Ambulance Driver Files A Day in the Life | Kelly Grayson
It’s rare that I allow guest posts on the blog. In fact today is only the second in seven years. But my sweetheart Nancy Magee unleashed an excellent rant today, and I thought I’d have her share it with you.
Plus, if I publish it here, maybe she’ll be quiet long enough for me to watch Blazing Saddles uninterrupted. It’s unlikely, but a guy can always hope.
**********
One thing that can be said about EMS providers is that they are consistent. Private, commercial, fire-based or volunteer, EMS people love to gossip, complain, bicker, predict failure of any new idea, and find a problem for every possible solution offered.
It seems that they not only expect, but embrace the “suck” factor inherent in the work of an everyday, reaper-racing hero. No good deed goes unpunished, no act of idiocy goes unexcused. Especially in the black hole echo chamber of the Internet, where facts have no relevance.
The EMS equivalent of the Flat Earth Society emerges in full force should a sacred cow be sacrificed outside of their service area because “They didn’t read it in “THE BOOK!”
Non-believers yammer on about loss of certification and lawsuits. If the subject matter is one of ethics or educated opinion, the self-decreed intellectual elite will squawk, “Citation! Pubmed! Blasphemy! LIV!”, and declare “THIS^^^ !! THIS is why EMS will never be recognized as a profession/ be respected/ get paid more!!!!!”
Endless trolling of EMS Facebook pages (there seem to be new ones cropping up daily) seriously damages the credibility of the people who believe they are the high priests of the profession. Yet, while they don’t ever seem to have anything positive to contribute, they have endless hours to incite arguments and leave drive-by condescending snark bait clearly designed to elicit a defensive response from the less enlightened. When those responses inevitably start becoming personal attacks, the troll groupies join the frenzy, swarming on the unsuspecting victim like drones defending the hive queen after a comrade gets slapped for defending his territory.
Not everyone enters or graduates their EMT class with their ego intact. Yet a daily meal of EMS young seems to be needed to satisfy the appetites of too many experienced providers. EMTs and medics who are victims of peer bullying are told to “Toughen up, buttercup,” or to “Get a job in the fast food industry.” Then, when the statistics are published of suicides and substance abuse in EMS, we blame our employers, the government, and the public for “not understanding” and fixing the problem for us.
When an EMT or medic does something despicable, like failing to respond to a dying baby, or picking the pockets of dead accident victims, or tossing a patient onto the floor in a fit of rage, an alarming number of people immediately come to their defense, because, you know, “We’ve all been there.”
Bullshit.
I’ve never been there, and either has anyone I respect in this field. The truth is that when this happens, we need to own it. The reality is that no individual loses their capability, humanity or integrity overnight. The signs were there, and NO ONE DID ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
For whatever reason, out of fear, apathy, or a misguided allegiance to a currently non-existent EMS brotherhood, these people walk among us. I guarantee you there were just as many people who silently shook their heads and thought, “No surprise to me, he/she’s always been an ass.”
A focus on individual responsibility, empathy, compassion and self-policing of the profession must happen before any of the current hot topic issues are a serious consideration. You can talk about education standards, entrance requirements, greater scope of practice and a pay scale equivalent to the value of the service provided all day and night long, but until these issues are fixed, it’s a moot point because the suck factor will continue to dominate the spotlight.
It’s time to grow up, folks.
“Make small commitments and keep them. Be a light, not a judge. Be a model, not a critic. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem”. ~ Stephen R. Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
Every day, every single one of us has the opportunity to change our personal experience as well as that of the person in the seat next to us. Every day is an opportunity to be a mentor, a friend, an advocate, and an instrument of change. Check your lousy attitude and your ego at the door, open your mind and your heart and make a commitment to adopt that philosophy.
Or… continue to be part of the suck factor.
The choice seems easy.
But how your life in EMS plays out is entirely dependent on that answer.
**********
Blog author’s note: I think she’s right. If there is one thing I have learned in 23 years of EMS, and multiple times going through burnout and coming out rejuvenated on the other side, it’s that career satisfaction is as much a choice as it is a matter of circumstance.
Happiness is where you find it, and some people will never be happy in EMS no matter how good their circumstances, because the problem is with them, and not the job.
