Some of the time, up to 7 hours to get a meal break, our watch system,.increasing professional responsibility with little increase in pay and students (and some ambos) who think they know everything dont make for happy time
I judge how much I like a job by how easy it is to get out of bed for it in the morning. Most days, I don't want to die when I get up and some days I might be even be a little bit happy about going in, so I consider it a good job. Carrying golf bags on the other hand...I hoped I would get struck by lightning while walking to the car.
In the last 37 1/2 years I've had a lot of jobs. The last 9yrs 307 days this has been the best. By far the most intellectual thinking job, generally reasonably physical, you meet lots of nice people, great job satisfaction when you make a bad day for someone better. Many days and nights it even comes with nap time.
But sometimes it sucks. Like tonight when I pronounced a young woman DOA in her car after a MVC. Somewhere there are parents getting the call or visit no one ever wants to get. Sometimes this job sucks.:sad:
I absolutely love my job! I sincerely look foward to work every day I go in. My last shift I actually found myself thinking "wow, they pay me to do this!"
I love my job. It's 911, I have a good partner, decent quarters, plus we are far enough away to be "off the radar" which is nice.
Of course there are always days when there is not so much love.... politics, patients, etc), but that comes with any, and every job....just different stuff.
Many of the downsides are shared with other jobs (bureaucracy, questionable management, unhappy customers, hours that don't suit me 100% of the time, politics in the work place). Some of the perceived downsides, I actually quite enjoy: high stress dynamic life or death medical situations, night shifts, long shifts. Others I don't like but they don't bother me as much as they might other people, and I don't see being involved in them as downsides: death, tragedy, blood, vomit, urine, smells, drunk people.
Many of the upsides, however, are exclusive to ambulance compared to other full time professional roles (getting paid time and a half for every minute of OT at the beginning or end of a shift, working extra shifts at double pay, whenever you need to to augment income, guilt free sick days, EMS related tax benefits, penalty rates for late meals and for having to work during a meal break, double the normal annual leave of most jobs, free uniforms, daily mean allowance, free milk, cable TV, newspapers, internet and condiments and paid time in which to consume them, 4 day weekends every week).
Mostly I don't hate getting out of bed in the morning. I often look forward to returning to work during days off. It keeps me relatively fit. I take my work home with me only when I want to - as a rule there are no dead lines and little stress after I clock off. I meet many interesting people, see and do interesting things and contribute positively towards society.
I work in a role of which I'm proud, that is respected by every single member of society and that women seem to appreciate.
There are things I would change, but I'm reasonably happy as things stand currently