the 100% directionless thread

[NomadicMedic]

It’s easy if you keep the boxes.

Also, attitudes like Nomad’s are exactly why EMS remains the crippled stepchild of medicine. We identify risks and accept them, but discussing them in any form or fashion opens up lines of attack on ourselves by people who think expressing concerns in an appropriate semi-private semi-anonymous forum is somehow an indicator of dissatisfaction.

There are times I wonder why I continue to stay in a field that says they need good, passionate, intelligent, kind people and that does critical work in complex, challenging circumstances and environments, but also puts those same people into highly dangerous circumstances not out of necessity, but of convenience and tradition.

Hopefully it starts making positive changes to promote health and safety.

Let’s be honest Rocket. Have you ever been satisfied at a job? Don’t you have a history of finding fault with every employer you’ve worked for and assigning the blame to them? Stand up 24s. Lousy culture. Overbearing supervisors. Lackadaisical staff. Bad medicine. And on and on, ad infinitum.

Looking back at all of the posts over the years, I’m going to posit, “it’s not them... it’s you.”

Until you can convince someone to hire you into a leadership position, where you can change the god awful problems you all so frequently vent about, you should probably just suck it up, establish some work history consistency and just do your job.

And until that happens, you’re nothing more than an over educated street medic with a sketchy work history that claims he can fix the problems that plague EMS.

It’s worth noting that you have no pathway to actually implementing change, because you lack the tact and political acumen to be an effective leader. A perfect example that post graduate degrees don’t mean jack, if people don’t like or trust you. And since you crap on EVERY place you’ve worked, it’s obvious that you’re the absolute antithesis of positive change.

 

[RocketMedic]

Let’s be honest Rocket. Have you ever been satisfied at a job? Don’t you have a history of finding fault with every employer you’ve worked for and assigning the blame to them? Stand up 24s. Lousy culture. Overbearing supervisors. Lackadaisical staff. Bad medicine. And on and on, ad infinitum.

Looking back at all of the posts over the years, I’m going to posit, “it’s not them... it’s you.”

Until you can convince someone to hire you into a leadership position, where you can change the god awful problems you all so frequently vent about, you should probably just suck it up, establish some work history consistency and just do your job.

And until that happens, you’re nothing more than an over educated street medic with a sketchy work history that claims he can fix the problems that plague EMS.

It’s worth noting that you have no pathway to actually implementing change, because you lack the tact and political acumen to be an effective leader. A perfect example that post graduate degrees don’t mean jack, if people don’t like or trust you. And since you crap on EVERY place you’ve worked, it’s obvious that you’re the absolute antithesis of positive change.

At what point does “tact” and “political acumen” simply mean accepting the status quo? Let’s be candid, “leadership” in EMS is primarily selected because they present evolutionary solutions to challenges and don’t rock the boat any more than needed- not a lot of selections for innovation, at least where we’ve been looking (with exceptions that I really respect).

This pandemic thing is making me realize that the entire culture of healthcare is broken. In any other industry, risk is literally engineered out at all possible levels. But in EMS? Nope. There is an important distinction here too. I am VERY satisfied by my job, by helping people, and by the potential of what we can do even without fancy clinical things. I am highly dissatisfied by the environments and cultures I am forced to tolerate in order to be able to participate in that noble mission. That’s why I’ve decided to remain a paramedic for the time being.

PS- “crapping” on places =\= identifying problems, especially when those problems are not limited to particular brands or companies. I don’t actually have any criticisms of my current employer, they’re simply playing the cards they’re dealt and I’ve chosen to participate because the benefits still outweigh the risks and opportunity costs. Former employers have done good, bad, intelligent and dumb things, and although I harbor great disdain for certain individuals and their actions, I don’t dislike those places either. They’re just like restaurants I wouldn’t consider patronizing because they’ve demonstrated low quality and unsatisfying service.

Added to that- I do see opportunities in the future to make real changes for the positive in EMS and the world in general. Probably wildly optimistic, but I don’t think those pathways come from management or supervision or even being a director somewhere. To be honest, I don’t even really want those roles anymore, because they’re dead ends and take you away from the fun. Maybe the real value of that masters was to illustrate just how ineffective and silly chasing a position chosen for its adherence to dogma really is, especially when your peers constantly make excuses to justify what we’ve all recognized as dangerous and silly.

 

[RocketMedic]

Taking your track record into consideration on this forum you ***** and moan about every job you've ever held. We've seen this story before so stop selling it to us. You find the greatest place ever then after spending some time at *insert greatest place ever* you start to complain. The sups are bad, the call volume, the shifts, the gurney vans. If you're that unhappy wherever you go then leave EMS, don't let the door hit you on the way out because quite frankly you're attitude towards working at whatever company/ agency you're working at is toxic and has no place in EMS.

It is, indeed, an industry-wide problem. Clearly I’m wrong for believing we could ever be healthier, safer, better and more effective than we are.

 

[RocketMedic]

@NomadicMedic , also, no, I haven’t really been satisfied at a job. I wasn’t “satisfied” by working at Jack in the Box in high school, and I turned down a shift supervisor position to go to school for EMT. Why? Unsatisfied with that job, good call. Wasn’t satisfied being a supply/logistics worker, went to school. Was somewhat “satisfied” by the Army, but risk > benefit and the Army is a difficult master. Entered EMS, here we are. It’s got good and bad.

 

[VentMonkey]

I’ve learned, the hard way, that job satisfaction is somewhere in the middle of the totem pole of overall satisfaction in my life. It’s certainly not at the base of it.


I’d guess I’m not alone with this train of thought.

Unicorn jobs are just like actual unicorns. My thirst for the “perfect job” ended years ago and I’ve been happier ever since.

Most of those that want to effect change in their respective line of work in any capacity have already measured out the risk: reward ratios.

 

[CALEMT]

Clearly I’m wrong for believing we could ever be healthier, safer, better and more effective than we are.

Who here on this forum has directly said that?

*****ing about it on a EMS forum is one thing, effecting change is another. Quite your ****ing whining and do something about it.

 

[VentMonkey]

@RocketMedic they make a good point. I think the main difference I can see from here between you and @NomadicMedic is that he's moved on, but also up in positions. You seem to tire of whatever place you're at quickly, or find the negatives just as easily.

You seem smart, and I know that you have a good educational background, but no one is going to want to listen to you tirelessly complain about things without actually changing them yourself. I can understand wanting to "better our profession". I think the large majority of us on here want to in some way, shape, or form.

Some from an individualized aspect, others on a grander scale. Pick your poison already, but stop whining about every job ever like it will get you anywhere. Plain and simply you seem like an unhappy person. BOL, brother.

In other news: the perfect weather minimums to start a shift I'm hoping will remain in a holding pattern for at least the rest of it, if not the next couple of OT shifts. We'll see.

 

[CALEMT]

To the person panic buying eggs, milk, rice, beans, beef, chicken, and cans of soup I hope you get salmonella.

 

[Jim37F]

Dang, today's day 4 of our 4 days off (Kelly schedule) I signed up to be on call for any OT shifts that might open up all 4 days. I cant remember the last time I didn't get something (even just a 12) ... but I can add this 4 day to that list.. i guess everyone liked to go into work/no one else called off...

 

[GMCmedic]

To the person panic buying eggs, milk, rice, beans, beef, chicken, and cans of soup I hope you get salmonella.

Where do you draw the line between panic buying and preparedness?

Im not panicked, and I dont feel a need to panic buy, but at the same time, my mom didnt raise a fool. When I see the reactions of people and the shelves become more bare every day......well, chance favors the prepared.

 

[CALEMT]

Where do you draw the line between panic buying and preparedness?

Im not panicked, and I dont feel a need to panic buy, but at the same time, my mom didnt raise a fool. When I see the reactions of people and the shelves become more bare every day......well, chance favors the prepared.

And this justifies you (not you specifically) clearing out the shelves of every grocery store?

 

[GMCmedic]

And this justifies you (not you specifically) clearing out the shelves of every grocery store?

I think its a blessing in disguise for some. We see it all the time in the midwest with even a hint of snow, Bread and milk are gone, but when there is a chemical contamination of the main water supply, the shelves of water were completely full.

People have become pretty accustomed to just being able to run to walmart and get what they need and now they can't (at least for some things). The good news, this is likely a temporary thing and supply of food and TP will be normal again in a few weeks.

Had this been a real emergency, the panic buyers would ultimately be smart, not near as smart as people that typically have 2 months or more worth of food on hand anyway.

The moral to the story, even though it appears stupid. In the end its nobodies business how people spend their own money.

 

[RocketMedic]

To the person panic buying eggs, milk, rice, beans, beef, chicken, and cans of soup I hope you get salmonella.

Refrigerators exist, bro, and dry goods exist to be stored.

 

[RocketMedic]

And this justifies you (not you specifically) clearing out the shelves of every grocery store?

Yes, it does. Better to have it and not need it than the alternative.

 

[CALEMT]

Refrigerators exist, bro, and dry goods exist to be stored.

You don't say? Never would've though of this living in 2020.

Yes, it does. Better to have it and not need it than the alternative.

No it doesn't. Out of all the people buying bulk eggs and milk how much is actually going to get eaten before going bad. I'm all for preparedness, do I keep a supply of food of course I do. But I know I'm not going to eat 3 cartons of eggs or 3 gallons of milk before it expires.

 

[Seirende]

Working at a grocery store had been nuts the past few days. It's like 10x the intensity of the holidays.

 

[Tigger]

Ok lovers of pointy things. I need some kitchen knives that won't break the bank. Ideas?

 

[Qulevrius]

Ok lovers of pointy things. I need some kitchen knives that won't break the bank. Ideas?

Tomodachi sets are decent. Cuisinart doesn’t need to be promoted. Also, what’s your budget ?

 

[NomadicMedic]

I have a set of Henckels that I’ve had for close to 20 years. i love em.

 

[CALEMT]

Ok lovers of pointy things. I need some kitchen knives that won't break the bank. Ideas?

Wüsthof and Zwilling J.A. Henckels are the top tier knives if you can drop the money for them. Made in the vaterland (Germany). Cry once buy once.

My Cuisinart knives are still going strong, I have to sharpen them to keep a scary sharp edge on them that you'd see on the two above and they dull faster than the two above.