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It seems like we've been seeing a lot of new faces lately, and from them gaining a lot of strong, smart new members. In the spirit of the City I thought maybe we could throw out some ideas on how to be successful here? Here are a few of mine.. 1) Welcome. We're glad to have you no matter what your certification level, experience, education or what type of service you happen to work at. The fact that we're glad to have you doesn't mean we don't argue these points, it simply means that we value thoughts, and the people brave and kind enough to share them, from every point on the compass and political spectrum. 2) You can gain very little here if you don't participate. Learn here, where it's safe, to air your ideas and encourage constructive criticism. If you can't push yourself out front here then you need to question if you'll have what it takes to push yourself to the front when people are suffering. Also, doing so causes most of us some pressure, allowing you to learn to think with that pressure and accept the consequences of those decisions. 3) No one here, regardless of how it may sometimes seem, wants to see you fail, here or in your career. Too often it seems that criticism is considered derision when in fact the exact opposite is true. We thrash each other's ideas to make each other stronger, not to try and prove our superiority. There is nothing that makes the smartest people here happier than to see those that have been mentored here succeed and even surpass the high standards most often expected here. I'm always very aware when someone has commented on one of my thoughts that this is a smart, successful person that had better things to do, yet made time to help me try and get smarter. I try and remember to be grateful for that. Nothing makes me happier than to lose an argument, because it means that I've fought with every tool in my toolbox to defend something that seemed perfectly logical and evident to me, yet...I was wrong. And now, thanks to someone smarter, that fought harder, I don't have to continue to be wrong tomorrow. 4) Do not Google your answers and then pretend that they are yours so that you don't feel stupid. Being wrong isn't stupid. Being afraid of being wrong, and so allowing yourself to remain wrong is stupid. Give answers from your head, use your own brain, create your own logic trees, that is how you grow and become stronger. Think I'm kidding? Follow my posting history and you'll see some of the most idiotic thoughts you can imagine, but many didn't remain idiotic because I was allowed to work them out with help from my friends here. And when I say friends? I'm talking about some really smart folks that left my ego bruised and bleeding at the end of some gnarly discussions. 5) Please understand that when we critique your spelling and grammar that it is not to belittle you but to help you grow as a professional and separate yourself from the significant number of your peers that everyone else is laughing at every day. Hanging out is fine, but use that time to improve yourself. We all make mistakes. We're looking not for perfection, but for the effort that says you're trying. Spelling and grammar are a practiced skill. We all make mistakes, that's why we push each other to constantly keep practicing. 6) Chat is chat and the forums are the forums though often the two overlap. Please don't bring your playful chat dialog and insert it into forum conversations. Not because 'chat is stupid' because of course it's not. It's just easy sometimes to take the fun, carefree familiar attitude of chat and allow it to distract from conversation in the forums. Besides, most of the people reading the threads won't get your references anyway. One's not better than the other necessarily, they just don't often mix well. 7) Have fun, be brave, make friends, find mentors, ask for help, help others…but most importantly, use this as a resource. This isn't a place that you come to prove how smart you are, but to prove that you want to be smarter. Almost everyone here respects that. Some of the most intelligent people I've ever met I've met here and my life will never be the same because I was gifted with their patience and advice. Use them, but as you do, remember to be grateful and give back. And in case I was somehow not clear...If you see my posts, and you find a bad idea, wrong thinking, bad attitude, poor logic, spelling, grammar, and choose to ignore it to 'be nice?' I will never thank you for that. I will never be grateful that you allowed me to be weaker today than I needed to be..Just sayin'... I'm hoping that many here will add to my silly little list…what do you think guys and gals? Dwayne Edited about a gazillion times because, for some reason, the text I see in my edit window isn't translating well when posted. I don't think I'll cut and paste from Word next time. No contextual changes made. Formating only.

Yeah, right?? Aren't you amazed by the folks that say, "Paramedic school was the best time of my life!" Are you friggin' kidding me? Maybe if I hadn't had to work, and didn't worry so much about my grades I would have had a great time, but I did, and I didn't. When trying to finish my medic degree the chair the of EMS dept. kept saying, "It's only one more season, OK? You can make it one more season." At times I went strictly by her word, and those of Dust, Ak, and others, because I couldn't bring myself to believe it..And then one day it's all gone. You wake up and have no more classes, no more trips to the hospital, no more clinicals...it's strange as hell. And for some of us, it truly is worth it. I really dig my life right now...I'm having fun, hanging out with great people and getting paid. I go home safe and relaxed to my family...Life is good. When it's time to go to So Cal see if you can drag Annie and we'll try for a meet up?? I was just mentioning to her the other night that a meet in CO might not go wrong once it starts to get a little warmer. You are about the most stubborn chick I've ever met, so I know you'll do awesome throughout school...but stubborn still needs down time, so don't forget to rest when you can... Dwayne Edited for format change. I seem to be format challenged of late. No contextual changes made.

This is a great idea Dwayne I wish there had been something like this back when I was newer. I am still new and there is great advice in your post.

To answer your question, I am a single role medic, working in a firehouse. I am also part of the IAFF, and make a good salary with a pension. I have worked with guys w/20+ years on the job who love what they do. I have worked with guys with 5+ years on the job and hate it. Everyone in a high call volume areas will experience some burnout. But hey where else can you work 24 hours and be off for 72?? That time off w/my family is amazing. That 24 hours can be rough...but it's well worth it. I'm not sure about your area, but salaries vary by region. Try to find a municipality with good benefits and career people. And if you have to work for a private...find one that does 911 as opposed to IFT's. Good luck. I don't care WHO you are, the bullshit calls at 3 AM get to EVERYONE after awhile. Especially if you work in a ghetto/uneducated area...but then you really make a difference and you re-affirm the reasons you got into this job.

Dude, I am in paramedic school and this is no picnic. I can't tell you how much no one bothers to tell except "as you are going along" and when you are doing your clinicals, .... everyone seems to be an expert on what you are doing wrong all the time, especially when it makes them look smarter or gives them an easy target to vent their own frustrations on -- and this is the NON-EMS folks. I haven't done clinicals outside of the ER yet and I can only imagine how much worse it could possibly be when there is more to worry about than doing an IV without being treated like a retard because you are having trouble getting it right. I am doing this because I feel like I am supposed to be here and I am coming by way of a completely separate career path with no intention of going into nursing or med school or any pre-existing affiliations with a firehouse. If I were you, I would sign up as a volunteer at a firehouse first and see how it goes. Most of these guys seem miserable because along with the pressures and demands of the job (how much time can a person spend up to their shoulders in drunks, ghetto life and Darwin-esque stupidity and NOT wonder why you didn't choose a different career path) - they have the added poison of grown men whose sole purpose in life is gossiping like little girls for no better reason than to keep the stew pot of horse dung around them swirling at all times. You know these guys and they all seem to be in a majority around fire and EMS work. Go volunteer before committing time, money and your peace of mind to this line of work. There's a reason you have to love this job to do it. Trust me. I am not half way through school and I am already wondering what the hell I was thinking when I thought this was a healthy professional culture to be involved in.

Emt-b jobs available for an emt-b under 21 that pays decently,enough to support myself perferablly in northern cali,but I wouldnt mind moving,even far, as of now i work at a grocery store during the week and on weekends work for an event medical company which i just started and I am sure I will enjoy but i want a ems job for the week,not just event medical thats only when events come up,so if you know anywhere thats hiring please let me know .Thank you.

Be ready to be belittled and criticized for every tiny thing you may mention. The attitude here is "you are wrong, so we will trash you for it" no matter what. Ignore those people, some of us here are friendly and understand.

musta saw the bill