How...?

[wannabe-EMT]

As a current high school student who will be going after an EMT certification upon graduation, and applying for membership as a cadet in a VFD in January, I have a few questions for all you EMS providers, if you would care to answer them.

How do you cope with what you see every day? How do you remain "emotionally detached?" Can you? Should you? What actions can I take now that would aid me in the future, such as with certification or actual work? (I'm already planning to take health, anatomy and physiology, and Biology II at school, as well as Red Cross first aid courses.) And finally, my big question: How can I convince my parents that this is a respectable profession? I always hear, "Well, then, be a doctor, a surgeon." I always say, "I don't want that." Is there any way I can persuade them, or will I just have to go it alone? Thanks for taking the time to read this, and thank you for all you do every day.

[e33]

You sound like a smart young person. Its refreshing to see someone your age taking things so seriously. I think if you do as you suggested as far as courses of study, you will be fine. I would recommend managment courses as well, even if you dont want to be a first line supervisor. Coping can be difficult, we all like to say that things dont bother us...not true. It only lasts so long..its easy for me to brush off the sights i see, but every once in a while i get a bit bothered. Some people have a hard time. Remember it this way, Its not your emergency..not your problem...you were just called to fix it. Dont get caught up emotionally if you can help it. I try not to think of victims as people..but rather as a part of the problem we are trying to solve..sounds kinda desensitized, but it works. Joking and talking about things help too. Good luck in your endeavors and visit here often..lots of the folks here are friendly and educated people with lots to share.

[APG1]

When I was a high-schooler, I had 'troubles' with my parents about my career field. I said I wanted to go into a emergency profession (EMT'ing until I'm old enough to go into Law Enforcement). They gave me the usual 'Be a doctor then' speech. So, I showed the cost difference between EMT school, and MD school. Wow. Talk about a 180 turn. :>
If you feel, as a person, you can crawl under cars, bandage kids, deal with amputations, the street of the job, the smell and sight of blood and sweat, then by all means, this is the job for you.
If you can't stand getting dirty, or just don't like it, going MD might be what cha want. :>

[PTFD21]

Hey wannabe -
e33 said it well on how to cope. Just one thing to add, keep the joking among your fellow EMS co-workers and only the ones that are comfortable with dealing with an incident in that way.
As far as your parents maybe try telling them you want to be the one that helps the person first, before the doctor can get to them.

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ED C.
"Doin' it for lives and property !"
<A HREF="http://www.freeyellow.com/members8/ptfd21/index.htm"" TARGET=_blank>http://www.freeyellow.com/members8/ptfd21/index.htm"</A> Pittsfield Twp. F.D.

[Anomaly]

APG1 - Do you feel any regrets out of your decision to become an EMT, or do you feel it was the right choice?

Thanks,

Grant

[BURNSEMS]

Just remember you are only human not super human, You are going to see Taste, Smell, and Hear things in your future that most people never will or want to experiance, But thats what makes ALL of us Nation wide what we are, because we choose to do this, it dont matter if you do it for free or pay, Any thing you do as Long as it is for the Patients Good will beat any thing not being done, and it will make a differance, you CANNOT save every one, and there will be those who you detest because they call you every day, but take the good with the Bad, be the best and do the best you can, Dont be afraid to Cry, Shout, Scream or what ever it takes to realease those frustrations after a Bad Call, gather your self and take the next call,, And Welcome to the world of EMS, the next 10 yrs are going to be a Hoot.

[wannabe-EMT]

Thank you all for your replies. If you can, keep them coming. Thanks. http://www.firehouse.com/interactive/boards/smile.gif

[Medic019]

Wannabe, I was in your shoes back when I decide my career path, uh let's just say awhile ago. I had the same troubles and wonders as it sounds that you do.

Dealing with what you see, hear, or smell still can be troubling at times - the best way I have found to deal with them is to talk openly with your co-workers and/or superiors in order to get it off your mind. ( I also take a nice long fishing trip to help me think and get 'reorganized' when I feel it is warranted - sometimes I even put a worm on the hook in hopes of catchin a fish http://www.firehouse.com/interactive/boards/smile.gif ). Just remember not to keep it ALL inside you, that is when things start to deteriorate your life in front your eyes.

As far as the career choice, Go for it if you can. I would never in a million years change my choice to be involved in the emergency services. I my opinion, when you see a smile on a face of an individual that you just treated and made them better - whether it was just to put a bandaid on a boo-boo or help them to survive the big on - it is worth every second of the career. I've been a career paramedic for ten years and a volunteer firefighter/paramedic for 15 years, and truely still believe that the good we do out ways the bad we see.

Good luck, God bless, and Stay safe - Tad

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Firefighter/Paramedic in Northwest Pennsylvain... Stay Safe

[Romania]

Welcome to our family! I hope you enjoy this career as much as I do.

First about coping, one thing that I tell alot of the new guys and my students are the first two rules of EMS:

1. Sooner or later, everyone dies.
2. THere is nothing that an EMT, Paramedic, Doctor, etc can do to change rule #1.

This sounds cold, but it is true. Our job is to save, savible lives, but sometimes a life isn't savible. For me, it isn't the 75 year old, cancer patent (my last call, last night) that effects me, it is the 8 year-old that was hit by a car who is obviously dead onscene (oh yeah the driver was drunk!) or the 80 year-old who is being abused by her care taker! The only way to deal with stuff like this is to have a support system, talk it out. Calling APS (adult protective services) helped also.

As for classes, If you have a red cross center, look into taking EMERGECY RESPONSE, it is a National Registry approved ciriculum First Repsonder course. A & P help me with paramedic school, so did chemistry and physics. Don't forget math :-).

I don't know how to convince parents. Mine love the job I am in (hey my dad is a kid at heart, he got to drive a fire truck!). But, there are many other's who though I should become a doctor or physisit. Oh well, I may be the blue collar worker (according to them) but I am the one that all the little kids wave at, I get to be outside, I get to work with a bunch of great people who are like a second family to me, I have people bring me cake every birthday because I came to their house one night and worked on their father, even though he was a full code who was called at the hospital! I love my job, my only sugestion is to try to get your parents involved, have them talk with a local paramedic of firefighter.

Oh yeah, stay in shape weither you want to also be a firefighter or not. Being in good shape makes this job easier, start now so you aren't trying to loose 20 pounds that came out of no where :-).

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Alan Romania, CEP
romania@uswest.net
IAFF Local 3449

My Opinions do not reflect the opnions of the IAFF or Local 3449.

[Pamela Baber]

I think it's great that you have already decided on a career path. Some other avenues you may want to explore are volunteering for your local Red Cross Chapter, hospital or nursing home. Many of the experiences you will gain from volunteering will come back to you as you pursue your career goals.

If I could offer you any advice at all it would be to continue to work hard while you're still in High School and take as many basic level courses as time permits in preparation for your EMT program. The earlier suggestion of the ARC Emergency Response program is an excellent choice.
When you do enter an EMT program use the classroom and lab time wisely and ask questions when the material is not clear to you.

As you gain experience in the field remember never to let the obvious distract you from what is necessary, that the glass is always half full instead of half empty and that sometimes an "Our Father" goes a lot farther than all of the technology and skill we have to offer. Remember the vulnerability of those entrusted to your care. They have usually exhausted every means they can think of to help themselves before calling 9-1-1 and are usually feeling pretty hopeless, helpless and powerless over their current situation when you arrive. Always empower the patient to become a partner in their care and know that in spite of all of our training, skill and technology that people do die. I have always believed that we are only facillitators in a much bigger picture. That we may be in the right place at the right moment and do what we've been trained to do but that the decision of a life continuing has already been made. Others have different views I'm sure. We all find our ways of coping as you will find yours.

As for your folks, remember that there is honor in all work and greater honor in work done well!
God Bless and we'll see you on the street!

[wannabe-EMT]

Again, thank you all for your replies. http://www.firehouse.com/interactive/boards/smile.gif

[FD26]

I know exactly what you are going through!! I have been out of highschool for a year and a half and I, like you, decided to go to EMT school right out of highschool. Unfortunately, my dad does not support my decision at all about the whole EMS field. My mom is a paramedic so she understands why I want to be involved in EMS but she will not let me be just a paramedic (therefore, I am in college to get my RN...but I'm also taking paramedic school right now for ME and my future patients, no one else). Do what you are going to be happy doing. You are the one living your life, not your parents. As far as coping goes, so far I've found that it always helps to talk. You've always heard not to keep things inside of you--follow that rule!! It helps to let it out and in talking with other people, you'll see most of the time, you are not the only one it's bothering. There's always going to be that one thing that will get to you (unless you are not human). We were made with emotions and some things just trigger them. Follow your heart and I wish you lots of luck for the future.

Jeri
Ft. Worth, TX

[Cntryb0y4u]

hi there, i would first like to say, as someone else did before (cant quite remember the name right now) i think that it is great that you are considering doing this kinda work at your age.I myself, have found quite a love for this kinda work, and respect every kind of responsibilty that comes with it.In your question, you ask of how some people deal with this kinda work, on some of the sights that are seen.Me,i kinda have learned to take everything in stride, I often keep my mind more focused on what im doing,and try to pay more attention to the help im tryin to give, rather than letting it seek in about ex: how much blood is comming out,or this extremely large laceration,or possibly this d.o.a that I have to be touching.My very first was not as hard to deal with than i thought it would be,and maybe you will be the same way.or maybe not.some people are cut out for this kind of work, and some are not.But like I say, if you really feel like you like this kind of work for the responsibilty of helping others,and your communtiy, i dont think there is any better way to show your pride.Small towns everywhere need more younger generations, to feel more adequate on helpin thier communitys.As far as the problem with mom and dad,my parents asked me if this is what i really wanted, and when i said yes, they backed up my decision 100%,and are happy that Im getting involved with my community.Since your parents do not feel the same,maybe you should explain the cost of goin through md school, and maybe show your interest in your community,and they will see that which one is cheaper, and which one maybe means more to them, knowing that in some case a member of your family is hurt, they will at least have the trust in you for that long ride to the hospital, that they know that you can take good care of them.

[Truckie from Missouri]

Wannabe,

As far as the joking is concerned, DEFINATELY keep it in the workplace. I'll give an example of an error in judgement.

It was a 4th of July weekend, and there were a lot of calls. Then one gruesome wreck. The victim expired before we got there, and we simply treated it as a recovery mission. I was paired with a Deputy, looking for body parts. Where I made the mistake is my aunt from Chicago was visiting, and I told her about the wreck. Being a retired nurse, I thought she'd understand.

Well, the specific body part we were looking for was an arm. We found it, and wouldn't ya know it, the victim had a watch, still working. Know what brand?

"(c)Timex! It takes a licking and keeps on ticking!"

Well, to say that my aunt (and parents) were horrified is like the pot calling the kettle black. I was on the receiving end off a royal butt chewing from mom and my aunt for three hours, AFTER she stopped barfing. Well, I learned the hard way that non-responders don't really need to know what we do, at least not everything we do.

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Proud Member of IAFF Local 3133!

Stay safe.

Kenny

***DISCLAIMER***
All postings I have &/or will post are strictly my opinions. I am representing only myself here, not the IAFF, Local 3133, or my employer. No animals were/will be harmed from the production of this disclaimer. Thank you.
***END OF DISCLAIMER***

[pyroknight]

The way I usually try to explain it to my new partners / paramedic students is to remind them that the patient was sick / dead when they called us. If the patient gets better due to something we did, that's awesome. If the patient remains sick / dead no matter what we do, that's not our fault.
The caring types of people drawn to this profession often have a tendency to try to take on all the problems of the world. If you want to have a long, happy career, remember to ask the Good Lord for the courage to change the things you can, the patience to tolerate the things you can't, and the wisdom to know the difference.
I wish everyone could grow up with the kind of supportive parents that I had. Unfortunately, some parents don't realize that being an unhappy physician is not a better career choice for their child than a content paramedic just because the title has more "prestige." Most parents will fall in line and support you once you've demonstrated your dedication and sincerity. If they don't, remember that it is YOUR life. Your parents' happiness, like your patients' prior medical history, is NOT your responsibility.
Do some ridealongs, see if you can take some continuing education classes with the people in your community that do this for a living, and when you get your EMT, don't just take the first job that comes around, find an employer that meets YOUR needs. Don't join the ranks of the burnt out former EMTs. We need all the motivated, dedicated, enthusiastic young life-savers we can get.

[JustEMT]

I just graduated high school in June and was lucky enough to be able to take my EMT class while in high school through the North Orange County Regional Occupational Program. The best part about this was that it was totally free except for when I took the National Registry Exam. This program is free to high school students but people out of high school must pay for the class and books. Any classes you can take before hand will help you such as CPR, first aid, etc. Besides taking these classes first I also took Wilderness First Aid which really shows you how to do something with only what you have. As for the anatomy and other classes you want to take, thats a good idea because any jump start you can get will help you understand things during the class. I now work for an ambulance company that does hospital to hospital transfers as well as 911 calls. Other replies say joking works well to deal with what you see. This is true but make sure to keep it at work because those are the people who are sure to understand. Everytime I go to work my partner and I share what calls we've been on lately. I work with different partners almost everytime I go to work, but you can share with most people in this field and they will have similar experiences. I worked on Thanksgiving day, and this is the first time I haven't been around family on a holiday, although I was able to go visit with them after work. If this is a field you really want to go into tell your parents that this is how you want to help people and not be stuck in the hospital all the time. You, like the rest of us wants to be out there where the action is, and thats a great place to be. Stick with it and everything will work out great. If you can't convince your parents show them these replies, or have your EMT teacher talk to them when you start class. Good Luck, it's not the easiest thing in the world to do but it can be very rewarding. Stick with it.

[trap_gunner]

Well, I have been in EMS for about a year now, and am going to be a senior in High school this fall. I started with a first responder class, then I took my basic class. I love it. And as for coping with it, me and my fellow emt's use a lot of humor. And as one of my instructors once said, "there are three rules or ems-
1. People Die
2. You can't change rule #1

[mdffemt]

I am glad to see you are not giving up on your choice to become an emt. I received my emt-b card a week before I graduated. I know at times the class didnt seem like it would ever end and made me wonder if I really wanted todo it. Since I have been an emtb I have done several transports and I do enjoy it even though not every call has a happy ending. I wish you the best of luck and just stick to what you want todo and as everyone else has said joking and laughter is the best medicine for the stress.

[cdstafford]

Wannabe,

I've been in EMS in one capacity or another for about 6 years now and went through some of the same struggles you are going through now. As far as dealing with the more gruesome or macabre aspects of the job, a good (albeit sometimes dark) sense of humor can save you from thinking about stuff too much and driving yourself crazy.

Dealing with parents can be a tough issue. I had to deal with mine not understanding the profession at all when I first started. They're finally coming around to the point where they can comprehend an ambulance as an extension of an Emergency Department rather than a hearse with a siren and lights (and believe me... that took a LOT of work). Your parents more than likely want to see you succeed doing something you enjoy, and will come around eventually.

One important thing about this job is that you need to remember to leave time for yourself and your family. It's pretty easy to get really caught up in it; I'm fond of telling people that EMS isn't a job or a career, it's a way of life. You are going to run into people who just don't understand why you will spend 24 out of every 72 hours at society's beck and call, missing meals, sleep, TV shows, etc. for a meagre $24K per year and no amount of time, patience, and explanation will convince them that you're not barmy. Don't worry about these folks; you will meet plenty of others who do "get it" and these will become your friends in addition to being your co-workers. It's a great field with unparalleled opportunity to truly make a difference in somebody's life. I'm sure the rest of the good folks on the board join me in wishing you luck on your journey in EMS.