Seth412

I'm the exact same way. In a face to face debate, I can't think of anything to say. Over the computer, when I have time to think and formulate my argument, I'm quite a force to be reckoned with. I can approach any issue from a unique and thought provoking standpoint, even if I don't know much about the issue. In person, I draw a blank.

First off, thanks for the replies all. Ugh I'm just stressing about the job. There's so much for me to improve on and it just is a bit overwhelming right now. I guess I need reassurance that what I'm experiencing is normal. Maybe the OCD talking But yes, it's as under control as it's going to be. As far as I can tell, my stress reactions have been normal. Some buttferflies going out to the call, and like I said, difficulty focusing, but I think overall I'm adapting well for someone with these types of issues. Long term, I don't know. We'll have to wait and see. I'll let you know how it goes in the following months, to give you all some perspective on how someone with an issue like OCD adapts to this kind of work. So far I can tell you that I do seek reassurance and guidance probably more than the average person.

EMS teaches us things about ourselves, doesn't it? My employment background is mostly light industrial type stuff. Mostly it's procedure, and once you learn that, there isn't much thinking on your feet. Mostly repetition. So coming into the field, I did not know how well I do under pressure. Turns out not very well. When I'm put on the spot in a stressful situation, I have a hard time focusing on even simple tasks. I feel I have gotten better since I started, but certainly not up to par with how an EMT should be. Is this something that can be resolved with effort and experience? If so, some tips would be very much appreciated.

My mistakes are small and, in retrospect, kind of silly. On one call I failed to get the gurney out of the ambulance. Pressed the wrong buttons. I felt that I made up for it in the way I handled patient care in the back of the ambulance. I got a O2 sat, temperature, helped the pt remove clothing, and held a wet cloth on her head (temp was 102.8) Thank you for listening. My first week was rough. Not used to being put through that kind of stress on a job. My background is manual labor. Generally stress free so long as you have a good supervisor. Does it get easier as you get used to it? There is a huge difference between class and actual EMS. It's like, not even the same thing.

Thank you. I told him he was wrong and that I'm going to prove it. I've never been subjected to this level of stress before, so I think you're right in that it will take some getting used to. When I think about it, I'm coping better than I give myself credit for. I'm reaching out to people and I'm avoiding alcohol. Even a single beer with dinner. I'm going to stick with it. I got into EMS for a variety of reasons. I believe I will be good at it as soon as I get the hang of it, and I want to do something that matters. Something that gives back, you know? The lights and sirens are a cool plus, but that's not my primary reason.

So my first week on the job has been pretty eventful. I've had a variety of calls, the most stressful of which being a DOA and a possibly septic patient (fever, tachycardia, low blood pressure). In the moment, I do okay as far as coping with stress. I do what my partners ask me to do to the best of my ability and I certainly don't freeze up. However, the stress that I put myself through seems to sink in after the shift. I experience anxiety, depression, fatigue, and loss of appetite. It's my first day off and I'm feeling not so good. I'm hoping that it gets better with time. I've made the decision to stick with it and teach myself to cope with it the best I can. Any advice is appreciated. If you don't feel I'm cut out for the field, let me know. Also, something else that has me a bit stressed: I'm a slow learner. Every new job I take it takes me longer than average to get comfortable and learn the ropes. One of my partners told me that I'm I'm a below average EMT and that I won't last in the field. Given the nature of the work and my delayed learning, I saw it coming. Still not a nice thing to hear :/

Thank you for your support. I really appreciate it. It's nothing of the depression/emotional distress variety. It's more of the just not a morning person variety. It always helps if I have something in the morning that I have to wake up for (work, school, events, volunteer stuff, whatever), because afterward the feeling is gone and I can proceed with my day. What it amounts to is lighting a fire under my own a** when I don't have anything going on, because that's when it takes me until noon to get myself going. As far as my current situation, some unanticipated days off have given me enough time to get caught up. So I'm going to give staying caught up another shot with my time management issues in mind. Speaking of such, time to get off the comp and study.

I'd say it's more of the time management variety. I have trouble getting myself going on my days off. I wouldn't say that my job is making me second guess EMS. Definitely not something I can see myself doing long term. The plan is ultimately to quit as soon as I land a job on as an EMT. But I was under the impression that normally, an EMT course was a two quarter sequence.

It's a 3 month course.

Thank you. For the record, I reside in Clark County, WA. Not much in the way of EMT jobs here unless you're in Fire, as the Medical director doesn't want anyone on the ambulance who can't run an IV. That means at the minimum one has to be IV tech. Very close to me in the Portland, OR area, which is where i currently work and includes a few counties within it. AMR and Metro West operate here and hire EMTs. This is where I'd work if I were to do it locally. I have an aunt and uncle who live in Seattle, WA, (King County), and they would let me stay with them temporarily if I have a job lined up, which means I can look there as well. Those are my options. This whole UPS thing has turned out to remedy itself. All of the new people are temporarily laid off from work on low volume days (goes by seniority), so this past week I've only had to work two days, so I've gotten caught up somewhat. However, once the holidays start rolling around, it will be high volume every day and I'll face this problem again.

Thanks for the replies, all. It isn't that I'm having trouble with EMT-B, I'm catching on fairly well. It's a matter of having enough time in the day to do all of the reading and assignments on top of working hours which vary widely depending on workload (sometimes I work next to nothing, other times WAY too much). The issue is, if I drop the EMT course, I'm about $1000 in the hole. Money which I saved up specifically for the course. And I have to do it all over again if I start over with another course. I don't need the job for the money (parents have no problem helping with expenses so long as I'm in school full time. I have excellent parents). I need it for the reference. It's looking like the choice is going to have to be quitting. I'll go over it in my head a few more times, though. Do I want to save up 1000-1500 for another course in order to keep this reference? Thanks again, everyone.

I posted a thread not too long ago regarding some of my concerns about becoming an EMT. I'd like to thank all who replied. Another thing that has been eating at me: I recently landed a job at UPS in addition to my EMT course. This job is my first real job outside of working here and there for temp agencies and under the table. Needless to say, my resume doesn't look too impressive. I love this job, but unfortunately I may have to quit. I'm in one of those accelerated EMT courses and I just can't keep up. I'm about 5 chapters behind, and I can only salvage the course if I drop the job. This means that my only solid reference is gone. I'm really stressed out about it. Can one have any hope in landing a job anywhere in this field without a steady work history? I suppose I could drop down to four hours of sleep a night and catch up that way.

I can't even imagine running a call like that, especially being the only medic and having to make a decision. I'm giving myself until Monday to make a final decision on whether I'm going to take the class this fall or not. If not, it's plan B, back to acquiring credits for an accounting degree. It's funny, EMS and accounting have to be polar opposites. I've also put some thought into being a CMA or a Radiology Tech.

Thank you. Yea it's really hard for me say how I will react to the buildup of stress. I imagine, due to the obsessive nature of my mind, that the big difference between me and others is that my breaking point will come a lot sooner. Do you ever get used to the job, seeing people dying and suffering? Or does it suck every time you see it? Just bumped up my SSRI dose. Higher doses are supposed to work better for OCD, so we'll see if there's any improvement.

I was more concerned about the cumulative stress and how it will affect my mental health. I'm getting things under control as we speak.