How do we inspire others Re: Book learnin

[edogs334]

At the last ambulance service I worked for (I'm in nursing school FT now), people would give me grief for having my nose in a protocol book, wanting to learn more, wanting to work hard and wanting to keep my truck clean. It's people like the OP's partner who hold EMS back from becoming a true profession. As others have said, these types are convinced that they know everything just because they have 5+ years of experience; or they get really complacent and do the bare minimum just to keep their jobs. More than a few people at my old service never even bothered to do the daily checklist on their trucks- and some got away with it, too.

By no means am I saying that all EMS providers are like the ones I just mentioned. I've known plenty of providers who are excellent at what they do and want to learn more. Not too long ago, I was in a quandary about which professional route to choose. I chose nursing, because I felt (and still feel) as though only having a paramedic certificate wouldn't provide me with half the professional opportunities that a nursing degree would (including prehospital care opportunities). I still want to be involved in prehospital care, though, and think that doing both nursing and EMS would provide me with more opportunities to improve the system as a whole (especially in terms of changing EMS provider education standards). That's why I still keep up my EMT certification, and can hopefully get some more prehospital experience while I'm down here for school. After all, just keeping up your certificate without keeping up your experience is just as bad as having a lot of experience but no booksmarts (IMHO).

[AnthonyM83]

I can relate a bit Edogs. While no one has given me grief for it (they probably assume I'm reading for school like everyone else), it does often make me feel disconnected from others when they're spending the little time we have when all the crews are in quarters at the same time socializing, while I'm just using the downtime to get through a paramedic book.

I know in the end the knowledge will help, but at the same time I feel like the businessman who works for 20 years so he can relax and go have fun, but when he finally gets there, it's retirement time and his friends feel like relaxing b/c they've gotten all their partying out...know what I mean...anyone relate?

[captainstandup]

"You" cannot inspire this person to do anything. Inspiration comes from within the individual and they either have it within them to remain current and to expand their knowledge base or they don't.

Its probably no coincidence that inspiration and education seem to rhyme.

Oh and huge kudos to you anthonym83 for being "standup" since thats my bag. I would love to take a pick axe to every television in every EMS base on earth. You can always tell who the mutts are, they never check the truck, never pick up a book and attend only the mandatory training. These folks redefine "minimum standard" We can only hope they can manage to be decent drivers as they have no business attending to sick or injured patients. A BLS nursing home return patient deserves better than these folks offer.

[AnthonyM83]

Thanks for the kudos.

I think it is possible to inspire others, though, if they have the interest inside them somewhere. I get motivated to read when I see others doing it and I've seen others pick up a book after they see me do it. Very very rare, but it happens. I get inspired all the time when I see the bar that others are setting for themselves, including people here at EMTCity.

[Scaramedic]

Meh... he probably never saw or heard it coming.

Remember, this is Canadia. They have a lot of problems with their hearing and peripheral vision up there for some strange reason.

Is that the new Prime Minister and his family?

[zippyRN]

But guys wait a second and give her the benefit of the doubt.

She does have 5 years of EMT Experience.

or perhaps one year of EMT experience 5 times ...

She also knows shock when she sees it. Now that's pretty impressive credentials don't ya think?

well that is the question isn't it

[Dustdevil]

edogs, great post. Good to see you drop in too. Long time, no see.

"You" cannot inspire this person to do anything. Inspiration comes from within the individual and they either have it within them to remain current and to expand their knowledge base or they don't.

That's a good point that I actually meant to address in the last post. It's the old "you can lead a horse to water" theory. But, dragging the horse is not the same as leading him. And you cannot lead anyone anywhere if you don't have the skills to lead. It takes more than keeping your nose in the books to inspire somebody to do the same. After all, as Anthony says, they just assume you're studying for a class assignment anyhow. Studying in itself is not really anything to be particularly respected. It is LEARNING that is to be respected. So you have to show everyday that your studying is producing positive results in your practice. Without that, nobody can see any benefit to reading a book over watching Turd Watch or Saved (are either of those even still on TV?).

There is more than one way to get a horse to water. You can lead him. You can ride him. You can drag him. All of those methods will get him to his destination, but none of them are guaranteed to inspire him to drink. The only surefire way to do that is to convince the horse that the journey and the water were his idea in the first place. That is the sign of a true leader.

or perhaps one year of EMT experience 5 times ...

ROFL!!

That's the best post you've made in a long time, Zip! :thumbright:

Although, I think you're giving her too much credit. More like 3 months of EMT experience 20 times.

[JakeEMTP]

I would love to take a bulldozer to every EMS base on earth! . We don't need no stinking stations.

Gotta have my station. I need a place to study Dust!

Wait, are you now advocating SSM? :?

[spenac]

LOL! Personally, I would love to take a bulldozer to every EMS base on earth! We need to be going to work, working, then going home to our families and real lives 8 to 12 hours later, just like every other profession on earth instead of this pointless 24 hour shift nonsense left over from our firemonkey roots. We don't need no stinking stations.

In the citys where it is busy I agree with you. In the rural areas much of our help travel in to work. I currently drive nearly 3 hours to work, most everyone else travel an hour to get to work. I work a 48 to 72 hour shift and then I go home, done for the week. I might not even leave the station other than to get food the whole shift. A busy day will be 6 or 7 calls, no big deal since hospital is within 10 minutes of most calls. I do study, but I also take TV and internet breaks. My studying has led to several others doing the same.

So again like everything in EMS there is not a one size fits all except the need to be Professional.

[Dustdevil]

I currently drive nearly 3 hours to work, most everyone else travel an hour to get to work. I work a 48 to 72 hour shift and then I go home, done for the week. I might not even leave the station other than to get food the whole shift. A busy day will be 6 or 7 calls, no big deal since hospital is within 10 minutes of most calls.

Dude, they need to bulldoze your station and just replace you with Border Patrol agents anyhow!