ratted out partner

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SandpitMedic said:
Guess we're 50/50 on the issue.

That's right, immediately reporting your partner's no-no without first opening dialogue with them personally for corrective action is snitching. (Unless it is an inexcusable action that places others in imminent danger- I don't think a text constitutes imminent danger-)

You want to be a pariah, go for it. I wouldn't want to work with him.

Like everything else, you picked and chose some quotes out of context. You have other options before you report up.

I just wrote all this while driving; no one was maimed or killed. I can think of bigger fish to fry than a dude who just needs little guidance.
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Boy thank goodness you were able to write that immediately - totally novel take on the issue that absolutely couldn't wait to be posted until you had reached your destination. Definitely worth the risk of texting while driving. I'm sure everyone around you on the road would agree that this post was worth it too....

There - you've had some guidance and been asked to drive safely. Next time does someone get to snitch on you?



For the record I agree with a warning before going to a sup., and have had to do it myself about speed and texting, but I don't get this texting while driving thing....do any of you who do it really think you are just as safe while texting? Have you never heard of a serious MVA due to texting? Or are you just better at splitting your eyeballs than the rest of us? Or do you just lack any semblance of impulse control? How hard is it to just focus on driving when you're behind the wheel of a multi thousand pound speeding hunk of metal and gasoline?
 
jrm818 said:
Boy thank goodness you were able to write that immediately - totally novel take on the issue that absolutely couldn't wait to be posted until you had reached your destination. Definitely worth the risk of texting while driving. I'm sure everyone around you on the road would agree that this post was worth it too....

There - you've had some guidance and been asked to drive safely. Next time does someone get to snitch on you?



For the record I agree with a warning before going to a sup., and have had to do it myself about speed and texting, but I don't get this texting while driving thing....do any of you who do it really think you are just as safe while texting? Have you never heard of a serious MVA due to texting? Or are you just better at splitting your eyeballs than the rest of us? Or do you just lack any semblance of impulse control? How hard is it to just focus on driving when you're behind the wheel of a multi thousand pound speeding hunk of metal and gasoline?
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Lol. That was sarcasm, I wasn't really driving. Just representative of the million texts that were just sent or received by someone behind the wheel.

I agree, sometimes there are wrecks due to texting, as well as drinking, tuning the radio, dropping a cigarette, not looking right, running a red light, eating behind the wheel, turning around to yell at your kid, driving too fast, driving too slow, driving and mapping, or because someone else hits you.

There are a myriad of reasons why collisions occur. But likening texting and driving to being a ruthless serial killer is just astounding to me.

I've seen people do some stoooopid stuff on scene that either compromises patient care and/or disregards safety. I have also yelled at my EMT driving to pay attention, slow down, get off the phone- as thousands have before me. I have yet to tattle on anyone. I've had many constructive conversations though.

And no matter what you say- everyone knows they should t be texting and driving. Maybe that's why ambulance companies shouldn't hire 18, 19, 20 year olds. And no matter what you say or preach- if you walk into your ready room and tell everyone there that if someone texts and drives you are going to tell on them immediately, you'll be the fattest black sheep in the building.

I can think of a dozen senior medics who command respect, who have years on the job and I can promise you that each and every one of them wouldn't rat out their partner for something as silly as texting without first talking to them and slapping some sense into them.
 
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SandpitMedic said:
We live in a grey world..... I'm not saying there is not a time and place for reporting unsafe or stoooopid behavior, but I am saying there should be a reasonable degree of escalation to that point.
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See what I said? Don't take my comments out of context.

Clearly, we are not going to agree.

Some folks are in the zero-tolerance camp; others are in the "lets talk about this and fix it" camp.
 
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I'm sorry, you can try and minimize what you've said all you want, but your posts make it very clear that you think it's wrong to report improper behavior.

If you'd like to talk about taking things out of context, here's what you left out of your own post that you quoted:
SandpitMedic said:
Like I said, no one (being, the average person) wants to work with a snitch, and EVERYONE bends the rules at some point. The job is stressful enough without worrying about some one looking over your shoulder ready to fink on you if you slip up. And that is the stigma/perception that goes with being a snitch.
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Again, I think your feelings on "snitching" with or without a prior warning to the offender are very clear.




SandpitMedic said:
I just wrote all this while driving; no one was maimed or killed.
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SandpitMedic said:
Lol. That was sarcasm, I wasn't really driving.
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For some reason I highly doubt that.
 
Sheesh!
 
It's obvious you guys don't agree, so how about we put an end to the sparring... before it gets to this.

cop-writing-ticket.jpg
 
Yeah, don't need that. Your picture brings an excellent case and point though: even cops give warnings for texting and driving.

Soap box over.
 
If you are indeed in Virginia, as it seems you are, texting while driving is against the law. I don't doubt your agency has a prohibition against it as well that goes above and beyond VA's labeling it a secondary offense. It would be absurd for us as health care providers to apply our skills to patient care - no doubt judging patients we come across in motor vehicle crashes who didn't wear a seat belt or put themselves into serious trouble by not paying attention... perhaps while texting? (I know I do exactly that) - and not practice what we preach. Texting behind the wheel is just plain dumb. Would I recommend you report your partner after the first offense, without talking to them first? No, that wouldn't endear you to your fellow EMS. But you'd be well within your rights. An EMS behind the wheel that doesn't realize texting while driving a goddamn ambulance is WRONG doesn't deserve to be behind that wheel. Privilege vs. right.

The folks who talk about the "code" or the "brotherhood" and put that before the safety of ourselves and our patients... I just don't get that. I don't owe any partner my life or well-being. And I don't know if I've ever met a patient who called 911 to get worse.
 
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The debate here isn't about whether texting while driving is unsafe. Of course it isn't safe.

The debate is how one should deal with a partner who does it. If you see a problem, talk to the person to resolve it. Putting them on notice should be enough to fix it. But if it doesn't, then move it up the chain. That is what a good employee and partner does.

The whole "brotherhood" thing that keeps getting brought up negatively is ridiculous, and I haven't seen anyone actually arguing that you have to abide by some "code". The people bringing it up are throwing out a red herring. This isn't about some secret boys club, it's about using common sense and addressing problems directly.
 
TheLocalMedic said:
The debate here isn't about whether texting while driving is unsafe. Of course it isn't safe.

The debate is how one should deal with a partner who does it. If you see a problem, talk to the person to resolve it. Putting them on notice should be enough to fix it. But if it doesn't, then move it up the chain. That is what a good employee and partner does.

The whole "brotherhood" thing that keeps getting brought up negatively is ridiculous, and I haven't seen anyone actually arguing that you have to abide by some "code". The people bringing it up are throwing out a red herring. This isn't about some secret boys club, it's about using common sense and addressing problems directly.
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This.

Although, we could draft an EMT code, like the pirates' code. Although, they're more like guidelines.
 
Since the thread with the poll disapeared I'll post this here.

I'm not sure why anyone should answer anonymously; if you feel a particular way about this issue, you really should be willing to publically admit it, and stand by what you say. I'll be happy to do so:

No, I would not want to work with someone who reported me for EVERY LITTLE THING that was wrong. Even if they talked to me first, if each mistake, no matter how minimal or inconsequential was reported, that would be very annoying. BUT...I also don't have the childish mentality that someone who reports improper and innapropriate behavior or actions is doing something bad, and is a "snitch," or "fink," or "rat," or whatever other perjorative have been used. If you do something wrong, you run this risk of getting in trouble. That is how the world works. This whole poll (now vanished) is nothing more than a very childish way of "proving" something by asking a very simple question to answer a more complex problem.

The attitude that is displayed of, "me big bad paramedic! Me follow no rules! Me do what me want!" is just ridiculous, immature, and counterproductive. All it will do is anger other people, alienate coworkers and employers, and probably lead to problems down the line. For instance, I would be willing to bet that departments that have very restrictive policies, harsh discipline, and enforce compliance with a heavy hand do so because the above attitude, and what has been displayed in this thread, were very common at one point, and led to people not doing their job, doing their job poorly, doing their job wrong, and acting like a certain part of the human body. The sayings "you dug your own grave" and "you made your bed, now sleep in it" come to mind.
 
vcuemt said:
If you are indeed in Virginia, as it seems you are, texting while driving is against the law. I don't doubt your agency has a prohibition against it as well that goes above and beyond VA's labeling it a secondary offense. It would be absurd for us as health care providers to apply our skills to patient care - no doubt judging patients we come across in motor vehicle crashes who didn't wear a seat belt or put themselves into serious trouble by not paying attention... perhaps while texting? (I know I do exactly that) - and not practice what we preach. Texting behind the wheel is just plain dumb. Would I recommend you report your partner after the first offense, without talking to them first? No, that wouldn't endear you to your fellow EMS. But you'd be well within your rights. An EMS behind the wheel that doesn't realize texting while driving a goddamn ambulance is WRONG doesn't deserve to be behind that wheel. Privilege vs. right.

The folks who talk about the "code" or the "brotherhood" and put that before the safety of ourselves and our patients... I just don't get that. I don't owe any partner my life or well-being. And I don't know if I've ever met a patient who called 911 to get worse.
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..word
 
For those of you that feel it was inappropriate to report this, I have a question about your views.

What does not reporting it say about the person's integrity? To me, integrity means doing the right thing even when nobody is watching. Couldn't failure to report the incident be seen as a strike against that?
 
I think you already scared him away, ff :unsure:
 
I'll give a partner a couple warnings and mention what's unsafe about their behavior. Texting, speeding, running red lights etc. If they continue to do the behavior I'm telling a sup. play by the rules and be safe or go somewhere else. The last 2 partners I had to ask to stop speeding and running red lights asked to be put on a different unit cuz we didn't get along. They didn't like being told to be safe. When the sup asked me why we couldn't play nice I told the truth.

And yes I'm also that jerk that calls out other employees for not wearing the uniform right, not shaving, attitude etc. Do what's right, look and act professional or go somewhere else. It's not that difficult. We're all adults and need to act like it.
 
shfd739 said:
I'll give a partner a couple warnings and mention what's unsafe about their behavior. Texting, speeding, running red lights etc. If they continue to do the behavior I'm telling a sup. play by the rules and be safe or go somewhere else. The last 2 partners I had to ask to stop speeding and running red lights asked to be put on a different unit cuz we didn't get along. They didn't like being told to be safe. When the sup asked me why we couldn't play nice I told the truth.

And yes I'm also that jerk that calls out other employees for not wearing the uniform right, not shaving, attitude etc. Do what's right, look and act professional or go somewhere else. It's not that difficult. We're all adults and need to act like it.
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Exactly. I'll tell you that you look terrible because even if I look fine, people will only remember how crappy the crew as a whole looked. If you can't look and act like a professional (shocker: policies are usually written to ensure this), we aren't going to get along. Oh well.
 
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