, bettering yourself. Things may open up from there. It is always a good thing to expand horizons and learn.

 

[redundantbassist]

What made me do it? It pays better than subway did.

 

[Chewy20]

Interesting reply, but let me ask. Knowing what you do now, after the experience you have, if you you could go back in time to the beginning, would you do it all again? Do you regret it?

If I could go back, I would have went to college to play hockey for the offers I had.

Do I regret being an EMT? No, I have learned a ton and have seen things people will never get to see. Like AK said, its a job. It beats the hell out of sitting behind a desk all day.

 

[BinaryBryan]

If you have the time and money, you can go to school and become an EMT. It doesn't mean you have to get a job as one. I know that sounds fruitless, but
it's a personal accomplishment and is, at least, bettering yourself. Things may open up from there. It is always a good thing to expand horizons and learn.

I have considered that too and all honesty I probably will do at least that. I have the time and funds. Good suggestion!

If I could go back, I would have went to college to play hockey for the offers I had.

Do I regret being an EMT? No, I have learned a ton and have seen things people will never get to see. Like AK said, its a job. It beats the hell out of sitting behind a desk all day.

Hockey would be pretty cool and you're absolutely right. Before this I was a field technician. I hate sitting behind a desk all day.


Thank you everyone for your insight and replies! I really appreciate the community here helping me out without any hazing(go to the automotive forums if you really want to see people get nasty with each other online lol)

 

[BinaryBryan]

What made me do it? It pays better than subway did.

That, is a good reason. But did you at least get free subs? lol

 

[redundantbassist]

That, is a good reason. But did you at least get free subs? lol

Hell no. Nothing in life is free.

 

[BinaryBryan]

Hell no. Nothing in life is free.

hahaha, isn't that the truth!

 

[Run with scissors]

......wish I could contribute. But im still in school lol.

But I wanted to do this for personal knowledge. And to help people. After my mom developed cancer. She started getting brain tumors. And it caused her to have seizures. And stroke like symptoms. When everyone was in a panic and freaked out. The paramedics came. Calm cool and collected. And made everything seem ok. And had answers to our questions.

They were there at a time when we needed somebody.


After that, I decided thats what I want to do. Call it cliche or what ever. But thats why I want to do it.

 

[BinaryBryan]

......wish I could contribute. But im still in school lol.

But I wanted to do this for personal knowledge. And to help people. After my mom developed cancer. She started getting brain tumors. And it caused her to have seizures. And stroke like symptoms. When everyone was in a panic and freaked out. The paramedics came. Calm cool and collected. And made everything seem ok. And had answers to our questions.

They were there at a time when we needed somebody.


After that, I decided thats what I want to do. Call it cliche or what ever. But thats why I want to do it.

Thank you for that response. It hits home pretty hard with me too. There were so many times with my moms fight for cancer that all of us were just at a loss. I hated not having more knowledge to be able to help her, or to at least calm her down and actually be involved when the doctor would talk to us.
It sounds cliche, but its a great thing to be cliche about I think.

I am sorry to hear about your mother. I hate to be that 'I know how it feels' guy because that seems so not sympathetic, but it sucks to go through that battle. So for real, sympathy to you.

 

[CALEMT]

I sold my soul and the devil made me do it...

 

[BinaryBryan]

I sold my soul and the devil made me do it...

Well, are you glad the Devil made you do it lol?
Like your signature by the way hahaha.

 

[CALEMT]

Well, are you glad the Devil made you do it lol?
Like your signature by the way hahaha.

Wouldn't do anything else.

 

[Run with scissors]

Thank you for that response. It hits home pretty hard with me too. There were so many times with my moms fight for cancer that all of us were just at a loss. I hated not having more knowledge to be able to help her, or to at least calm her down and actually be involved when the doctor would talk to us.
It sounds cliche, but its a great thing to be cliche about I think.

I am sorry to hear about your mother. I hate to be that 'I know how it feels' guy because that seems so not sympathetic, but it sucks to go through that battle. So for real, sympathy to you.

My mom has stage 4 melanoma. Shes on a new medication called keytruda. And shes respinding really well to it. Hoping it puts her in remission.

 

[BinaryBryan]

My mom has stage 4 melanoma. Shes on a new medication called keytruda. And shes respinding really well to it. Hoping it puts her in remission.

I'll keep her in my thoughts. I wish you the best!!

 

[Akulahawk]

I suppose to answer your question, “why did I do it”? I would have to say that I did it because, like a lot of people here, I naturally somewhat empathetic person and I happen to get personal enjoyment out of helping others. The fact that I paid for is an immense bonus!


Now all of that being said, I have been involved in the healthcare business, in one way shape or form, for approximately 25 years. I started off as an athletic trainer, earned a bachelors degree in Sports Medicine, along the way I became an EMT, and then a Paramedic. As fate would have it, I ended up having to take a nonmedical job (security guard) for the better part of 13 years. About halfway through that, I decided that being a security guard was not my life’s ambition. I took stock of my knowledge and skills and matched those up with jobs that I might want to do. While I probably would’ve done well as a PA, I didn’t have the time, funds, or grades to enter PA school at the time. So I became an RN. I graduated last year, now I’m a working nurse in the ER of a small hospital.


Make a mistake, as fun and exciting and whatever as being an ER nurse sounds, there is definitely no hero complex at play here. For the most part, I deal with “clinic” patients that generally have very minor symptoms and the care plan script just simply replays itself about 15 times per day for me. Being an ER nurse is a job. For me, it is a generally fun job, but at the end of the day, it is a means to a paycheck.


If I could have been a working Paramedic, single role, with the paycheck that I am currently getting, I probably would rather do that instead. Something I did notice over the years is that many of the patients that I see as a Paramedic are the same as the ones I see in the ER: clinic level. Very rarely do I have to use any of the advanced skills that I have gained, either as a paramedic or as an RN.