ClutzyEMT

Great to hear that you passed it! Congratulations!!! Yes, you can have a long career in this profession even if you are STA (shorter than average) lol! But I do stress the back brace and going to a specialist or experienced practitioner who will fit you with a custom one if you plan on remaining in EMS for a long period of time. Many have told me that it is not needed anymore since technology has advanced to the point of loading stretchers into the rigs, etc. but you will still have those scenes in the back corner of the only apartment building in town that doesn't have an elevator in which you will get to carry the patient down 15 flights of stairs, etc that will put tremendous stress on your back~~ I wish someone had told me this when I started but I'm fortunate that I didn't destroy my back before it was too late~~ out of everything that I faced in EMS, I think my height was the most challenging and sometimes entertaining (how I ended up dealing with things) LOL!! Plus you will be the first one they will want to shove into those tight, cramped spaces on a scene..... Good luck and hope you have a long and satisfying career!!

Us 'horizontally challenged' women in EMS have encountered that difficulty since I started....lol....I am a lifetime EMS'r who is 5'1 and 1/4" and weight range of 105 to 130 throughout my 25+ years career~~one of the biggest things I would say to you right now is "Get yourself a back brace and wear it religiously!" You will thank yourself when you are a tad older and lifting a grandchild.....your back will thank you for it as well! Thousands of petitions to the manufacturers requesting that they locate ambulance boxes closer to street level never worked for me so I had to continue strength training my entire career instead ....good luck and let us know how you are doing!

Hey Medicgirl05~~ Is there anyone from your old squad that you are still friends with? Sometimes it helps to just sit and 'chat' with a co-worker that you feel completely safe with. They know what you've done and seen and how to relate and may even help you deal with some of the anxiety......I do agree with Mike as well, sometimes you have to find just the right counselor to help you learn how to deal with the anxiety. If you are in a larger area, the fire departments usually have a designated "Chaplain" that is available to talk with them and they have much the same experiences and thoughts as we in EMS have and know how to help you. Sometimes it isn't just 'one call' or one scene that gives you problems later, it is a combination of everything you've dealt with in this career. It is more of a 'cumulative' stress than a PTSD which could come on suddenly.... My thoughts are with you, many of us have had to figure our own way thru that path and it can get hard, but it is well worth the effort. Only you can decide if you are meant to get back into EMS or not~~~ Good luck and keep you head above water! You can PM me if you need, but I'm not online a whole lot anymore and may not see it, but if you need, I would give you a personal email just to chat if needed~~ Hugs from one EMS'r to another~~~

Terrific answer Paramedicmike....I think there was a tad bit of role reversal going on in the above posts~~I got to play resident cynic and you tempered it with hope Can I plus 2 your comment? Nice to see some of the tried and true are still here and still willing to lend a guiding hand~~hope I have time to visit more often~~

I haven't posted in awhile and I am hesitant to jump back in...but here goes my thoughts. Take them with a grain of salt but realize they come directly from my heart~~ First off, ask yourself "why". Why do you want to be in EMS? If it's because you rode with an ambulance crew one night and got to see some cool things like dramatic car accidents and maybe a real rescue of one sort or another where the person 'almost died' but they saved him/her then that reason isn't good enough... The majority of EMS calls are not the high adrenaline, high stress calls that we see on TV. Sure, those type of calls are mixed in there and occasionally we do get the one person that maybe wouldn't have lived had we not done what we did....but the majority of our calls roll into a ball of the same call presenting in various degree's over and over again~~the drug addicts, the alcoholics, the chronically ill who can't or won't take their medications (diabetics, psych patients, liver failure, etc.), the nursing home that refuses to let a resident die in privacy in their own room and calls for them to be transferred out hours before death, the chronically ill patient on multiple medications with multiple doctors whose history is more like a rubik's cube or a puzzle.... If it's because you love medicine and enjoy a rubik's cube or puzzle now and then... Great!! We need more people like you!! People who will realize that everything they are taught in their certification classes is the least amount of information they will ever need to hopefully not kill someone and that from the moment they step outside that door with that shiny patch in their hand, their responsibility is to keep learning, seeking and even asking the 'dumb' questions from time to time. Another thing I always talk to my new students about now is their mental health. Are they ready to possibly see some of the worst things that mankind can do to one another and are they willing to accept that 'those' stories may or may not become a permanent part of their life? I make it clear to my students that reading about something in a book and looking at 'gory' pictures is nothing like they will face in the streets where they are going to get the full blown 3D effect. Is that something they are mentally prepared for and do they have the proper safety net set up in advance? Do they have the resiliency and coping mechanisms they are going to need if they want to be a part of this world for any amount of time without becoming a zombie needing assistance themselves? Do they want to put the time in to building a strong foundation for themselves before they become a safety net for John Q Public? If they still do at that point then I stand behind and beside them every step of the way from there on out....if they don't, I still stand beside them and support whatever decision they make~~I just want them to know ahead of time some of the things that I never knew.....whether it would have kept me out of EMS or not, I doubt it, but I may have been more prepared had someone sat down with me and explained some of those things....

Haven't gone to the link yet but by reading some of the responses I thought of a couple organizations that they may or may not qualify for if they are in a financially compromised situation at this time~ http://www.angelflight.com/ http://mercymedical.org/ After going to the link and reading his updates, it looks like he has contacted one of the above sites but is having insurance issues and trouble with medicaid. If you are in contact with him itku2er pass along this link as well~~http://www.accesstohealthcare.org/services-individuals/resources-seniors-and-people-with-disabilities Not sure if he has already tried it, but it may help him with some of his issues? I wish him luck and can't imagine there wouldn't be some type of lawsuit from in injury like that, but then again, the driver of the car may have not had insurance so there is that...ugh....terrible deal all the way around~~

Scenes like this make me cringe. .. What is it going to take for those who are operating any vehicle with lights and sirens to realize that the flashy lights and screaming noise doesn't give them the right to disregard the safety of others... Not to mention their own safety as well those on board the vehicle that they are operating? Maybe we need to start implementing yearly EVOC courses for anyone that drives a vehicle with flashy lights to counteract the 'flip on hot button, shut off brain button' effect.

Rest easy my dear friend, we will take the shift from here...... My sincerest condolences to you Mrs. Sparks and your entire family, his former co-workers, and those who have come to know and love him through his guidance and support in the forums. I talked with him many times through pm's and chat and will always hold great respect for his wisdom and encouragement.... He always took time to check in on me and help me through some valleys, or celebrate along with me in my accomplishments. Not to mention our visits about my SAR bloodhounds and his incredible love for the dogs your family bred and raised..... My heart is heavy with sadness but I will always treasure the wisdom he passed on to me. Tami Bulik

*Shrugs* May as well try it again..... **Drops in a nickel** **Walks away with a shiny new gum wrapper**

Thanks ERDoc~ That is one of the studies I was thinking of when I inquired as to mikeymedic's 'other factors'. In my personal opinion, lowly as it may be, it is not our 'job' to determine if someone is in pain, faking, or seeking. Unless however, you are going to continue to follow up with the patient, locate the correct program and ensure that they get help for their addiction, then follow them through the system......

?? So what 'other factors' are you using to determine if you believe your patient or not?

**Drops in two mini tennis balls** **Gets a handful of dog poop in exchange** WTH is wrong with this machine.....................

Oh contrare my friend....I have a net

Waiting at the bottom of the slope to catch the men who are on the downhill slide...............

Drops in a hamster..... Gets a couple of worn out quarters......... walks away.........