emtkelley

The sweet rewards to this job is endless! Just a word can make all the difference in the world. The time that stands out in my mind the most is the first time my daughter got to see me "in action". We were at a county fair for the day doing EMS. I was talking to my daughter who had stopped by to chat with me at the EMS tent. All the sudden a little girl, accompanied by her mom came up crying. She had hurt herself in some way (can't remember the whole thing). As we went to treat her, I heard my daughter tell the friend she was with how proud she was of me and how cool it was to get to see me take care of someone.

1. We are no longer refered to as "ambulance drivers" and this profession will be recognized as just that, a profession and be taken seriously. 2. EMS pants that fit perfectly 3. Education which is easily accessable and of the highest grade.

Please don't go.....and don't get discouraged. Being the spouse of a medic is a tough gig. Perhaps get together with other medics wives and do something for the holidays. Chances are they are feeling a bit low as well and by keeping company with the other wives, you can develop a type of commeraderie with them. Taking time to celebrate holidays, even though it might not be on the exact day, is an excellent idea. It's important to you as a family to experience them together in some form even though it's not maybe what we would call an ideal situation. Time to get creative and see what can be done to enhance the whole holiday thing. Start new traditions that can be altered to fit your husband's demanding schedule. Somewhere down the line, he won't be low man on the totem pole any longer and he can pick a few holidays which are important to you both as a family to share for him to ask to have the day off. Bad timing on his schedule? Knowing about it early can help you plan things that he can enjoy with you and the kids and still go to work knowing he got to celebrate with you in some way. Enjoy together what you can, keep it creative and know your husband is wishing the same as you are.

I kinda let things get out of control after I was divorced back in the late 80's. I shaped up and got myself back together again. As I have gotton older, an occasional glass of wine with dinner. Never been a beer drinker. Mostly whiskey when I did drink. Of course, now, I am on meds for another issue that if I drink, I get a horrendous headache. Just give me my smokes and I will be fine. Of course, now that I am a seller on Ebay, I have to watch that too as I don't want my items going out smelling of smoke.

I am 42 and am going back in August. No tips or stories but wishing you lots of luck!

You didn't rain on anyone's parade. In fact, perhaps your words might prevent this happening to someone else here. I have a back injury myself and have been very careful about how I lift, ect. I blew out my t-5 in a car accident pre-EMS and have been very fortunate that I have healed fairly well. I have had to face facts that my days as a provider might be limited, and it's tough to do. I thank you also for what you have given of yourself to a job that has obviously been a great passion of yours. Have you considered the possibility of sharing your experience and knowledge in the form of instruction? You have alot to bring to the table. So many medics could benefit from the skills you posess. Take care of yourself, Kelley

www.rotten.com (some of the verbage is a bit raw on this site) Seems to me they had some pics. The Faces of Death flicks have some good stuff too. One of the most riveting things my old high school does is have the Fire Chief come to speak to the driver's ed class (although I realize this isn't for DE, I will use it as an example). His first call as a probie was a car accident his kid brother (he was DOA) was involved in. He then goes into the whole story, complete with film and pics of the accident. My daughter was shook up about it but I think it made an impact on her. Kids are difficult to reach and sometimes you have to get in their face with things. Maybe schedule a trip to the county morgue, have the coroner come in or perhaps see if you can get a few people who have been actual victims who have survived such an ordeal. We have a Rehab center near me where victims of drunk driving are housed, as well as closed head injuries, strokes, MS patients, ect, all of them quadrapeligics. Some of them do a victim's impact panel for DUI offenders at the county jail. They tell their story and many of them have pitures of the accident as well. Perhaps you have access to something like that.

What is stated in the employee manual goes. I would be cautious of anyone whom I worked with that said, "what I don't know......" Kinda like a bait and switch type of thing. C.Y.A

With a kid I never stay and play. The call can turn to $hit too fast and that's a road I don't want to go down. I have to agree with Dust on load and go with basics. I am a basic and that's what we do. We just aren't equipped to stick around and diddle with the patient. Where I live, we have a 20 minute trip to the nearest hospital. Best to get on the road and besides, what on earth do we actually have to play with on a basic unit? Get them in the rig and get them to the er.

I will be speaking with my instructor a few days before class to give her a heads up on the situation. I am feeling pretty well taking medication for this. I am taking Straterra 40mg, being monitored by my dr. every 3 months. I am able to sort through my thoughts and remain focused. My family first saw the difference in me and then I was able to pick up on it as well. It's so strange that what was once such a fog, I can finally see through it. I feel like I have been given a second chance, in some ways. I knew there was a percentage of medics having ADD but was unable to find it anywhere. I can indeed use this to my advantage. What are the ways to help my learning become easier? Is there something I can do here at home to prep myself before I start class? Special mind excersises, if you will, to further increase my processing and retention of information? Thanks to all who have responded. I have noticed by the number of veiws, there are many who are curious or seeking info on this subject. I would love to hear more form anyone who is dealing with this or has been exposed to this through a family member or student. Thanks again!!

Just keep going in and having a positive attitude. Keep offering to help and get in on things (may I see that? May I listen to those lung sounds? Mind if I help dress that laceration?) Your willingness will speak volumes. You are going to have people who are difficult to work with, both on the ambulance and off. Take up with people who are willing to teach and help you through and tolerate those who show indifference. Also, don't forget to thank everyone on each shift, regardless of their attitude. I went an extra step when I did my clinicals and wrote thank you's to the EMS dept and the ER dept after I was finished with everything. I am big on thank you notes. A little kindness goes a long way!

and a blast from the past....... Flirtin with Disaster - Molly Hatchet (damn, I really dated myself on that one!)

Bon Jovi - Bad Medicine

Around where I live, the medic has to be examined by a psyciatrist as well as a dr. to determine fittness. It also depends on how they attempted suicide. If they took drugs from the ambulance or workplace, then their license is pulled. Personally, I have no problems working with someone who has attempted suicide. As long as they have been cleared for the job, I see no reason to make things any more difficult for them than they already are. Everyone is different and some are just not comfortable with it.

If I had it to do all over again, I would have gone straight from basic to medic. I have been a basic for 10 years now and am finally able, God willing, to go back for my paramedic this fall. I am now 42 years old and my time is limited in this field. I am already too old for some places. Financial circumstances stood in my way of schooling and now I find myself in the position to go back. I have alot of regrets now for waiting like I did. Whatever your decision, make sure it is not one you will regret later.

I was with a very small rural ambulance company at one point. We were given t-shirts and that was it. Most wore jeans but I liked medic pants because of the pockets. I looked different but I wore what I felt I needed to do my job. I had a few pens on me, a permanent marker, pen light, small flash light, seatbelt cutter, window punch, trauma shears, tape and gloves. Sounds like alot but it fit well in the cargo pockets and I didn't look like I had a bunch of equipment hanging off me. If your dept doesn't offer shirts, I would get a nice dark blue or ash polo shirt and some medic pants and boots. For coats, I would recommend a coat with reflective tape on it. As long as you are comfortable and look professional, in spite of not having a certain uniform, you will be looked at upon more favorably than someone who shows up to calls in their jammies.

My apologies if I offended in some way. One of the biggest downfalls of participating in a forum is the difficulty in detecting the "tone" of one's posts. I did think of another avenue for you to consider. How about becoming an instructor? That is something you can take with you and a way to give back to the EMS community by sharing your knowledge and experience with others. You can use it as a primary job or something on the side of running EMS. My husband taught CPR in correctional facility employees for a time and made good money from it. He aquired the job through the community outreach center at the community college. Burnout happens. Some medics find it helpful to run EMS part time and have a side "fun job" non-EMS related. Many times it is unavoidable and you are wise to seek alternatives, just in case.

At the hospital I worked at, we were so short staffed that we would sneak a nap in the sups office on midnight shifts if we got stuck with a double. Or we would go out to the ambulance and take a power nap. Many of us worked a second job as well so we were all rather dead on our feet most of the time. Depending on how I was scheduled, I would work my other job until 10pm, go into the hospital, work until 7am, turn around and work my other job after the hospital and only one time did I have to return to the hospital. Somehow I took a shower and managed a change of clothes but it got dicey sometimes. I would be gone from home for a few days many times. I learned to catch sleep when I could and we would take turns playing lookout while the other slept. If our employer wasn't going to take care of us, we would take care of each other. I look back at how reckless I was and haven't done it since. I was a danger to my patients, my partner and myself. Employers need to realize that when people need to shut their eyes for a bit, that they aren't sluffing off, they are in need of some sleep, no matter how they get it. What is the harm in relaxing a bit after rig check and clearing your head with a little shut-eye if you need it?

Well, you could be an ER tech but if you are looking for a 9-5 gig, then the medical field may not be for you. Medicine is a 24/7 thing. Most of us know we will never become rich off EMS but we do it for our own personal reasons. You could try for flightmedic but even with that, you have to be on an aggressive service with copius amounts of field experience before you ever even apply for the job. You could also maybe work for a body removal service but your skills as an I will probably never come into play. I also know some medics who have gone into the funeral home business or become deputy coroners. If you are still interested in a somewhat medical field but don't want to do the ambulance gig, maybe an asst to a coroner might be up your alley. You could also go into phlebotomy or be a blood sucker at a plasma center where people are paid for their plasma. Perhaps work for the Red Cross or a blood bank? Or become an industrial medic. Like everyone else who has answered, I am wondering why you chose EMS if you don't care for the hours, pay or being an "ambulance jockey". That's basically what EMS is about.

I am so sorry you are having to deal with this. The same thing happened to me. Was it cheating? In my book, he didn't have to cheat on me physically. He cheated on me in his heart. Funny thing is the girl he left me for, caught him doing the same thing to her. She and I eventually spoke via the internet and I found out a great deal about a man who I thought I knew after 15 years. She only knew him for a year. Did she really think he wouldn't do the same to her? Gotta love karma.

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As heard in this neck of the woods in corn country: okey dokey is an acceptable means of saying 10-4 and directions to a call out here is the same as saying "that fire is where the old Johnson house was. You go down that one road with the rooster mailbox, hack a right and go to the top of the hill where the cow stands on Tuesday. While listening to the radio one night I heard the Chief tell his good ol boys to quit F****** walking over each other on the radio. I s*** you not....

To be honest, I have been diagnosed with adult ADD. I am taking medication for it and am feeling pretty good about entering paramedic class this fall. I have been on the medication for a month and a half now. I feel for the first time, I can actually pay attention and not walk around in this fog I have been in for so many years. Have any of you, as instructors, dealt with a person with add/adhd before? How did you feel about the student being in your class, assuming they told you about it when they started? Do you have any pointers for me in regards to studying? Also, do you feel it is wise to tell my instructor in private about my learning problems? I am not asking for special treatment by no means. I want to succeed in class and do the work like everyone else. Thanks!