the 100% directionless thread

Jim37F

Jim37F

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This is gonna be me tomorrow:
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S

StCEMT

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DragonClaw said:
I've been looking at those too. I love the ambulance though 😭
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There's something to be said about quality of life though. Yea, you will likely be more restricted in an ED, but you will have some fantastic learning opportunities. I love being on an ambulance too, but not at the cost of working for the type of place that doesnt provide things that should be standard. Get out of the dumpster fire, finish school, and apply to a decent place. Ambulances and EMS will not be going anywhere. I promise you arent going to miss your chance to do this job, there is no shortage of opportunity.
 
P

Peak

ED/Prehospital Registered Nurse
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DragonClaw said:
I've been looking at those too. I love the ambulance though 😭
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I encourage you to consider how often you see a sick patient in a day. When I was in the fire service I saw maybe one clinically sick patient per shift, certainly in a high acuity ED you will see much more. It is hard giving up the bus, but the ED really can be a great learning (and pay) opportunity.
 
DragonClaw

DragonClaw

Emergency Medical Texan
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StCEMT said:
There's something to be said about quality of life though. Yea, you will likely be more restricted in an ED, but you will have some fantastic learning opportunities. I love being on an ambulance too, but not at the cost of working for the type of place that doesnt provide things that should be standard. Get out of the dumpster fire, finish school, and apply to a decent place. Ambulances and EMS will not be going anywhere. I promise you arent going to miss your chance to do this job, there is no shortage of opportunity.
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I'm sure I will have a ton more access to doctors and nurses and get new skills, but I'm afraid of being an over/underpaid CNA.

I'll learn a lot of meds and how certain conditions worsen or heal over time. Results of good and bad care on the truck.

Etc

I'm sure it's quite interesting, it's just hard to step off the ambulance and not feel like you've betrayed the patch or something
 
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DragonClaw

DragonClaw

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When it's you and your good trustworthy awesome ride or die partner partner vs dispatch and the world and the stupidity of humanity, it's great times. Nothing like scarfing down your cold fast food and hope you don't pay for that taco bell.... twice.... on the way to the next call as you crack jokes and you both threaten to crash the ambulance if you get one more whale sized Bari.

And then once you clear the call, you go for a snack from the EMS room and see the firemen not only helped themselves to EMS grants, but all the good food.

It's 0247 and you startle awake and lose all orientation, you could be someone else 20 years ago in Pangea for all you know.

Exchange some dank memes.

Finally, a decent call with a pleasant walkie talkie.

The ambulance likes to turn off the AC when you apply too much gas, like going on a flyover, but that's okay. It's always hot anyway.

...Like how can you just not love it.
 
DragonClaw

DragonClaw

Emergency Medical Texan
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That after shift waffle house and even if that shift was rough and you got hammered by dispatch, you still had a **** eating grin as you washed the truck and tagged your partner with the hose for old times sake.

Recall the time he pranked you into thinking y'all were locked out of the truck on a long distance outside of an IHOP 200 miles from base, the one where you dropped the GREEN (he says it's yellow), sacred canned Gatorade outside and gave a wail as you realize it's got an arterial level pressure leak and half the can is gone before you even reach it.

You text Kevin in dispatch, the true Benevolent king and tell him about Amy's trash dispatching and try to convince him that becoming a nurse is overrated and the dark side. Yet, you want to see him out here. If there was such a thing as a good nurse, he'd be the one.

You can get rough calls, but it doesn't damper your spirits. You've got it going on. Job isn't perfect, but it's good. Life is good. And you don't mind coming back to do it all again the next day.

Think about how when you were stuck doing paperwork late at 0300 and when 30 LP15s came to life eerily and like they were possessed. Entertaining, but it's still not okay they even turn themselves on. Pretty sure that's illegal somehow.

And to step off that truck thinking you'll not be back for a bit? That hurts me in ways I can't put into words.

Every time I'd hear a Siren approaching the ED, I'd know I should be there and not here.

Every time I saw a crew having a good time after a call, I would know what I'm missing.

When you see a critical pt brought in and know that crew made the difference, I'd wanted to have been on that scene.

True, I don't get all that where I'm at now. But it's like giving up what pride in my job I've got. The last bit I've got. Feels like I gotta hold on, not let go.
 
DragonClaw

DragonClaw

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I'm sure with any good job you get comfortable with and know your people it's gonna be just fine.

But it seems wrong to just leave and promise you'll be back when in actuality, there are no guarantees. Feels like saying goodbye.
 
Akulahawk

Akulahawk

EMT-P/ED RN
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I've been off the ambulance for a very long time and I still pine for those olden days of yore and lore. Being an ED RN has made me learn and grow in many ways. Back in my days on the ambulance, I did a LOT of interfacility transports between hospitals and a LOT of scene calls so I did get to see a LOT of really sick people. That being said, I've seen and managed many more sick people as an ED RN than I did on the ambulance. There are a few things that I cannot do (by policy more than anything really) now that I previously could do back then, but on the whole, I do really like my job now.

I'm still highly considering going back to the ambulance but primarily as a CCT-RN. As this pandemic (hopefully) subsides in the coming months, I'll do it maybe as a PRN/casual in that role. I do like my "day" job too much (and the pay/bennies) to quit that.
 
DragonClaw

DragonClaw

Emergency Medical Texan
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Darn if I don't miss the best partner I ever had.
Akulahawk said:
I've been off the ambulance for a very long time and I still pine for those olden days of yore and lore. Being an ED RN has made me learn and grow in many ways. Back in my days on the ambulance, I did a LOT of interfacility transports between hospitals and a LOT of scene calls so I did get to see a LOT of really sick people. That being said, I've seen and managed many more sick people as an ED RN than I did on the ambulance. There are a few things that I cannot do (by policy more than anything really) now that I previously could do back then, but on the whole, I do really like my job now.

I'm still highly considering going back to the ambulance but primarily as a CCT-RN. As this pandemic (hopefully) subsides in the coming months, I'll do it maybe as a PRN/casual in that role. I do like my "day" job too much (and the pay/bennies) to quit that.
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See? The yearning for the box, it never ends. You can take the medic from the box, but you can never take the box from the medic.
 
G

GMCmedic

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Maybe I'm lazy, I don't miss the ambulance at all.

5 figure raise, when the weather is bad nobody expects me to work, when the weather is good I do maybe 1 or 2 flights on average, verly little EMS Dogma to deal with, management actually cares about safety.

No, I don't miss it at all.
 
S

StCEMT

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I dunno....trying to rush to eat or being in the back of an oven all day are definitely not things about my job that I love. And don't look at it as betraying the patch. Its just a job. It doesn't come before your own priorities in life.
 
PotatoMedic

PotatoMedic

Has no idea what I'm doing.
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And logged off of Facebook for a while. Acquaintances I have are not the smartest and I don't need that group think in my life. I'll miss updates from a few things, but for the most part I think this is one of the healthiest decisions I've made in a long time for my mental health.
 
S

StCEMT

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Called a stroke alert on someone who was only having cognitive issues, no physical deficits. Turns out it was right. God those subtler strokes are tricky, but it sure feels satisfying when its right. Especially when its the hospital you've worked hard at building relationships and reputations with over the years.
 
VentMonkey

VentMonkey

Family Guy
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StCEMT said:
Called a stroke alert on someone who was only having cognitive issues, no physical deficits. Turns out it was right. God those subtler strokes are tricky, but it sure feels satisfying when its right. Especially when its the hospital you've worked hard at building relationships and reputations with over the years.
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Them feels rarely lie.
 
Fezman92

Fezman92

NJ and PA EMT
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This hasn’t been my best week:

I didn’t budget correctly this week and I called work saying that I wasn’t able to come in because I don’t have enough gas money. They were nice enough to send someone down (2 hour round trip) to pick me up. I’m so embarrassed and angry at myself.

Might visit the doctor next week or so because I’ve been having random bouts of chills where it’s so bad that I can’t even type up a report. Had to go home early yesterday because it was so bad.

Oh great, just realized that I forgot my work ID at home for the second day in a row.
 
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