What is your favorite thing about EMS?

[Epi-do]

Not sure if I picked the right place to post this, but I thought it would be interesting to hear what is everyone's favorite part of EMS. Also, what would your best piece of advice be for all of those newbies out there?

I think my favorite part has got to be just knowing that I can make a difference in someone's day for however much time I have to spend with them. Whether it is attending to someone who was injured in an MVC or simply listening and holding someone's hand who is scared/upset. It seems as if the general population is too busy to either notice or care when someone needs help these days and if the 20 minutes I spend with someone helps to make their bad day just a little bit more bearable, I feel as if I have done my job.

As for any advice I could offer to those just entering EMS, never stop learning. What is taught in your classes is just the tip of the iceburg and eventually something will come along that you feel you were never prepared for. Take the time to read studies/journals, talk to those with more experience than you and don't be afraid to ask them questions. Take additional classes to further your education. In short, don't stop learning once you get your cert. There is so much more to all of this than what is taught in one short certification class, regardless of your certification level.

 

[EMTalex]

I cant really say what my favorite thing is about EMS since im only starting to get into it. However, riding code 3 looks bloody good!

 

[Medivixen]

I love having a job I dont dread going to everyday and actually look forward to what the day could possibly bring me. Everyday and call is different. I love feeling powerful and having people look up to me. Expecially the little kids that wave when we drive by in the ambulance. I also like the constant learning and self improvement.

 

[Celtictigeress]

I love the fact Im making a difference, sure it isnt a cure for cancer or anything but if I can soothe one Shattered heart mend one childs scraped knee, or salvage the life of someones husband..its worth it

I have 2pts now that I visit daily to take flowers to or see how they are, they know it isnt just a job to me its much more, I like learning about the people Im caring for and seeing the look of relief.... I know periodically you lose someone but its the small things that make a difference crying when they cry, smiling when they smile....

My advice? Dont become High and mighty making demands of those that have been around longer, dont think that because your "book smart" your street smart too...because the books dont tell you how to improvise when your missing equipment, the books dont tell you how to handle multi casualties and being the only Unit out there at that moment experiance does, and those that have been around longer are your guides...

Oh yeah one more thing...the toes you step on today are usually connected to the *** you will have to kiss tomarrow so watch your step....

 

[EMTalex]

Oh yeah one more thing...the toes you step on today are usually connected to the *** you will have to kiss tomarrow so watch your step....

hehehe i like that!

 

[Chimpie]

My years in EMS were in a automobile manucaturing plant and a retirement community. The nice thing about EMS there was stabilizing the scene/patient, then handing them off for transport to the boys in the rescues. For me it was all about the adrenalin.

Advice for the newbies: Breathe.

 

[Sineath02]

Well all I am now is in training for a driver...which is basically just riding along, learning the stretcher and helping pick up patients personal belongs. The service I am with is just for experience while in basic and will stay there until I can get a county job. We have visited many elderly homes and the old folks are so cute and happy to see you. It's just good to know that I can make a difference in someones life.

 

[ffemt8978]

My favorite thing about EMS is bringing order out of chaos, and helping those that really need help.

 

[ResTech]

Favorite thing that jumps to mind is a job that doesnt really feel like work. All the downtime to screw off at the station and get paid for it...

 

[Ridryder911]

My favorite thing is I not stuck with multiple patients and I can sit down. In ER, I never had a chance to relax.. ever, as well having 2 vent patients and maybe a GSW at the same time.. kinda runs you ragged.

As well, I like working outside, and the "crew" environment of eating out together, laughing, relaxing (when we can) and the comradely.

Patient care is unique, because I know I am delivering it and it will be thorough and my assessment will be detailed. I am able to give more time and intensity to the patient than in the ER setting.

Advice to newbies... take your job serious, not yourself. Study at the least once a week.. forever. If you make a commitment to this profession, then you have to make a commitment to be up to par and continuously educate yourself all the time. Listen to others.. make mental notes of the good and the bad of what to do and what not to do...Each patient is unique and their conditions is unique to them..

R/r 911

 

[Celtictigeress]

Good words 911!!!

I like th comradery the only issue with ours there are 2 females there that love drama so we have the group of guys (And me) that hang outside of work go to lunch during work and have family get togethers... then...those two....

 

[Jon]

I love not knowing what the day will bring, how every call is different.

I love the "family" feeling we have in EMS and the Fire Service, how we can all get along, and act like we've known each other for years.

 

[CodeSurfer]

My favorite thing about EMS is the fact that people care about out job, because we care about people. When someone asks what you do and you say "I'm a salesman" people dont think much of it. When you say "I'm a frie fighter and EMT" They have a thousand questions (some are annoying) but people always have something to say.

 

[oldschoolmedic]

The best thing about this job is that every day is different. I'm not stuck in a cubicle. The nine to five is a grind I could not take. After eighteen years I still love my job.

My advice for the newbies out there:

1. Keep your mouth shut, and your eyes and mind open.

2. It may not be the way the book shows it, but the book cannot improvise. Did you ever see a six hundred pound patient in your textbook?

3. It is not your emergency, calm down.

4. The patient is the reason you should be there, not your ego.

5. If you complain about every call you run in the middle of the night, maybe you should rethink your dedication to the job.

6. My pay sucks too, and I have your lifetime worth of experience, get over it.

7. 15,000 pounds of ambulance will NOT STOP on a dime, but it will crush it right into the pavement.

8. War stories are for veterans, you don't have any yet, just listen, laugh, and learn. They aren't funny because things went right, just the opposite.

9. TV never gets it right, ever.

10.If it feels good when you say it to the patient, you will more than likely have to explain it to your supervisor in the morning.

11. If it starts with, "I remember this one time I was riding with,ahhh you don't know 'em..." It's gonna be a good one, because they're protecting the guilty.