Is there an EMS attitude?

[DwayneEMTP]

http://babymedic.blogspot.com/

From Fiznat's blog:

..."I have worked a long time to earn the right to wear this patch on my shoulder. I am finding, though, that there is much more than title. Once this becomes normal, once people become used to seeing "paramedic" under my name, my reputation will again come to rest on my character, my knowledge, and how I choose to carry myself.

The title means nothing without justification for it. I have a lot to learn still, not the least of which is figuring out exactly how I will fill this uniform."

I wonder sometimes where this attitude comes from. It seems that we see it so seldom here at the City, rarely in the real world, and never in my medic class. It's the attitude that got me interested in EMS, and the lack of it in the majority of providers I've had contact with that make me question if I've made the right choice after all.

If you're newer to the field, or maybe not so new, you would do yourself a favor to visit this blog. It's inspiring, but intimidating at the same time! Reading it I can see the draw to remain a basic forever. Amongst my basic peers I was an over achiever...sharp as a tack! Unfortunately I'm now firmly on track to becoming the world's dumbest medic.

I guess what I'm wondering is this. Do you see Fiznat's attitude in your coworkers/partners/classmates? If so, or not, who deserves the credit or blame? Teachers/peer pressure/management?

Just taking a break from studying, thinking back on my week, going through some posts on the City, got me a little melancholy and wondering. Did I spend the last two and a half years to enter a career where the majority of providers can't even be bothered to make an effort to spell, dress, or speak in a professional manner? (Yeah, I know all of my grammar and spelling mistakes will come to light..that's ok!)

Or, more likely, did I get tired (between work and school I'm at the end of 60 hours trying to finish up clinicals) and post with my head up my arse, perhaps just seeing things a little slanted at the moment?

Not sure which, it just got me to thinking....

Have a great day all!

Dwayne

Note: Fiznat's blog entry posted without permission. So if I wake up tomorrow and find I've made an ass of myself, he certainly wasn't party to it.

[spenac]

Amongst my basic peers I was an over achiever...sharp as a tack! Unfortunately I'm now firmly on track to becoming the world's dumbest medic.

Nope the more education we achieve the dumber we realize we are. As a basic I to was the greatest gift to mankind next to only one. Now with more education I wonder what the hell am I doing. The more I learn the more I realize I still need to learn. I remember as a basic thinking why the heck wasn't the ALS provider pushing this drug, now I sit and keep thinking is it possible I missed something, what if this is the wrong drug? I feel dumber even though I am more educated. What scares me are the people straight out of school that have no fear they are the real dummys.

As to the attitude sadly many have no pride they just look at EMS as any other job. This attitude is part of what keeps us down, keeps us from getting viewed as a professional group. We need to have a humble pride, in other words we should really be proud of the help we can provide but be humble enough to recognize that we are still very limited.

[parabrandi]

funny that someone would post this, since we just had this discussion at work. i too was a basic-force to be reckoned with. i took pride in my work and the work of my paramedic partner, i went above and beyond always to be two steps ahead.Then...I got the gold patch and apparently developed mild mental retardation along with it. I sometimes wonder how long it will be before people realize that I have lost my marbles. I guess I'm not the only one who feels like I'm fooling everyone by being a paramedic, maybe this is a good thing though, because I find that noone around me reads, researches and goes back over old calls more than I do. So, I guess if doubting yourself makes you keep trying to improve yourself, maybe it's okay to (in my mind) feel like a drooling baboon.

[wrenEMT]

Right now i"m in my classes to be a paramedic and even now I think sometimes that I'm an idiot for not recognizing this and that, when out on my clinicals. I won't say I know everything but I think I'm a damn good basic. And the more classes I take for my paramedic the more I think I am going to be bad at it.

I have also realized that most of the medics out here in my area they might have the outside attitude of a paragod, but inside they are all thinking the same thing. We all think it.. Did I do everything I could on that call? Did I just do something completely stupid? In that last code did I do everything I could to keep that pt alive?

I don't think they don't have confidence in their own skills it's just that they want to be the best they can be at their job just like all of us. I don't know about you but when I'm in the "basic mode" I can get dx before we get into ER and can normally tell the nurses what's going on with a good picture of what we found and why the patient is like they are when we pull in. But for some reason sometimes my mind goes completely blank while working on my clinicals because I think too much about all the things I COULD do. But most patients don't need everything we have in the medic bag.

I know I will get better, and I always love to learn more. And this job you really do learn something new everyday, either about your patients or about yourself and how much you can handle out there in the life as an EMT.. be it basic or paramedic.. Paragods scare me anyway.. too much ego not enough know how in SOME cases, not all..

[dahlio]

Nope the more education we achieve the dumber we realize we are.

Absolutly true. Everytime I take a CEU class, I realize how uneducated I am, which makes me want to advance even more in the field. Well Put, Spenac!

[spenac]

Absolutly true. Everytime I take a CEU class, I realize how uneducated I am, which makes me want to advance even more in the field. Well Put, Spenac!

Wow somebody agreed with me this must be a first :occasion9: Thanks. Hope you continue your education. Never quit learning and you'll be a good person to have around when the crap hits the fan.