THe REal Reason you became an EMT-B

[Sasha]

It takes a very special kind of person. It's not for the faint of heart, the thin-skinned, the bleeding hearts,

Excuse me, I do well in EMS, I have been told by more than one partner that I'm an awesome provider

 

[usafmedic45]

Excuse me, I do well in EMS, I have been told by more than one partner that I'm an awesome provider

You know that you also have my respect Sasha. You're the rare breed of a bleeding heart with skin just thick enough to excel.

 

[Sasha]

Skin has to be thick to go with my big head

 

[CAOX3]

I know and I have been trying to work on it.



Point taken. I guess I was just lucky that I realized it within the first year I was in the field. Hell, I don't think I made it a few months even. I remember getting invited to speak when I was 20 to a friend of mine's junior high class about being an EMS provider. The timing could not have been worse- the call that pushed me over the edge of burnout the first time (the death of my friend John) was barely two months in the past- and I ended up giving a long-winded answer to a question about what it takes to be cut out for this field. The teacher had filmed it. She also was a volunteer EMT and so her assessment of what I had to say should count for something. She said it was the most brutally and emotionally honest assessment of a career she had ever seen given to her class in the 20 years she had been teaching. When she showed it to me later (and gave me a copy), I ended up realizing what a physical toll this job had taken from me. I looked about 15 years older than I actually was (which is saying something given that now- at 30- I still get pegged as being in my mid-20s). She made the comment that my presentation that day should be "required watching" for every EMT student which is why she gave me a copy. I'll see if I can find it to digitize it so I can post it on here. However the gist of it was:

"What does it take to be a good EMT? A strong back, a tolerance for the excesses of your fellow man, thick skin, and the ability to stare the worst humanity has to offer in the face without blinking are good starters. If you're going into the field with a soft heart and the belief you'll change the world, you're going to find yourself the one bleeding- emotionally and socially- and will be the one changed. There are the odd moments where you find yourself looking at the dead body of an accident victim and realize there's nothing that can be done so you just have this odd moment of pause because all you can do is take it. You'll find yourself tending to little old ladies who call the ambulance because no one comes to visit them and they are lonely and their chronic ailments are a convenient way to get some "nice young folks" to come spend a few minutes. You see the wages of self-abuse- the alcoholics, the drug addicts, the street walkers- and the victims of abuse at the hands of another. Until you've seen what happens when a worthless sack of :censored::censored::censored::censored: masquerading as a mother gets upset and can not handle her four month old baby having colic so she uses a clothes iron to punish the child, you can't say you've seen the depths of human depravity. This job shows you the absolute worst that mankind has to offer: the suffering, the selfishness, the torment, the sadism, the self-righteousness.

At the same time, you get to see the absolute best that this planet has to offer. You see a nine-year old boy step through a crowd at his church to perform CPR on his grandmother, while all the adults stand around and watch. You see folks who have no responsibility for their fellow man risk their lives, give their time and sometimes pay dearly with their life, their skin, their sweat and their blood in the name of trying to alleviate suffering. In this job, you have the opportunity to bring new life into this world and to ease the transition out of it. It's the occupational equivalent of A Tale of Two Cities: it's the best of times and the worst of times.

The folks you work with run the gamet from those just there for the meager pay check to those whose whole purpose in life seems to be running around trying to fix other peoples' problems, often without a forethought for their own issues. Some of them are burned out, some are obsessive and some are quite frankly on the verge of bat:censored::censored::censored::censored: insane. The hours are long, the pay is atrocious, the working conditions are often :censored::censored::censored::censored:ty, the thanks are few and far between and what you see takes its pound of flesh. You need look no further than me to see evidence of that.

So what does it take to work in EMS? It takes a very special kind of person. It's not for the faint of heart, the thin-skinned, the bleeding hearts, those who aren't willing to work hard. But if you can deal with all of this and are willing to put the necessary time and effort into honing and maintaining your skills, you can count yourself as having the privilege of being one of the few people turn to in the darkest of their moments."





Giggity.

....and yes, you are rubbing off on me a little.

And for posts like this is the reason you are a valuable asset to this forum.

Your brutally honest, shoot from the hip, non sugar coated responses are both valuable and informitive.

-much respect.

Now as far as you and Sasha rubbing on each other get a room already.

 

[usafmedic45]

Now as far as you and Sasha rubbing on each other get a room already.

I think my fiancee would have a problem with that. LOL

And for posts like this is the reason you are a valuable asset to this forum.

Your brutally honest, shoot from the hip, non sugar coated responses are both valuable and informitive.

-much respect.

Thank you. I try. I appreciate you all keeping me in line when I get a little overbearing. You have my respect for having the decency and patience required to put up with me.

 

[Sasha]

I think my fiancee would have a problem with that. LOL

Bring her.

 

[usafmedic45]

Bring her.

All right *Quagmire head bob*

 

[CAOX3]

Bring her.

...........:beerchug::beerchug:

 

[medicRob]

easy access to narcotics without the man getting on my back about it.

 

[Melclin]

easy access to narcotics without the man getting on my back about it.

We have narcotics? I've always been too drunk to realize.

 

[medicRob]

We have narcotics? I've always been too drunk to realize.

oodles.