Let's talk about the ART!

[firetender]

Here and there, running through these threads are comments, observations and even lessons that speak to the "art" of EMS.

It's my belief that if more people in EMS were to see what they do as an art form as well as a science there might be a lot less burnout.

After all, the "art" includes the human elements of creativity and connection which are great underlying motivations to keep us going. The Flesh Mechanic side has distinct limits when it comes to providing the fuel it takes to do the work and appreciate and enjoy it.

We may not be able to individually expand the field, but we can work with each other to expand our experience of ourselves in it!

So, I'd love to hear of where the art in the profession lives for you.

 

[EMTim]

Not sure if this is exactly what you mean, but...

I think quickly establishing the rapport (and sometimes control) with the wide variety of patients is somewhat of an art form. Some people are very easy to work with, while others display oscar worthy theatrics and make every bit of the assessment/treatment more difficult than it has to be. For the latter crowd, getting the job done properly can definitely be an art form.
I'm happy to say that I'm not the type (or at least not burnt out enough) to say 'screw it, let the hospital deal with ya' with difficult patients.

Being the younger sibling and not having kids of my own yet, working with peds in the 4-10yo range is definitely something that took a little while for me to develop too..

 

[ZVNEMT]

I'm inclined to agree that people skills is somewhat of an art form. 2 of our guys are amazing in dealing with combative and resistant patients. one of them is my partner, we usually end up in an abbot and costello or three stooges kinda dialogue that just completely distracts the patient from whatever reason they had for not going. the other guy is kinda dumb, i can't explain how ridiculous this guy is, but he has a strange knack for convincing violent, demented, spit-in-your-face patients to go along with us.

i on the other hand, when left with my own skills, get the opposite effect. I imagine that i just look intimidating to some people, and they don't want to be around me. this does work with nurses who would rather give us a hard time with our jobs, and occasionally aggressive patients will back down if i look mean.

 

[Mountain Res-Q]

Art and EMS? I once finger painted in the back of a rig... :blush: It was a slow shift followed by a Football Standby, and the teams sucked...

But, yes, I believe that there is as much art involved in medicine as there is science. Science can teach you why we do something and even (clinically) how to do something... but not how to creatively or practically do something. A simple explaination for me would be splinting. It is a First Aid Skill and one of the skills that EMTs are tested on. Why we do it medically and how we do it in a classroom with fake patients is easy to learn; so easy an EMT could do it... ^_^ But the art of what we do comes into play in the real world; how you communicate with the patient, how you deal with family/friends/public, how you splint a real fracture that is not textbook and has real pain and complications involved... That is something that proves if you are a EMT/Medic or just have an EMT/Medic Cert/License... It is a beautiful thing when an artistic EMT/Medic artistically addresses an emergency (real or imagined). It is the differnce between cookbook medicine and real life.

 

[White Fang]

sure its an ART to be an EMT I agree with all the comments listed above but I also look at this point of view... you need to be the patients confident there for...
you are an actor cause some times you need to go along with the patient
you are the priest they tell you things you dont need to know nor need to hear
you are the psychologist you are just there to listen
you are their body guards they are weak and you are there to protect them
you are their closest friend they are alone and dont have no one else but you

and I can keep going and going but i guess you get the point. And this is one of the reasons why I want to become an EMT because I want to help them in the moment of need I want to be their shoulder when they need to cry i want them to fell save in my hands....

any ways I know you cant please them all and you will have the hard ones too and thats why its an ART!

 

[firetender]

And this is one of the reasons why I want to become an EMT because I want to help them in the moment of need I want to be their shoulder when they need to cry i want them to fell save in my hands....

Remember, it is your heart that is getting you into this!

I say remember this because from the moment you start school, your energy gets shifted into your head.

Don't lose your connection with your heart. You will learn how, if you take the time, to be the Flesh Mechanic when you need to be, and to be the human being when it's appropriate. By seeking the art that lies in the profession you can work within a larger context, and that will keep you away from burnout.

 

[White Fang]

Remember, it is your heart that is getting you into this!

I say remember this because from the moment you start school, your energy gets shifted into your head.

Don't lose your connection with your heart. You will learn how, if you take the time, to be the Flesh Mechanic when you need to be, and to be the human being when it's appropriate. By seeking the art that lies in the profession you can work within a larger context, and that will keep you away from burnout.

you are 100% right, so far i take the finals this dec 22 and i have not forgotten why i am doing this!!! and yes ill keep that in my mind!

 

[Seaglass]

For me so far, the art has been all about connection with patients and scene control. I'm a bit weird in that I have more talent for the art than I do the science, so I don't tend to focus more on learning the science.

That being said, I don't think the art is an innate skill. I think just about anyone can learn it, although some will find it easier than others. I'm not better at semi-consciously finding hints that my patient isn't telling me the whole story because I'm a mind-reader. I just have some good background in psych.

There's an art to treatment too, but I'm still too new to be picking up on much of it. I can recognize it when I see it, but for now I'm still just providing what my title suggests... the basics.

 

[firetender]

Question's more loaded than I thought!

I keep talking about the "art" of being a medic, so I thought it might be a good idea to look it up. There were buckets of definitions with everybody and their mother having a point of view! But I kinda liked this one to work with:

Britannica Online defines ART as "the use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others."

My first "hit" was the art that comes out is a (more than!) properly attended to patient. We share the result with the emergency room, but NEVER as art. In the "delivery" of that piece of art to the ER, we use the back of the ambulance as an environment to "hold" and support our use of skill and imagination in assessment, communication and action to promote an experience of healing for the patient.

What do y'all think?

...and have you ever run a call, watched your partner and afterwards said to yourself, "Wow! That was artfully handled!" (or something like it)?

(Easy on the, "No, but i watched my partner screwthepooch!" comments, THX)



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art#cite_note-8