How has being in EMS changed you?

DragonClaw

DragonClaw

Emergency Medical Texan
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Whether you're new to the job or have spent your long, lengthy life in the band aid bus, how do you think it's changed you?

Did you expect any of it or see it happening, or did you meet an old friend who barely recognized you anymore?

What did you learn from it all?
 
Don't think it has much. "Emergencies" don't get the same reaction from me they used to I guess. But I've always been a stubborn *******, that hasn't changed.
 
DragonClaw said:
What did you learn from it all?
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That more often than not, people use this job in an attempt to fill the void of their inadequacies. They typically fail miserably.

As far as friends I have made. I enjoy hanging around them outside of work, because it is outside of work. Work, what EMS is, work.

ETA: I’m as guilty as the next person of the first paragraph. Takes a while for some, but man is it liberating.
 
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Really if anything its taught me to be less of a judgemental A-hole at work and in my personal life.
 
mgr22 said:
I'd say EMS made me more risk-tolerant -- probably not a good thing.

The biggest, most quantifiable change, though, is that EMS made me poorer.
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Counter the last part with pros of the first. Just invest aggressively with that risk tolerance and balance out that EMS pay.
 
StCEMT said:
Counter the last part with pros of the first. Just invest aggressively with that risk tolerance and balance out that EMS pay.
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That's fine for generic advice, but it doesn't really address a career change from the corporate world to EMS, accompanied by a salary cut of 80%.

I'm not complaining; just answering the OP's question.
 
EMS had made helped me stay calm under most situations. EMS has made me not stress a lot of things, especially things that are beyond my control. Working in EMS communications helped me become really good at prioritizing and juggling multiple crises.

I will chime in on the pay comments; EMS showed me that you are only worth what your boss is willing to pay you, so if you don't like your pay, you have three options: get more education, find a new job possibly in a new area, or work on getting promoted. But simply *****ing about the low pay is not helpful, especially when you aren't doing anything to demonstrate why you should be getting more pay.
 
DrParasite said:
EMS had made helped me stay calm under most situations. EMS has made me not stress a lot of things, especially things that are beyond my control. Working in EMS communications helped me become really good at prioritizing and juggling multiple crises.

I will chime in on the pay comments; EMS showed me that you are only worth what your boss is willing to pay you, so if you don't like your pay, you have three options: get more education, find a new job possibly in a new area, or work on getting promoted. But simply *****ing about the low pay is not helpful, especially when you aren't doing anything to demonstrate why you should be getting more pay.
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If it's that bad? Then why not go on organized strike? Weren't AMR fellas trying to do that, out west?
 
StCEMT said:
Counter the last part with pros of the first. Just invest aggressively with that risk tolerance and balance out that EMS pay.
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What do you mean invest aggressively with the risk tolerance?
 
Now you are going down a rabbit hole, but I'll address it:

I am 100% pro union, pro labor contracts, and pro paying people a living wage.

However, each person has a responsibility of being an adult, so if you accept a job knowing you will be paid $10 an hour, and then want to ***** about it and threaten a strike, well, as an adult, you made the decision to make $10 an hour. If you think you are worth $15 an hour, have you demonstrated to your employer why you are worth $15 an hour? or do you think you should so you are paid a living wage, knowing full well that you accepted the job making $10 an hour?

I used to tell people that I won't get out of bed for an EMS job that paid less than $12 an hour. So I might apply to a job, but if they paid less than $12, I'm not taking the job. No questions asked, sorry.

I think strikes and lawsuits should be used when management violates labor agreements. but AMR's strike threats are a joke. They can strike, at least until AMR relocates resources to cover the strikers (who are making more money BTW). But if you are striking for better pay, then management is under no obligation to pay you more, especially if you haven't demonstrated how you are providing the company with more value.

I've gotten jobs in other counties, and in other states, when searching for better EMS careers. I've worked in some ****ty areas, for some really crappy agencies (often when I was desperate and needed a job, or thought there was more opportunities when they existed only on paper). But I wasn't willing to just wait for someone to hand me a few bucks, I had to go out and earn it, often by finding a better job and asking for more money, because I convinced someone that I was valuable and worth more. That's supply and demand, and that's how a capitalist society works. Many in EMS have trouble understanding that, or refuse to do what is needed to put themselves in a better position (because it involves changes that they don't want to do).

Ok, out of the rabbit hole I come
 
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DrParasite said:
Now you are going down a rabbit hole, but I'll address it:

I am 100% pro union, pro labor contracts, and pro paying people a living wage.

However, each person has a responsibility of being an adult, so if you accept a job knowing you will be paid $10 an hour, and then want to ***** about it and threaten a strike, well, as an adult, you made the decision to make $10 an hour. If you think you are worth $15 an hour, have you demonstrated to your employer why you are worth $15 an hour? or do you think you should so you are paid a living wage, knowing full well that you accepted the job making $10 an hour?

I used to tell people that I won't get out of bed for an EMS job that paid less than $12 an hour. So I might apply to a job, but if they paid less than $12, I'm not taking the job. No
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I'm the white rabbit, you've mistaken me heading into the unknown for merely going home.

Anyway, so, supply and demand, free market economy on jobs and wages. Good jobs fill up faster (so I think) and for the rest, they must either show their worth or potential to get into that, or get a job that pays less, cares less about them, etc.

And if we couldn't get our foot in the door or couldn't otherwise get the best job? Assuming it's no fault of our own, should we settle for less? Or should we actually buckle down and do our job the best as we can and look them in the eye and ask if they really think that little of us?

I mean, if you want the steak, someone's got to raise the cattle.

I don't see anything wrong with fighting for good jobs, pay, etc. When the situation calls for it.
 
I clicked submit before I finished that post (when you read it). the edit has the rest
DragonClaw said:
Assuming it's no fault of our own, should we settle for less?
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absolutely not. however, acknowledge that you accepted the position at a salary rate, and your boss expects you do to your job as expected for that salary rate. Meaning, if I'm your boss, I'm paying you $10 an hour for perfection level work; those are the conditions that you are hired on, so anything less than perfection means you aren't working to the standards that I hired you to perform? So what has changed from the time you started to today, that has shown how you generate more value for the company, so they should pay you more?
DragonClaw said:
Or should we actually buckle down and do our job the best as we can and look them in the eye and ask if they really think that little of us?
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You absolutely should. And you should also realize that if you say no, you aren't getting more money, than what are your options? Are you willing to quit? Are you willing to move to another area that pays more? Are you willing to further your education, get your paramedic cert, gets your AAS, your BS, or even a masters degree, and demonstrate how they additional education makes you a more valuable employee?

Or are you just going to ***** and moan that you should be paid more, despite the fact that you accepted the position knowing the pay rate, the terms and the conditions, and agreed to them, and now you feel you are entitled to more despite not having actually done anything to prove to management that you should be paid more than you originally agreed to be paid?
 
DragonClaw said:
If it's that bad? Then why not go on organized strike? Weren't AMR fellas trying to do that, out west?
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Invest your younger years into setting yourself up in your later years.

I started as an EMT making a certain wage, I then when on to get my medic for a 5 figure raise. My end goal was always flight, so I knew I had to build a good reputation and not get sucked into the drama that comes with putting a bunch of type A personalities together.

That worked well for me and shortly after getting my medic, I got a county job doing less work for another 5 figure raise.

I continued with my plan, built a good reputation and networked and within a few years I got a flight job with yet another 5 figure raise.

It isnt rocket science, it just requires actually doing something to improve your situation. We live very comfortably (being married to an ICU nurse helps).
 
DrParasite said:
I clicked submit before I finished that post (when you read it). the edit has the restabsolutely not. however, acknowledge that you accepted the position at a salary rate, and your boss expects you do to your job as expected for that salary rate. Meaning, if I'm your boss, I'm paying you $10 an hour for perfection level work; those are the conditions that you are hired on, so anything less than perfection means you aren't working to the standards that I hired you to perform? So what has changed from the time you started to today, that has shown how you generate more value for the company, so they should pay you more?You absolutely should. And you should also realize that if you say no, you aren't getting more money, than what are your options? Are you willing to quit? Are you willing to move to another area that pays more? Are you willing to further your education, get your paramedic cert, gets your AAS, your BS, or even a masters degree, and demonstrate how they additional education makes you a more valuable employee?

Or are you just going to ***** and moan that you should be paid more, despite the fact that you accepted the position knowing the pay rate, the terms and the conditions, and agreed to them, and now you feel you are entitled to more despite not having actually done anything to prove to management that you should be paid more than you originally agreed to be paid?
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I agree with this. Be the kind of employee a company hates to lose, to the point they make it "painful" for you to leave (The good kind of painful)

Be the one they can count on and do your work, I give more than what's expected because I see value in my work and want to be the best in what I do.
 
DragonClaw said:
What do you mean invest aggressively with the risk tolerance?
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I think what StCEMT meant is to follow through on a risk-tolerant mindset by making riskier investments with higher potential returns and consequences. Plenty of people do that, and it's certainly one way of trying to grow one's assets.

As for salaries, I agree little is accomplished by idly complaining about them. I don't think it was the OP's intent to get into that. And yet I did. :) Go figure. So now we're talking about salaries. Sorry about that, DragonClaw. I'm thinking I should have answered your question with something like, "EMS made me more thrifty." :)
 
mgr22 said:
I think what StCEMT meant is to follow through on a risk-tolerant mindset by making riskier investments with higher potential returns and consequences. Plenty of people do that, and it's certainly one way of trying to grow one's assets.

As for salaries, I agree little is accomplished by idly complaining about them. I don't think it was the OP's intent to get into that. And yet I did. :) Go figure. So now we're talking about salaries. Sorry about that, DragonClaw. I'm thinking I should have answered your question with something like, "EMS made me more thrifty." :)
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Do you mean literall , monetary, investments or doing things like going out on 911 calls where the guy could go from anonymous ALOC pt to PCP hulk smash?

It wasn't my intent, but it's a good point I hadn't considered. I mean, not getting out if bed for less than 12? Makes me think.
 
DragonClaw said:
Do you mean literall , monetary, investments or doing things like going out on 911 calls where the guy could go from anonymous ALOC pt to PCP hulk smash?

It wasn't my intent, but it's a good point I hadn't considered. I mean, not getting out if bed for less than 12? Makes me think.
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I don't understand the first question. As for not getting out of bed for less than 12, I guess each of us has to set our own limits, but it's possible to earn less, yet feel better about what we're doing. I think DrParasite's point was to make up your mind about that stuff, live with your decision, and don't ***** about it to others.
 
mgr22 said:
I don't understand the first question. As for not getting out of bed for less than 12, I guess each of us has to set our own limits, but it's possible to earn less, yet feel better about what we're doing. I think DrParasite's point was to make up your mind about that stuff, live with your decision, and don't ***** about it to others.
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Risk tolerant mindset. This means "I'm okay with doing dangerous things and in kind of used to it"? Is that what you're meaning?
 
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