Another "Should I be an EMT" post.

[Idkmaybe]

So I'm 23 years old without much direction or idea where I want to go in life. I've been going to college on and off for 3 years, taking classes only to finish the quarter and start working full time again due to lost interest or lack of direction. Rinse and repeat.

I've taken a number of classes from a variety of subject areas, from economics, to political science, cultural anthropology, astronomy, human biology, and on and on. I took a 10 credit EMT class for the hell of it, for elective credits, and because I thought it looked interesting. Didn't do anything with it, no NREMT exam. Just took the credits and went home.

In a conversation with my cousin, a lawyer, I was asked "What class interested you the most?" My reply was EMT, by far. No contest. I looked forward to that class every day. He then said "Well, why don't you do that?"

So I've been thinking, possibly I should. What made me think twice about it is this: I have Bi Polar 1 and OCD. Granted, I respond pretty well to medication, and I get pretty stable and stay that way. But I understand EMS can be very stressful, and while I am not worried about being unable to do the job, I am worried about accumulated stress and its effect on my emotional well being.

I spoke to my doctor about this. He's worked with police and firefighters, treating them for stress induced anxiety and PTSD, so he knows a thing or two about the stresses of EMS. His biggest concern with me is sleep deprivation. He's seen me at my worst and thinks I can handle the stress so long as I am sleeping. I understand that sleep is a foreign concept to EMS providers. He recommended that I try to work 12 on 12 off instead of 24's, if such a thing is possible.

I don't know. I know that some EMS providers are uneasy about working with people with mental health issues. Let me know what you think. I'm going to retake the course and try to get certified anyway. I have nothing better to do. Right now I'm working a horrible job in a factory and the tedium is almost unbearable. Any thoughts on how I could make this work would be appreciated. Or just tell me that I shouldn't even try. It's just too bad that I'm going to anyway

 

[joshrunkle35]

This is a decision for you, your family and your doctor to make. You might find that you enjoy it because you feel good about helping people and it makes you feel like you have something strong to keep you from being depressed. The high-paced anxiety of the job might play into an area of your strength that you love. You may instead, however, find that the calls are not that interesting, and when they are, you won't always be able to save people. This may leave you feeling extremely hopeless and depressed. I would say that your illness shouldn't limit you, but that in this case, where patients and partners depend on you, you need to make sure that you can do the job before taking it. I would recommend spending a LOT of time doing ride-alongs, and speaking with your family about the issue. There are many other areas of EMS like EMS research that you might enjoy just as much, but might not be as "in your face" as certain EMS calls can be.

 

[Cleric]

You've finished the class. Try applying some places. Worst case scenario is that you ant compatible with the job. I know quite a few medics and EMTs who have various other psychological problems. With bi polar though, it's really a coin toss. It could potentially be a really bad sign or just something to manage. If it's mild with meds then by all means do it. If bi polar means spiraling randomly into depression or rage that could make you mistreat a patient, then consider the stresses of the job and make your decision from there.

 

[CritterNurse]

I'd suggest signing up with your local fire/rescue for some ride-alongs if you're unsure. Tell them you've taken the course but not licensed, and that you'd like to try it out to see if its suitable for you. In my area, they'll take all skill levels, and help you train up if you want to go further.

 

[Idkmaybe]

Great feedback! Thanks guys/gals!

It isn't so much the Bi Polar that I'm worried about. That's surprisingly easy to control for me. It's more the OCD. It's an anxiety disorder and as such, symptoms can be triggered by stress. It isn't that I don't think I'll be able to care for a patient. It's more concern about my emotional well being after accumulated stress.

Funnily enough, my mom is good friends with a local fire chief. He's going out to lunch with me in about a week to talk about my concerns. I'll also use the opportunity to inquire with him directly about ride alongs. I think that's a great idea.

Either way, I'll take the course again. It's been awhile, and I'd feel much more comfortable with a refresher. Thanks for the feedback!!

 

[NomadicMedic]

And your last line in your original post was "I'm gonna do it anyway..." So why bother asking?

As here's a point to ponder... EMS can be as tedious as a factory job. And if you're counting on sleep to help keep you on a even keel, you may be disappointed.

The bottom line is you. If you can control your mental health issues with medication, you may be fine. If you don't, you'll probably be discharged from your position.

So, go do it. Even taking the class a second time, you're out 10 weeks at the most. If you make it, great. If you don't, you'll find something else to do.

 

[Handsome Robb]

I work 12 on 12 off and usually get about 5-6 hours of sleep a night. Just a point of reference. I'm 23 as well. I've got other stuff going on in my life besides work...not just work sleep work unfortunately. Wish it were sometimes!

 

[CritterNurse]

It's more the OCD.

Hrm... if its a cleaning OCD, that may turn out to be an advantage when cleaning the rig after a call.

And I'm intending that to be light-hearted. I know several EMTs with various mental health issues. I've had random panic attacks for most of my life, but what I've found is that they've become fewer and farther between since I've been responding to calls. I'm guessing its either putting my adrenaline to good use, or its showing me real crises to help put my own stresses in perspective.

 

[Masenko]

At the very least you could rule it out,and you'd be one step closer to finding out what you're all about. If it works then great!

 

[Idkmaybe]

Thank you again for your replies!

As far as ems being as tedious as a factory job.... I understand that you may run several non emergency calls in a row. It still can't be as tedious as feeding graphics into a machine for 8 straight hours. There's just no way. I've worked fast food, and even that is less tedious than what I do now.

 

[Handsome Robb]

Yes. It can be. First thing my first partner after I cleared my FTO time as an Intermediate was "this job is 99% bull:censored::censored::censored::censored: and 1% oh :censored::censored::censored::censored:."

How many times can you take the same person to the hospital for their pancreatitis or polycistic overies or hepatitis or weakness or "I want to detox" only to pick them up, completely blasted a week later or the seizure patient who's non-compliant with their meds or pick the same person up off the floor and put them back in bed. That's coming from someone who works in a "high volume, high performance", urban 911 EMS system.

No matter what people tell you this job is not action-packed or excitement-filled and that's coming from someone who has the blackest of black clouds ever.

That last paragraph is assuming you get a 911 job straight out of the gates which may or may not be realistic depending on your location. As an IFT EMT you'll be doing horizontal taxi rides from one healthcare facility to another or, potentially, taking the same dialysis patient to and from their dialysis appointment three times a week.

I'm not trying to be negative or scare you off, just trying to give you a realistic viewpoint of what we actually do.

 

[SKD]

Do ride alongs with a sturdy company and feel it out. Then if you feel ready to apply for a job then go for it. You can always quit and try something else if it doesn't work out as the job you were anticipating.

 

[hogwiley]

My experience of being an EMT is that it can be stressful starting out like just like anything new, but how stressful depends on the culture of the organization you are working for. Some places do a good job of helping new EMTs along, and others have a toxic culture and its sink or swim for newbs. I've been with both and I managed in both, but life is so much easier when you have coworkers you actually, you know, like.

The best thing to do is ask around and try to get a feel for the organization. I always see people saying do some ride alongs, but that probably isn't possible in most instances, at least I've never been with an agency that just grants ride alongs for the heck of it.

Trust me, EMT work isn't going to be all lights and sirens and trauma, in fact many entry level EMT jobs feature very little if any of that, but those jobs can be stressful as well because you're still doing long shifts and have to deal with difficult, and occasionally dangerous patients(and coworkers).