Hi all. New and need some advice.

[miscusi]

"For me it's more like silly worries about insignificant things that I blow way out of proportion and spend insane amounts of time thinking about. It can be rational or irrational, and it's hard for me to tell the two apart.... "

You know yourself best. If the person you loved the most, in a life or death situation, needed EMS....... do you want "you" to show up?

If you say yes, and pt care is not affected then only time will tell if you will be affected by the job, give it a try then, you only live once.

Edited July 28, 2013 by miscusi

[mikeymedic1984]

I am sorry, and I do mean this in the most sympathetic way, but if you need medications to just deal with normal day-to-day life, then EMS is not for you, unless you stay on the non-emergency transport side of the business. I know lots of folks who are on these types of meds and work in EMS, and I would say generally that they are not the medics I want to see when I look up from the ditch. I am sure there are some that do it well, but I have not met them. This is also not a good career for people who have to function in "black and white" structure, where everything fits a schematic (engineers). EMS is very gray a good bit of the time. Consider other medical careers where you are the follower and not the decider.

[MariB]

This person is not having delusions, or psychotic issues.

Anxiety affects more people than you know. I will bet you have worked with people affected by it and never knew. They don't usually introduce themselves and tell you.

[Seth412]

I am sorry, and I do mean this in the most sympathetic way, but if you need medications to just deal with normal day-to-day life, then EMS is not for you, unless you stay on the non-emergency transport side of the business. I know lots of folks who are on these types of meds and work in EMS, and I would say generally that they are not the medics I want to see when I look up from the ditch. I am sure there are some that do it well, but I have not met them. This is also not a good career for people who have to function in "black and white" structure, where everything fits a schematic (engineers). EMS is very gray a good bit of the time. Consider other medical careers where you are the follower and not the decider.

Your advice has been noted and will be promptly ignored. I've made my decision. This is what I want to do.

[Richard B the EMT]

Just one long timers opinion, but I felt stressed more with the IFT (Inter Facility Transfer) services, as due to many patients behavior, usually nasty, secondary to their illnesses and/or injuries, and that they were, due to necessity of treatment, automatic Frequent Flyers.

In 9-1-1 mode, it seems the frequent flyers get kind of chummy with you. I've seen pictures of some of their grandkids!

[triemal04]

Your advice has been noted and will be promptly ignored. I've made my decision. This is what I want to do.

I was going to suggest that this may not be the best career choice to you due to the simple nature of what we do.

I was going to suggest that you consider that medicine is a complex thing to practice, and that physiology, both human, and pathophysiology are even more complex.

I was going to suggest that you think about the fact that you will often be in situations that are not black or white, or even gray, and will be faced with multiple different possibilities, each of which has a different treatement pathway that you need to follow.

I was going to suggest that you consider that if you are unable to make a decision based on your assessment (of medical, social, legal and ethical situations) because you are worrying about every aspect of them that it is a problem.

I WAS going to suggest that...but since you made up your mind before ever posting, I won't waste my time.

Really...why even ask if you allready are going to do something despite what people may say?

[scubanurse]

I was going to suggest that this may not be the best career choice to you due to the simple nature of what we do.

I was going to suggest that you consider that medicine is a complex thing to practice, and that physiology, both human, and pathophysiology are even more complex.

I was going to suggest that you think about the fact that you will often be in situations that are not black or white, or even gray, and will be faced with multiple different possibilities, each of which has a different treatement pathway that you need to follow.

I was going to suggest that you consider that if you are unable to make a decision based on your assessment (of medical, social, legal and ethical situations) because you are worrying about every aspect of them that it is a problem.

I WAS going to suggest that...but since you made up your mind before ever posting, I won't waste my time.

Really...why even ask if you allready are going to do something despite what people may say?

He took the constructive advice people gave him... not the insensitive and non supportive advice.

Way to be super passive aggressive and an ass.

If the OP has control over their anxiety, what is your issue? There are plenty of providers who practice out there with PTSD and various other mental health disorders and do just fine.

[triemal04]

He took the constructive advice people gave him... not the insensitive and non supportive advice.

Way to be super passive aggressive and an ass.

If the OP has control over their anxiety, what is your issue? There are plenty of providers who practice out there with PTSD and various other mental health disorders and do just fine.

Most of the constructive advice had more to do with his meds or how to deal with stress, and less with what he would actually be facing by working in EMS. If he is not being given enough information to make an informed decision, then how can he be expected to make the right choice?

Sure there are. And some should be practising and some shouldn't. That's a different topic for discussion. This is a person who has has mental health problems, who'es meds are apparently not working, and is trying to enter a stressful and ambigous field, where their described problems may create serious problems.

Shouldn't they be told about how their issues may adversly affect them?

And as far as the passive agressiveness...why not? The OP made it clear that he won't listen to advice, so scew it.

[Seth412]

I am well aware of what I'll be facing as an EMT/Paramedic. As I made clear, it wasn't the "doing the job" part that had me worried. I am confident in my abilities. It's the accumulated stress and how it will affect me. And why would I listen to the advice of someone who gives me a "better quit now" and "people with your problems can't do this job" response?

[island emt]

Seth: everyone handles the cumulative stressors of this profession differently.

Some play the macho man "nothing bothers me and end up eating a gun barrel , or drinking themselves into a stupor after work, others cope by doing the very best they can according to their training & knowledge , then afterwards find a healthy release of those emotions.

Anyone who has been in EMS for more than a few years will tell you there are calls that affected them deeply.

It's all in how you let those demons out that will determine whether or not you can continue to do this for a long time.

In over 4 decades in EMS I've seen and dealt with things that would make many "normal" folks run away screaming and learned how to deal with my emotions in a healthy release that doesn't involve alcohol, drugs or other destructive behaviors.

no one else can predict how you will be able to deal with them other than yourself.