If I knew then...

A

auscultate

Forum Ride Along
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Saw this "if I knew then what I know now..." from earlier and thought I'd start another one.

What are some tips and advice you could give people to help make a career out of EMS, and what things to avoid doing? I seem to see that back problems ends a lot of peoples careers, what are some of the best ways that you've known to protect your back?
 
I tell people to run away quickly and find a better job
 
If your serious about a career with EMS then physical fitness standards are a must. Do not...do not approach this job and say that you can stay overweight or out of shape. If you want any sort of meaningful career and not just a job then being in good physical shape is a must.

Think about long term family planning. Working 72 hours every week on a rotating schedule blows for family life. Imagine all the things you will miss over the next 10 years and think about if it is worth it.



Or - and I hate to say this

But approach it as a temporary situation. The classes are not difficult to complete, jobs for the most part are not difficult to come by, and it is a fairly steady pay check with good overtime opportunities. Use it as a job and a stepping stone to get where you want, but have a plan in place PRIOR to beginning a EMS job. It is great for continuing education and working towards an online degree.
 
72 hours a week? I thought that most departments ran 24 hr x 2? Or 12 x 3 or 4 Unless someone calls out. What sort of hours are paramedics required to work? I'd like some overtime, but not enough to burn myself out with. I see a lot of paramedics go into nursing as a second career option but nursing is not for me. Is there something else you're working towards Rialaigh that uses your paramedic experience? Or are you working towards something else completely? Outside of nursing I'm not sure what else I could leverage a paramedic license with. I'm trying to meet a few career paramedics, or others that swung over into a another field to get a big picture view. I considered working as a dispatcher and getting experience towards that, but I'm not sure what the hours and pay are like. Dispatcher is really the only job I can think of at the moment since I'm not working in the field yet, I cant see all the gears that turn the machine.

As far as fitness goes

I'm losing weight right now. I'm slightly overweight but I'm working on it. I'm using army basic training requirements as my guide which I'm close to achieving. I've got the push ups and sit ups down but my 2 mile time needs work. I can make it two miles, but not in the required time yet.
 
auscultate said:
72 hours a week? I thought that most departments ran 24 hr x 2? Or 12 x 3 or 4 Unless someone calls out. What sort of hours are paramedics required to work? I'd like some overtime, but not enough to burn myself out with. I see a lot of paramedics go into nursing as a second career option but nursing is not for me. Is there something else you're working towards Rialaigh that uses your paramedic experience? Or are you working towards something else completely? Outside of nursing I'm not sure what else I could leverage a paramedic license with. I'm trying to meet a few career paramedics, or others that swung over into a another field to get a big picture view. I considered working as a dispatcher and getting experience towards that, but I'm not sure what the hours and pay are like. Dispatcher is really the only job I can think of at the moment since I'm not working in the field yet, I cant see all the gears that turn the machine.

As far as fitness goes

I'm losing weight right now. I'm slightly overweight but I'm working on it. I'm using army basic training requirements as my guide which I'm close to achieving. I've got the push ups and sit ups down but my 2 mile time needs work. I can make it two miles, but not in the required time yet.
Click to expand...

I work a single 168 hour shift every pay period. And as for 72s, when I worked a rotating 24/48 schedule there were some weeks I worked 3 shifts.
I'm trying to finish up my AAS and BS in EMS with the hope of going towards PA
 
The 168 hour 7 day on, 7 off. Salaried or do you get overtime for that? Thats a lot of money in overtime if so. I started checking into BS in EMS degrees and there is an online one in my state which is nice. I think that EMS degrees are only good for going to PA/MD or Emergency Management/Administration at the moment. Ideally if I liked the profession I'd like to become an instructor adjunct or full time. At the very least I'd like to teach BLS/ACLS/PALS
 
First off, I love being a paramedic, am not burned out, and love my job and where I work. I am 10 years in and realize I may be the minority with my outlook so do not take this as a rant from a burned out EMS provider who is stuck in a dead end job.

That being said, if you want to have a career in EMS, you should consider.....

The emotional toll:
Be forewarned: you need to realize EMS oftentimes takes more than it gives. You will realize that dealing with people's lives and seeing human suffering and tragedy will change who you are as a person. If you see the world through rose colored glasses, those will come off very quickly. No exceptions! There is no person alive who can not be affected by the types of things we see and the frequency with which we see them. Granted it is not an everyday thing, but you will see dead kids, child abuse, horrific injuries, senseless acts of violence etc. You will arrive on scene with the best of intentions and be kicked, punched, spit at and called every name in the book. We go into disgusting homes crawling with insects and packrat conditions on an almost daily basis. We deal with people who if you were off duty, you would probably cross the street to avoid. That is the nature of the beast. You will not save that many lives. You will see a lot of messed up things. That which the general population fears is our reality and you confront that reality every day. You will see the dark side of human nature, one that most people do not want to admit exists. It will change you as a person. Your personality will change. Your friends will change. Your paradigm on life will change. I am a completely different person than who I was before EMS. Whether that change is good or bad is a matter of debate.

Where you work affects you a lot:
Go work an agency that you get to be actual EMS at. Consider call volume, scope of practice, variety of calls, pay and benefits and opportunity for advancement. Sometimes, it may involve moving to a different city or state. Go out of your comfort zone. If you want EMS to be a career and are in it for the long run, that sacrifice and relocation is oftentimes necessary. It is necessary for many careers, and EMS is no exception.

Especially if you live in SoCal, but this applies everywhere: Do NOT work for a shady transfer only company because it is convenient/close by/easy to get hired/etc. You will burn out quickly. You will lose your skills. You will not be actually doing EMS if all you do is discharges and dialysis all day.

Avoid the pitfalls
Finally don't become complacent. Complacency kills everything in life, whether it is relationships, your happiness, or your career. In EMS the stakes are higher and can kill your patient, your partner, or yourself. If you are an EMT, look to become a medic. If you are a medic, NEVER stop learning. Th day you stop learning and trying to better yourself and become complacent, is the day you should leave EMS.

Also do not become complacent with scene safety, that can have disastrous consequences.


Anyway, sorry if this post came off as a rant, but that is my advice for people considering EMS.
 
auscultate said:
The 168 hour 7 day on, 7 off. Salaried or do you get overtime for that? Thats a lot of money in overtime if so. I started checking into BS in EMS degrees and there is an online one in my state which is nice. I think that EMS degrees are only good for going to PA/MD or Emergency Management/Administration at the moment. Ideally if I liked the profession I'd like to become an instructor adjunct or full time. At the very least I'd like to teach BLS/ACLS/PALS
Click to expand...
We are salaried. But if we work extra we get paid pretty well for it. 250 for medics to stay an extra 24. 20/hr up to six hours. Not good hourly but with our call volume we get paid to do personal stuff a lot lol
 
Where I work we're 3 on 4 off 72 hour shifts. It's not bad really, just takes some getting used to.
 
Its nice to hear some positivity come from of the users here, I appreciate that centralcalEMT. I've already started moving towards becoming an EMT. Classes start in August, and I've already started to volunteer for a rescue squad which is nice. I've printed out a skill list from my state of the medications and skills needed and I'm studying those at the moment. I've started to get some healthcare experience as a CNA in the ICU and I've gotten to assist with some pretty interesting procedures. And even gotten to help in a few code situations. I'm pretty good at vital signs now as well, and can notice the differences in some heart rhythms via palpation and auscultation which one of the nurses showed me.

I know what you're talking about about a little bit about things changing you. I've even started to carry a first aide kit in the car. I've realized that bandaids are not enough and roll gauze is a better bet.

As far as location goes I think I'd like to end up in a rural area with a nice slow pace and work with the elderly. Although I would like to do some work in the big city while I'm still young to get that intense critical thinking experience, I'm just not sure how I'd react to some violent drug users out there. Although I'd imagine that if someone called for a paramedic they're needing help pretty badly and not willing to attack, but I've seen drugs do crazy things to people's perception of reality already and already have gotten punched, kicked, urinated on at the work place by drug abusers.

I'm looking forward to a career in EMS, I've also signed up to transfer to a university as well to get an education degree. I used to volunteer as a tutor in the school system some and I'd like to continue doing that even as an EMT.
 
Being nice to everyone goes a really long way. Patients, family, staff, co-workers, the guy working at Dunkin Donuts, etc.

Do deadlifts.

Never auscultate a BP on a psych patient.

Keep an emesis bag and extra gloves in your pocket at all times.

Personally (and I guess it depends where you work) I think carrying trauma shears in your pocket is not smart. They're just a weapon for psychs and drunks to grab at. If you need them for their intended purpose, they should be in your first-in bag which should be right there with you anyways.
 
J B said:
Being nice to everyone goes a really long way. Patients, family, staff, co-workers, the guy working at Dunkin Donuts, etc.

Do deadlifts.

Never auscultate a BP on a psych patient.

Keep an emesis bag and extra gloves in your pocket at all times.

Personally (and I guess it depends where you work) I think carrying trauma shears in your pocket is not smart. They're just a weapon for psychs and drunks to grab at. If you need them for their intended purpose, they should be in your first-in bag which should be right there with you anyways.
Click to expand...

To go with this. Don't put a stethoscope around your neck..put it in your pocket or keep it in the bag...so many people choked out in the few years I have been in healthcare...so many poor decisions.


As far as hours go it really depends on what your needs are financially. I work for a smaller rural service, pay sucks, benefits are great. To make ends meet I basically need to pull somewhere between 32-48 hours of overtime a check. The works not difficult, but it takes a toll on family life. Paramedic was the best job option I had coming out of college, at some point in the fairly near future I will likely move towards the private sector using my degree to get a job that has more upside potential but right now I am happy where I am at.

Look at what you NEED out of a job
Then look at what you WANT out of a job
Then look at what your willing to suffer through or put up with for a job
Then take a look at available EMS jobs and see if anything comes close to fitting your criteria
 
Handsome Robb said:
Care to elaborate?
Click to expand...

As above, it just puts you in a really vulnerable position for no good reason. You can't hear what's going on around you very well, you're leaning over with your head down, not watching what the pt is doing really, focusing on watching the meter...

On a pt who seems stable and our main reason for being there is psych, how much do we really care about diastolic BP?

Oh, and always ask them first if it's okay for you to take a BP.

Rialaigh said:
To go with this. Don't put a stethoscope around your neck..put it in your pocket or keep it in the bag...so many people choked out in the few years I have been in healthcare...so many poor decisions.
Click to expand...

I can't find it now, but I could swear I read a study somewhere that compared patient ratings of doctors who wore stethoscopes around neck vs those who didn't. Having the stethoscope greatly increased perceived provider competence. I usually leave mine on after taking a BP on a LOL in NAD type patient, but it always starts out in my pocket.

Other tips - keep a handful of alcohol swabs in your pocket, and use them to disinfect your stethoscope.

At the start of your shift, decon the FRONT of the truck. I never see people do this, but it seems like a good idea to me. You're going to be sitting up there all day, eating there, etc. I also like to wipe down all the areas people tend to neglect - the stretcher release handle in the truck, the door handles, radios, etc.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I am always amazed at how negative EMS folks are about their career choices. "Keep looking" or some variation thereof seems almost the universal response given to those who inquire about an EMS career.

My first "real" job was manually filling 50 and 100 pound sacks of buckwheat flour in a hot, loud buckwheat mill. It was grueling, mind-numbing work and you were pretty much isolated from other people. Men who had been doing it for years were making maybe $10 an hour. And yet the job satisfaction was much higher there than what you'd think it is in EMS, judging by most of the responses given in threads such as this one.
 
That's odd, I check BPs on "psych" patients all the time. Never once had one act out at me because I treat them like the human being that they are.
 
I ask to take BP on all of my patients, too. Psych or otherwise.
 
If you are having psych patients attack you frequently enough to have a rule about when to check BPs on them, you're doing something wrong. If you aren't having them attack you, please stop listening to war stories from guys that likely can't even acquire a 12 lead correctly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top