Where would you work?

jeepmedic

jeepmedic

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Ok I have worked in system that is very small where you have transport times of 30 to 45 min. and I have worked in citys where you can see the hosptial from the scene. My question is which one would you rather work in?

Me I like the smaller ones because you get a chance to preform your skills and go through your protocal. And no I am not leaving my current job, I am just currious.
 
As I always say, it is all about quality, not quantity. I worked for a very busy system for a couple years. We would run some times as many as 20 calls in 24 hour shift. I found out real quick with those short 5 and ten min. transport times, there was little time to see results with the patients. I now work for a laid back county agancy where we may run 1 call in a whole 12 hour shift. However our transport time is about 30 min at the least. That is when you get to spread your wings and be the provider that you can be. So, I'd rather work for a laid back low stress agency rather than a busy city agancy.
 
Not having worked in EMS yet, I cant say for a fact. But I'd say I would want to work in a slower pace, since my instructor is always telling us it's super easy to burn out. And I plan on being a lifer.
 
Living on the southside of Indianapolis, I have always worked in an urban setting, but I would love the chance to do rural EMS. The idea of long transport times, having to think outside of the box due to fewer resources, and having your knowledge and skills tested really intrigues me.

That being said, I am not going to go out and look for a job in a rural system anytime soon. I love my current job and have no intentions of finding something different.
 
Several environments...

Wilderness situations where transport times could theoretically be as long as 24 hours. In reality they are usually no longer than 15 hours to deliver the pt to EMS (who should have <1.5hr tp to a Level III). Average times are probably more like 4 hours.

... ranging to a primary care clinic located 50ft from a hospital.
 
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I personally live for the busy city. I'd like to get a high volume of calls to gain experience. After awhile, I'll want to slow down and then can do slower system, but I'd have learned a lot from the city work even though tx and transport is so fast.

I say go all out and start big when you're young and have the energy, then slow it down as you get more experience before you get tired of it. So you get the newbie excitment and prevent the old timer burnout.
 
urban setting. while being 30-45min from the hospital gives you "time to spread your wings and be all the provider you can be(your kidding right? is this an army commercial??) it also give the pt plenty fo time to croak on you. unless im in a critical care truck with wide open standing orders and an md in the jump seat, i dont see that as a great thing to be longed for. even then, i hate the idea. id rather be at the hospital in less than 10min, with all its fancy diagnostic gadgets and pharmacy(not a minimal supply but a whole room full of different med to try) than in the back of a rolling jump kit in the middle of nowhere hoping and praying that i can manage to make it....................................
 
As for Paramedic level, the rural to urban is the ideal system. Paramedic levels were never designed for metro areas.. no definite change to occur. In the outlying areas, where prehospital care is justified and one can practice their skills.

R/r 911
 
I live in and work in a county of about 80,000 people. We have a local hospital that can treat the basic injuries, and 2 Level 1 trauma centers within 45 minutes of any point in the county. We run around 12,000 calls a year. We have 4 trucks. We have 2 in the 2 main cities, and 2 in the outlying ends of the county. We also have 4 QRV's including the supervisor. The city trucks can be at the local ER in about 5-10 minutes most of the time. The outlying trucks have about 20 minute transport times. If we have a major trauma or a new onset stroke and the weather is good, we fly them. If the weather sucks we drive. I usually get to use my skills to the fullest about 50% of the time, the other half I get the very basic stuff done (IV, O2, Monitor.)
 
I would like to get back on the rig and work in a large urban area to get a VAST amount of working experience. The best way I can say is when my friend Jody went to Oakland, California for paramedic school. Jody said, "If I'm going to learn, I am going to do it well!". Then she wound up staying for about a year in Oakland working to gain that experience! :)
 
I like the area I cover -- it's huge, several hundred square miles, and has everything. A town of approx. 115000 people, lots of smaller suburbs, rural country. You can go down a freeway at 70mph for 45 minutes just to get to the exit you need to get to the scene. (I do transport. The initial responses from the fire departments are a lot closer.)

You see a little bit of everything that way. If I had to pick one, though, it'd be suburban/medium-small towns.
 
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