Are You A Spinner?

[firedoc5]

One thing I noticed is that when I was with a "spinner" they were spinning badly. If they weren't a spinner they would be at the other end of the spectrum and seemed mellowed out. I've also had people comment on how easy going I seemed to be. That I got things done quicker than those that were hustling too fast and was wasting time and energy. Luckily I didn't have too many of them with me. I always hoped that they would learn by example and would chill out eventually.

Even though I didn't have to put up with a lot of them, I heard the stories of others at other agencies. Some were just unbelievable.

It was on MASH when Hawkeye said something about cracking a joke was the only way you could open your mouth without crying. For some reason that stuck with me, and yes, I've been in that situation many times.

[WolfmanHarris]

I hope I'm not, but I don't know yet.

Is it common to be a spinner when you get started and to mellow out? Or is spinner a genetic condition?

[sirduke]

I've worked with a spinner or two, both in the military and and EMS, it isn't fun. If you don't get them under control and quickly, it affects everyone around.

My platoon sergeant and later my first preceptor both drilled into my head an important fact, namely, if you let yourself get wound up and out of control you are USELESS to yourself and everyone else. Step back, take a deep breath, THINK, then act.

I do think however, that certain type personalities are more prone to being "spinners" than others, but I agree that age and experience do play a large part in reducing the tendency to spin.

I remember the first bad call I was responding to, heart at about 150, when my preceptor shouted at me "HEY!" "this is their emergency, not yours so calm the FVCK down". Kinda like being cardioverted, it put my head back in the right place and the call went smoothly.

It sounds callous, but there it is. If we/you let yourself get out of control, the patient is screwed.

As for the degreed programs vs tech schools, it depends on the student and the instructor.