CentralCalEMT
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****Rant Ahead****
It seems that as societal morality is in a downward spiral, EMS at times gets dragged into it as well with regards to our attitudes. I have seen a disturbing trend recently with young, EMS providers who either lose their sense of compassion quickly or never had one to begin with. Now I get that we all know the old crusty veteran medics who may be gruff at times, but these are young people, sometimes with less than a year on. They act like all their patient's are so below them, and they are so lofty. They forget that the patients are all human beings and deserve a level of professional regardless of what their life choices have been in the past. (I am not advocating we let ourselves get mistreated or attacked just to clarify; we always need to be able to defend ourselves.) But for many younger providers the question seems to be If you did not get into this field to help people and show compassion, they why are you here? It can't be for the paycheck.
After 13 years on, the job gets to me too at times. I get the problems with frequent flyers. I am on a first name basis with most of the ones in my first in area. I get the problems with people using the ambulance like a taxi. People need to use common sense. I get the problems with management stretching us so think they jeopardize the system and exhaust us. That is every day for me. I get the fact that our paychecks are very small. However, there is NO reason to lose your sense of compassion for our fellow human beings.
To many new EMTs and paramedics, it seems like a foreign concept that the segments of the population that society dislikes are sometimes the ones who need us the most. The drug addict who called for chest pain might actually be having a MI. The homeless person who calls at 0300 for vomiting and a fever may actually be septic or have a massive GI bleed. The patient up 4 flights of stairs in a housing project might actually be near death. The mental health call that interrupts dinner might actually be someone with a horrific life story who is at the end of their rope and needs someone who treats them with respect and restores their dignity before the mental health system strips it away from them once again on a 72 hour hold. It seems that many providers do not realize that ALL patient need a thorough assessment and proper treatment regardless of their status in society or their life choices. We need to be professional to everyone. As EMS, we are called into people's lives when they have nobody else to call. Why is it so hard for young providers to see that? Why do they have to look down on people? Why do they have to have that sense of superiority?
I told a new EMT that three of the most important skills an EMS provider can possess are compassion, sympathy, and empathy. I told him that people will not remember that you took the most accurate blood pressure, had the best knowledge of the patho physiology of their underlying condition, or that you passed registry on the first try in 80 questions. They will remember how you treated them. He told me I was idealistic and walked away.
This is not just one person, or one agency. This has been commonplace in the systems I have worked in. I can tell on these boards that there are many competent, caring providers from all over the country. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on how to solve this problem. Sorry if this sounded like a whiny rant, but this is just a trend I have seen.
It seems that as societal morality is in a downward spiral, EMS at times gets dragged into it as well with regards to our attitudes. I have seen a disturbing trend recently with young, EMS providers who either lose their sense of compassion quickly or never had one to begin with. Now I get that we all know the old crusty veteran medics who may be gruff at times, but these are young people, sometimes with less than a year on. They act like all their patient's are so below them, and they are so lofty. They forget that the patients are all human beings and deserve a level of professional regardless of what their life choices have been in the past. (I am not advocating we let ourselves get mistreated or attacked just to clarify; we always need to be able to defend ourselves.) But for many younger providers the question seems to be If you did not get into this field to help people and show compassion, they why are you here? It can't be for the paycheck.
After 13 years on, the job gets to me too at times. I get the problems with frequent flyers. I am on a first name basis with most of the ones in my first in area. I get the problems with people using the ambulance like a taxi. People need to use common sense. I get the problems with management stretching us so think they jeopardize the system and exhaust us. That is every day for me. I get the fact that our paychecks are very small. However, there is NO reason to lose your sense of compassion for our fellow human beings.
To many new EMTs and paramedics, it seems like a foreign concept that the segments of the population that society dislikes are sometimes the ones who need us the most. The drug addict who called for chest pain might actually be having a MI. The homeless person who calls at 0300 for vomiting and a fever may actually be septic or have a massive GI bleed. The patient up 4 flights of stairs in a housing project might actually be near death. The mental health call that interrupts dinner might actually be someone with a horrific life story who is at the end of their rope and needs someone who treats them with respect and restores their dignity before the mental health system strips it away from them once again on a 72 hour hold. It seems that many providers do not realize that ALL patient need a thorough assessment and proper treatment regardless of their status in society or their life choices. We need to be professional to everyone. As EMS, we are called into people's lives when they have nobody else to call. Why is it so hard for young providers to see that? Why do they have to look down on people? Why do they have to have that sense of superiority?
I told a new EMT that three of the most important skills an EMS provider can possess are compassion, sympathy, and empathy. I told him that people will not remember that you took the most accurate blood pressure, had the best knowledge of the patho physiology of their underlying condition, or that you passed registry on the first try in 80 questions. They will remember how you treated them. He told me I was idealistic and walked away.
This is not just one person, or one agency. This has been commonplace in the systems I have worked in. I can tell on these boards that there are many competent, caring providers from all over the country. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on how to solve this problem. Sorry if this sounded like a whiny rant, but this is just a trend I have seen.
