I don't get it.

[DrParasite]

At the end of the day it's still just a job. A service you provide in return for compensation.

your right

Glad you have a passion that keeps you involved, and I'm sure you are great at what you do, however, it does not define you as a person. And I hope you have a long career in EMS because if there was a day you could no longer do this job (physical or other reasons) you may have to completely redefine yourself.

my career doesn't define me as a person. However, it is a part of my life, and I spend between 1/4 and 1/3 of my life working at my career. It doesn't define me, but it is a big part of my life, and I'm hoping it will be a big part of my life for as long as my body and mind is able to handle it. But no, I am not defined by the job that I do, nor by what my career is.

That said, it still drives me nuts that there are "providers" out there that need to legitimize their career/job/hobby/whatever you want to call it with some stupid slogan to show how much of a badass they are. Yea, I admit it, I've got better work stories than most of my friends and occasionally I'll share a few. But I don't work in EMS to be some hotshot adrenalin junkie. I do it because I like it and happens to provide me with money. Maybe that's not your definition of career, but that's it for me.

My definition of a career is something that pays my bills, has a career ladder, lets me live comfortably without having to work every OT shift available, is something I am not ashamed to say I do when people ask me what my job is, and lets me retire and not work in 30 years. Can you say your job has that? Far too many people in EMS can't, which is one of the problems (which is a whole different topic).

Note, nowhere do the terms BadAss, war stories, or adrenalin junkie get mentioned. and I'm more likely to roll my eyes at anyone in a novelty shirt, because most will grow out of it.

And my career has bigger issues than what the latest novelty T-shirt is.... They don't reflect me any more than the drunk firefighters acting like *******s at the convention reflect FDNY or your local big city FD.

 

[WildlandEMT89]

Shirts are pretty big in my communities. Not the novelty type "I'm a paragod" shirts, but department or event shirts. This is especially true in the wildland fire community.
You trade shirts with other crews, you get shirts on large fires you participated in, even our training academies and charities sell shirts for funding.
Personally I collect shirts and wear them during work or on fires because I'm proud to have earned them in a way, but don't try and advertise my jobs too much off the clock.

 

[NomadicMedic]

Let me clarify, I have NO issue with wearing a department issued t-shirt. I do that. I'm talking about the "Racin' the Reaper" type of whacker shirts.

 

[samiam]

I have to come clean and say I have a "Trust me I am a doctor (Almost)" Shirt that was made by my schools SGA not sure if I would wear it not at school but I would absolutely never wear it in a professional situation.

 

[WildlandEMT89]

Let me clarify, I have NO issue with wearing a department issued t-shirt. I do that. I'm talking about the "Racin' the Reaper" type of whacker shirts.

I feel you on that front, and we definitely have a couple guys on the department with shirts of the like (I'm a wildland firefighter: If you see me running... ect) and I find them in bad taste. Not quite as bad a the giant Rear window vinyl I see every now and then though.

 

[Tigger]

My definition of a career is something that pays my bills, has a career ladder, lets me live comfortably without having to work every OT shift available, is something I am not ashamed to say I do when people ask me what my job is, and lets me retire and not work in 30 years. Can you say your job has that? Far too many people in EMS can't, which is one of the problems (which is a whole different topic).

Note, nowhere do the terms BadAss, war stories, or adrenalin junkie get mentioned. and I'm more likely to roll my eyes at anyone in a novelty shirt, because most will grow out of it.

And my career has bigger issues than what the latest novelty T-shirt is.... They don't reflect me any more than the drunk firefighters acting like *******s at the convention reflect FDNY or your local big city FD.

Yes where I currently work has all that. I'm not sure I'll stay here, but I certainly could.

And I'm not implying that your pride in your career makes you some sort of whacker, not at all. It's more of a general disparagement against that attitude, which is a big problem in EMS if we are ever going to get lasting respect from the healthcare community.

 

[titmouse]

Nope, I'll pass on those shirts.

 

[gnosis]

I was always rather fond of this one

 

[Medic Tim]

I was always rather fond of this one

facepalm
I seriously hope you are trolling...if not...this is why we cant have nice things....like respect, dignity and professionalism for examples.