Job pride vs. Hero complex?

[flamingemt2011]

I remember in Paramedic school, I made some kind of off-hand comment that put down some profession, with the attitude that I was superior because of my profession, and my teacher tore me a new one. As she pointed out, every job is important, and there is no job that is superior to another. If the garbage man fails to do his job, he will lose it, and his job is just as important to his family, himself, and his community as any other job.

If anything, we should thank our patients for calling us. 99% of them could get in a car and make it to the ER just fine.

[MedicAsh]

Thanks everyone for the input. I just wanted to get others' thoughts on this. I guess if you knew this person you would understand. She is in medic classes and is already the "paragod awesomest bestest paramedic in the WORLD". She bad talks all of the area departments that she rides with saying they don't know how to run codes, take care of patients properly, etc. So when a patient does not personally thank her she believes they are ungrateful for her even though she just "saved their life" (put on a bandaid). I am not trying to bad talk her but I think there is a limit and to me she hit the limit and has no business in this business.

[HERBIE1]

Thanks everyone for the input. I just wanted to get others' thoughts on this. I guess if you knew this person you would understand. She is in medic classes and is already the "paragod awesomest bestest paramedic in the WORLD". She bad talks all of the area departments that she rides with saying they don't know how to run codes, take care of patients properly, etc. So when a patient does not personally thank her she believes they are ungrateful for her even though she just "saved their life" (put on a bandaid). I am not trying to bad talk her but I think there is a limit and to me she hit the limit and has no business in this business.

So she already knows everything as a STUDENT? I would LOVE to get this girl as my partner- she would be in for a very rude awakening.

[MedicAsh]

So she already knows everything as a STUDENT? I would LOVE to get this girl as my partner- she would be in for a very rude awakening.

She knew everything as a basic student. We try to knock her down a peg but then she just goes right back up.

[Happiness]

Thanks everyone for the input. I just wanted to get others' thoughts on this. I guess if you knew this person you would understand. She is in medic classes and is already the "paragod awesomest bestest paramedic in the WORLD". She bad talks all of the area departments that she rides with saying they don't know how to run codes, take care of patients properly, etc. So when a patient does not personally thank her she believes they are ungrateful for her even though she just "saved their life" (put on a bandaid). I am not trying to bad talk her but I think there is a limit and to me she hit the limit and has no business in this business.

We had a temp once that came here with a crap attitude... I can be very patent but when she screemed at our local VFF and they said to me to make her shut up or they wouldn't come to a scene if she was there it was time to make her realize that she wasnt all that. It was one public moment with a bike rider vrs road. He was drunk and not happy. She was trying to do a spinal senerio without any real success as no one but me was willing to help her (only because I had to . We finally got on the collar and he was strapped in the clam shell, when it came time to tape his head she was struggling with it so I came up to the pt with the O2 tank lifted the head up and was able to do a good tape job that wasn't slipping. She looked a little stunned so I said "If you respect the people that are around you that have the little tricks they will be willing to show them to you, but since you yell at everyone and make them feel stupid no one wants to help" and went to my end to do the lift. She looked at a FF for help (she was little) at her end and he came to help, he said lets start new. It is sometime something very little that will make a hero realize that they have to rethink their actions and in this case it was an O2 tank trick.

[HERBIE1]

She knew everything as a basic student. We try to knock her down a peg but then she just goes right back up.

I have no problem with confidence- even a lot of it. I think it's a vital trait to have in this profession. You damn well better be confident in your abilities to handle any situation- or, if necessary, how to get the help you need to mitigate it. Folks call us because something is happening they simply cannot handle on their own. Problem is, when you are brand new or worse yet- a student- you know just enough to potentially get yourself and your patient in big trouble. When that confidence morphs into arrogance, it is a very dangerous thing for a student or someone new.

It's funny-EMS has a way of knocking you down a peg- even after 30 years in the business. Every so often, patients will throw you a curve ball you never see coming, just to keep you honest. Some people never catch on to this idea until it's too late.

[emtff498]

I've been involved in ems for 2 years in Jan. I've recieved 2 thank-you's and I wasn't expecting either one of them. I don't volunteer for the praise or thank-you's, I do this because I care and want to help make sure that people are safe and being taken care of. I don't expect to recieve the thank-you's but it is a nice feeling when you do. I wouldn't change my profession for anything in the world.

[WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot]

I must say, I expected a long boring round of philanthropists on this one. But there are some great responses. Herbie, I absolutely agree with you. I have no problem with a bit of confidence, even cockiness. Arrogance or some superiority complex drives me crazy. Happiness you are patient as a tree and kind as can be, I would more likely break that student down to tears and make them feel dumb as a buck toothed red neck inbred honky tonk hoser, then work on building them back up once they have discovered humility. I might even accidently forget them at Tim Horton's a couple times... "what? I thought he was in the back?"

I have never had a need or want for thankyou's but being Canadian I get them all the time, but then, we are so polite we thank bank machines... Come to think of it, I recall thanking my patients more than a few times.

[HERBIE1]

I must say, I expected a long boring round of philanthropists on this one. But there are some great responses. Herbie, I absolutely agree with you. I have no problem with a bit of confidence, even cockiness. Arrogance or some superiority complex drives me crazy. Happiness you are patient as a tree and kind as can be, I would more likely break that student down to tears and make them feel dumb as a buck toothed red neck inbred honky tonk hoser, then work on building them back up once they have discovered humility. I might even accidently forget them at Tim Horton's a couple times... "what? I thought he was in the back?"

I have never had a need or want for thankyou's but being Canadian I get them all the time, but then, we are so polite we thank bank machines... Come to think of it, I recall thanking my patients more than a few times.

LOL

Damn funny...

[Richard B the EMT]

As she pointed out, every job is important, and there is no job that is superior to another. If the garbage man fails to do his job, he will lose it, and his job is just as important to his family, himself, and his community as any other job.

Kind of reminds me of a science-fiction story where the one man on a planet, whose job was pushing the button that operated the planetary sewage plant, went on strike, and the visiting "off worlder" who snuck in and turned the plant back on being ostracized and ordered to leave the planet.