Connie31079

The original question that was asked by the initial poster was: "Medic attempts suicide, should they be fired or no?"......doesn't say if that medic is or isn't able to continue to fulfill all aspects of the job. If this medic is NOT able to fulfill all aspects of the job, then the employer has a legitamite reason for termination. Of this medic IS able to fulfill all aspects of the job, then there's no reason for termination. The employer shouldn't be able to use mental illness as the sole reason for termination, especially if the medic is able to get better by taking medication. God, if that were the case here, there'd be nobody to staff the trucks! You just seem to automatically think it's OK to fire this person because they're mentally unstable at this time, and obviously you think that they always will be. I say, give that medic time to get better, and once they're cleared by a medical doctor, then allow them to come back to the job. Don't fire them right away because they're having problems! What kind of a heartless bastard are you???

If keeping me employed is going to keep me happy & ALIVE, and I continue to fulfill all aspects of the job, then yes, I think the employer has to accept some level of responsibility, especially if that employer has no reason for terminating a person's employment because they were ill due to mental illness (or any other illness that can be corrected). I don't think mental illness is reason enough for termination. It's an ILLNESS that can be corrected. Don't be so quick to throw the baby out with the bathwater. OK, let me ask you a question, AK, since we seem intent on asking questions: If someone was fulfilling all aspects of their job, and you were their employer, would you be able to fire someone because they were sick (mentally or physically), and you knew beforehand that if you fired them, that it would result in their death? Could you live with yourself, knowing that you took away the only thing that they lived and breathed for? I. for one, wouldn't be able to do it!

I wouldn't have been hired by my employer if I wasn't qualified for the job, and I wouldn't continue to be employed by my employer if I didn't meet the expectations of the job. All I'm saying is, sometimes some of us let our jobs become our lives.

Neesie: Honey, don't be afraid to cry. We're taught in this profession that we have to "suck it up" and that we "have to be professional" but my dear.....we're all HUMAN! If you go to the debriefing, it's OK to cry! You witnessed something that most people never see in their lifetime, and never will, but because of the nature of our job, we see it all the time! Doesn't make us any less human! I've been to debriefings, it helped me to know that I wasn't the only one feeling bad about the call, and yes, I cried! And it felt good to let it out! Don't hold this all inside, Neesie. It just won't "go away"....it'll fester inside you until it eats you up. Please, go and talk to someone.

If think the same way as Ruff. Those people who work in EMS who are lucky enough to have a wife/husband/significant other to go home too at the end of their shift should count their blessings. Not all of us are so lucky. I live for my job. Always have, always will. If they take that away from me (for whatever reason), then what else do I have to live for?

God, if she isn't depressed enough with whatever is going on in her life to already attempt suicide once, then how do you think she's going to react if they take away her certification and fire her from her job? Don't you think that would just ADD to her depression? I certainly do. I think if she's given the option of going into treatment, STAYING THERE until she gets better, or being fired from her job, she just might "wake up".

I would personally call that being "obtunded" or "altered mental status", not "unconscious", especially if the child is not fully awake but still able to "cry" and/or "mew". During my radio patch to the hospital, I wouldn't say the child was "unconscious". I think that the ER staff would expect the child to be comatose & flaccid when I wheeled through the doors if I described the child as being unconscious. And I think an IO was perfectly acceptable in this situation, along with a few other aggressive measures.

Yup, I'm fat. Plain & simple. And I've been discriminated because of it. I ws 153 lbs. @ age 12 the first time my mother sent me to Weight Watchers because of my weight, so I've never been slim! And some people now-a-days simply think because I'm fat, they can treat me like dirt under their feet. And I'm getting tired of it. I shower daily, use deoderant, wear a freshly-pressed & clean uniform to work everyday, and everything is tucked into where it should be. And I shine my boots! But yet, some people feel like they can STILL treat me like dirt! I treat everyone with respect, so I can't figure out for the life of me, why they wouldn't treat me the same way. Is it simply because I'm FAT???? Has that what today's society become??

IMO, this is a topic that's looking to go downhill, and FAST! Let me ask a different question.....can smokers in EMS be professional? Dont' you think patients can smell smoke off of a smoker's uniform? Or alcoholics? What if an alcoholic comes to work smelling like booze? Or anybody else with an addiction, for that matter?? Why we just picking on the "obese"?

cough

spenac: For those JW's who choose to accept organ donations, doesn't that completely contradict the whole "no blood" issue? I've never heard of anyone getting an organ transplant without receiving blood during the process. Just wondering......not meant as a slight or anything.

All that I know is, if my child is sick or injured and needs blood to survive, then they're going to get the blood! I don't care what religion I am! The health care system is going to do whatever they feel necessary to save my child! I have a few friends who are Jehovah's Witnesses, and we've had this dicsussion before. I just can't seem to wrap my head around the whole "no blood" issue if your child is dying, and if blood will save them. I mean, I'm Catholic, and I go to church every week when I'm not working, but there are some things the Catholic Church teaches that I don't agree with, such as contraceptives. The Catholic Church is against contraceptives, because they want us to "go forth and multiply".....obviously, contraceptives would interfere with that! But if I'm not ready to bring a child into this world for one reason or another, then I'm going to use contraceptives, I don't give a god-damn what the Catholic Church says! Does that make me a bad Catholic? I don't think so. I don't feel you need to believe in every aspect of your religion to be a member in good standing. Same thing with Jehovahs in my opinion, you can be a good Jehovah, but if your child is dying and needs blood, then to hell with your religion! This is YOUR CHILD we're talking about!

entertainment

Hey Lisa, send him (or others like him!) up my way! LOL! I live in Glace Bay, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada!!!! I've been looking for years, and I haven't been able to find a man who's gainfully employed who wants to settle down and marry me! Everyone says I'd make a great wife someday! I'm an awesome cook, according to my co-workers. The way to a man's heart is through his stomach, isn't it????

Congrats on your engagement, Eric! All the best to both of you! I have no advice to give, I am 35 years old, and never been married. Guess not too many men out there like big girls anymore..... .....I feel as if I'm over the hill now anyway: too old to marry, too old to start a family, and am basically looking forward to spending the rest of my life by myself. Which, might not necessarily be a bad thing, all depends on which side of the fence you're on! LOL! You always want what you haven't got, right? Those who are single want to be married, and those who are married sometimes wish they could be single again. So, you're truly one of the lucky ones in my opinion, Eric!