maverick56

I must say that It's genuinely an honor that I was able to participate in the GWOT that ultimately helped us bring the pain right to the cowards doorstep. To be frank, this development is quite surreal to me and most of my comrades. I honestly did not expect that we would ever have the glorious luxury of capping Bin Laden, that he would ultimately succumb to his long list of chronic ailments. I find this to be a bittersweet moment, as I can't help but reminisce of those who did not return on their own two feet, but via that long flight aboard a transport plane cargohold to Virginia. While some of you may vary upon your political opinions, we can all stand unified in rejoicing over the death of this murderous villain. Quit being unpatriotic by arguing over stupid political drama, instead we should be celebrating this massive turning point in the history of modern times. Let us not forget the countless innocent victims of this evil and cowardly monster, nor my fallen brothers and sisters who gave the ultimate sacrifice in pursuit of his demise. From the words of myself and fellow servicemembers, I salute the special operations team that ended the reign of terror spread by Osama with the tug of a trigger. And to the fallen: RIP, you are gone, but shall never be forgotten.

The books I mentioned: Driven to Distraction ADD on the Job

Hey Joe, curious - your title says "EMT Student" - are you asking about ways to handle class or down-time on shift? I have ADHD. I wasn't diagnosed until mid-college career. I took meds (Adderal) thru college and for a couple years after. Made a HUGE difference for me, but took a lot of tweaking to get the dosage right. I was not on them thru paramedic school this last year because I didn't have insurance and couldn't afford it. But, I have learned a lot about ways to adapt over the years and what helps me focus enough to study. If you're having trouble in class, shoot me PM and I can give you some things that have worked for me. If it's down-time on shift that you're struggling with, I can totally relate. I HATE slow days! Sitting around waiting drives me crazy. So I keep busy. This last year I pretty much always had studying to do for medic school, so that helped, but I can only sit and study for so long. I always keep shoes and pt clothes in my locker and will often go do some laps around the station (or the bay if it's cold/nasty out). I'll run the stairs up to the training lab, hit the heavy bag out in the bay, push-ups, sit-ups - anything to get my heart rate up and burn off some of that energy. Granted, you can't do that if you're on the bubble, but it's a great thing for anybody to do for many reasons if you're down the rotation. I also keep a squishy stress ball in my locker that I can play with, keep my hands busy, without making a bunch of noise. Good to use when watching tv or something. I also spend a lot of independent time up in the training lab practicing skills. It's productive, can never practice too much, and keeps me busy and not pacing/fidgeting in front of crew mates. On the more humorous side, I also have a sizable collection of candid photos of me and all our training dummies in all sorts of places and situations around the station, haha. I'm currently in a smaller rural system, so I have to get creative, and yeah, some days I feel like I'm going crazy, but you can make it work. Just a thought, career-wise, maybe think about what type of system you want to work in. Sure, everybody has down days, but you can pick a type of system that averages a higher, faster pace. I know that for me, the system I am currently in is not ideal. During externship I spent time in a busy urban system that runs system status. I loved it. 14hr shifts instead of 24s and I was almost always busy and the scenery constantly changed as we moved from post to post around the city. So, in my hunting for a more long-term job, I am looking for a larger urban system to work in with lots of different facets and opportunities. This is because I understand how my brain ticks and how and where I function best. I know that I need variety, continuous mental and physical challenges, and a faster-paced environment. Personally, I see my ADHD as an asset, almost an advantage, working in EMS. Yeah, I can have a short attention span and be easily distracted. But I also have the ability to "hyperfocus", or focus in extremely intently on one task or situation. I also focus and perform best in high-stimulus, high-stress, high-pressure situations - it actually calms me down in a way. Meaning, in EMS, when I need to be focused, I am. I handle pressure much better than most. I also have a very strong sense of empathy and am easily able to read people's non-verbal cues to figure out the bigger picture. It makes me more able to connect with patients. What you need to do is learn as much about ADHD as you can, learn about the different types (me, I have "high-stim" ADHD) and how it affects you. A great resource for me has been the book Driven to Distraction by Edward Hallowell & John Ratey, both psychiatrists with ADHD. Another good book is ADD on the Job by Lynn Weiss, it has lots of suggestions for adapting at work and also helps give you the perspective of people trying to work with you. EMS can actually be really great field for a person with ADHD - a field where you can put a lot of your unique strengths to work. As a matter of fact, I have found that since working in the field, I have not really needed medication. I still struggle sometimes, but overall, the slightly chaotic schedule and demands combined with the paramilitary-type structure really works for me. That - and a little growing up and taking ownership of my limitations. If you're serious about figuring yourself out, read that first book for sure. And if you have any questions, feel free to PM me. Remember - ADHD isn't a disease or some sort of affliction - it's simply a different way of wiring the brain, like being left-handed. You just have to understand it. Good luck! *edited for formatting

Long-time paramedic to be honored today Merlin Sayan was an icon of Northern Michigan EMS, constantly pushing us to be better and a great advocate for more progressive systems to further help patients. He will be sorely missed.

We tried to sell my buddy's virginity on ebay freshman year of college, but we only got it up to $50 before it was taken down, lol.

Thanks, Rich! That's great info, I'll look into it.

My family is going to be moving to either the North Atlanta area or Charlotte, NC area in the spring and my grandmother lives in Greenville, SC. I will be graduating from paramedic school in March and am looking to move as well. I am currently working as an EMT-B in northern Michigan. The job prospects are not great here, or anywhere in Michigan for that matter, and the pay is dismal. And after so many years away from my family, I would also like to stay relatively close (within a few hours drive). I am pretty new to EMS and unsure of the best ways to go about job hunting in this industry. Where might I look, beyond broad google searches? Also, for anyone living in the GA/TN/NC/SC areas, how are the current job prospects for paramedics in your area? What is the pay scale like vs the cost of living? I will have National Registry by the time I'm ready to move, will that work for reciprocity? What do services in your area look for? How many are fire based vs strictly EMS? (I have no preference, but I do not currently have any fire training) I'm a die hard snowboarder and struggle with the idea of abandoning access to mountains and snow. Where are some areas to look at with reasonable access to winter? Might sound silly, but my parents are the ones sick of snow, not me. I'm a very active outdoors person, I love to hike and camp in the summer. I would be thrilled with working SAR or backcountry EMS. Otherwise, job wise, I guess I'm looking for the happy medium? Not a transfer medic, but not a 2-5 min taxi all the time either. Suburban maybe? I don't know, lol. Basically, whatever advice some of you may have concerning job searching, geographic areas, climates, specific services, licensing, whatever... I'm all ears! I'm just trying to plan ahead a little, because I know I'm not staying here. Thanks! Oh, feel free to ask whatever if it helps you help me

Thanks for sharing! I was sent the same story at the start of the school year and made sure to send it along to others. I wish all teachers understood the responsibility that they hold and took it as seriously. That is a potent lesson and one that every child should be taught. Freedom is a concept that is highly taken for granted in our society today and those who serve are rarely given much thought. Our modern warrior culture, brought about by an all-volunteer military of professional warriors, experiences a deep chasm of separation from the rest of society. They don't understand us and we have trouble understanding them. People forget that we're still out there, putting our lives on the line every day, until they hear about some tragedy or mistake on the news. And even then, the thought is gone with the next story on the latest exploits of Lindsey Lohan. I don't mean to sound bitter, as I am not. It's a life we all chose and I for one am extremely proud to have served and will do so again if I am called. But the above story, the actions and thought behind it, is more poignant today than in any other time in our history. Veterans used to be a part of everyone's life in some way or another, everyone was vested one way or another in previous major conflicts. Being a veteran automatically came with a certain degree of respect and shared experience. Today's veterans tend to live in on the outskirts, in the shadows, many returning again and again to the field of battle without a second thought by the average citizen. Those of us who are no longer fighting, we struggle with the gap that exists between us and "civilians", unable to ever truly put our service behind us, nor wanting to. So this week, take time to really consider not only the sacrifices and valor of those who served before us, but also those modern vets and those who serve now. Remind yourselves, and your children, that you "sleep safe in [y]our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm." Happy Veterans Week. quote by George Orwell

Just curious, what state are you in? Oh, and welcome! Great first post

Try WatchMinder. It's designed for ADHD, many different alarms possible and it vibrates. Works great, I used one for my last job to help with time management. www.watchminder.com

With the possible exception of a minor, I don't think I would feel it necessary in the field. That kind of thing can be done at the hospital. That being said, on my phone, 3 emergency contact choices were part of the set-up when I got the phone and they are listed in red in my contacts list, so some phones do make it easy.