Revolving Door

*sigh*

Got to work Friday to discover that I have a new partner. No warning, no “So long bro, it’s been nice working with you,” no “This ain’t working out,” no… nothing.

Kelso’s girlfriend had been bugging him to take a day shift so he could spend more time with her and his infant daughter. Apparently, he’d put in a request for a new shift assignment, and had it granted.* He’d been planning to tell me about it when I got back from the Texas EMS Conference, but The Borg decided to move the date back a week, so I arrived at work to the rude news that I no longer have a regular partner.

Again.

I can’t really hold it against the kid. As much as I enjoyed working with him, family is more important, and those first few years of your child’s life are precious ones you won’t get back. I’d have done the same thing in Kelso’s place.

Still, that leaves me awaiting my seventh partner in 30 months working for The Borg. Aside from Bitchy Partner and Apologizing Kid Who Couldn’t Stay Awake, they’ve been good fits, too. It just seems that I am forever destined in my career to either break in a rookie, or be the last partner a new medic has before he’s cut loose to practice on his own.

I was Kelso’s first partner as an EMT. Sports Fan and Ferris Bueller both came to my truck straight from EMT-B class. Both left for paramedic school, and both have just passed their NREMT paramedic exams. Coonass Stud was a month from finishing his paramedic clinicals, and did his final two months of paramedic clearance time with me as his preceptor before he was assigned to his own rig.

That’s the situation I’m in with my new partner (sorry Bro, you won’t be with me long enough to get your own fictitious name). He’s just passed his paramedic exams, and is just waiting on the certification cards so he can begin his paramedic clearance times. I’ll have perhaps six more weeks to teach him what I can, and then he’ll be gone to whatever his permanent shift assignment will be.

And then I’ll be assigned another rookie, ink still drying on their NREMT card.

Again.

Oh well, it should provide some interesting blog fodder, at least.

* Good luck on your new shift, Kelso. At the very least, you ought to see more of the couch and less of the highways. If you’ll permit me to give one last piece of advice; stop listening to your inner mall ninja, go take a carbine class, and tell your Mom I’m serious about her adopting me. I really could use some Wendy’s gift cards. 😉