Hi everyone. Just needed someone to vent to besides my family and girlfriend for once. For an introduction, I'm 22 y/o, started fire tech classes in senior year of highschool, became an EMT-B first semester out of hs, worked 3 years as a Basic all over Los Angeles, graduated medic school, and began working as a medic for a private ambulance company in, what I would call, a "mini tijuana". So I've been a medic for about a year and this company had us running 12-14 calls average per 24 with basically no sleep just about every shift. In just the 5 months or so that I worked for this company I saw some things that I NEVER saw as a Basic in LA. I found myself so stressed out on duty and off that I was having a hard time sleeping at home knowing that I had to go deal with the same crap again the next day and started taking pills to help me (not illegal ones). My family noticed my mood changes and I was taking it out on people I didn't want to be taking it out on. I took up chewing tobacco and took it to a new level during this time. The company was so short on medics that they were sticking supervisors on rigs to fill spots, the pay sucked, and the firefighters we worked with were just burnt out and fed up with dealing with all the drunks and other frequent flyers. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and I turned in my stuff. I packed up my room at home and a week later my girlfriend and I moved to beautiful Tahoe, CA.
I am curently beginning to persue my first goal (before EMS was ever in my head) of being a personal trainer, live in an awesome cabin in a beautiful place, and love life.
I believe that happiness is the most important part of life and I couldn't see myself being happy there. I felt like the only reason I was staying was to make my family proud and save my hero image. Was it the lack of sleep EVERY shift? Was it the sudden boost in responsibility once I promoted from Basic to Medic that overwhelmed me? Was it the way the company treated us? I think a combo of all of the above, but mostly the added responsibility and stress of being a medic. As one who prides hisself in being viewed as a strong leader by friends and family it takes a lot for me to say I just don't think its for me. I don't know if I just had a bad first experience and its better other places, but please if anyone has felt like this and overcame it, I encourage you to reply and help a brotha out. Thanks guys and gals.