Waddya hate?

[nremtp]

What do you really hate about this job? To be perfectly honest, there is only one thing I hate about the job. Everything else annoys me (the drunk who vomits on my new boots, the regular caller who monitors his BP every hour which has risen 10mm/mg so he calls us) but there is one thing I cannot tolerate which is starting to get me down.

We are not seen as healthcare professionals! We are considered lower or inferior to RNs and every other healthcare profession. We are not taken seriously by the doctors or nurses and are seen as stretcher monkeys by people who wouldn't be able to do our jobs even if they had the balls.

What is the one thing you hate about this job? What is the one thing which makes you want to leave EMS?

[mobey]

We are not seen as healthcare professionals!

That about sums it up!!

(Oh and add, if we do bitch and whine to the public our employers ban coffee in the rigs )

[Chief1C]

I absolutely hate the people who cannot deal with change. The ones who are fine with never moving on, upgrading equipment, etc. Mainly, my service.

[Kaisu]

backstabbing and politics.. come to think of it.. I hate that with any job, but it hurts more when it comes from people that you would go through fire for....

[captainstandup]

Everything about nursing homes, all of them, no matter how opulent or meager the surroundings. I hate going to them, the smell, the idiot staff that always say" i jus come on shift and don't know nuthang" the hopelessness and the mortality check it gives me.

You asked what I hate and I was honest, bear in mind i am always, 100% professional, compassionate and focused on caring for the patients, but I really really hate going to these places.

The other thing I hate is mutt, non-standup partners that never pick up a book or trade manual, attend the minimum training and watch that dumbass Jerry Springer or Maury Povich with the exciting DNA results identifying the baby daddy every shift!

I suffer fools, poorly....................................

[Connie31079]

I hate going to psych calls, personally. I don't feel that any paramedic program educates us enough on how to deal with psych patients. We might get a call for someone who's depressed, show up on-scene, and they're aiming a shotgun at us!

Personally, I like being able to help someone with a physical injury or illness that I can put my hands on and treat. Can't do that with psych patients.

[Capman]

I hate going to psych calls, personally. I don't feel that any paramedic program educates us enough on how to deal with psych patients. We might get a call for someone who's depressed, show up on-scene, and they're aiming a shotgun at us!

Personally, I like being able to help someone with a physical injury or illness that I can put my hands on and treat. Can't do that with psych patients.

Well Connie'....

A true psych' patient is just as much a patient as any other patient. While we are not psychiatrists, myself and my EMS students receive an adequate amount of class room content and clinical time with psychiatric emergencies. This prepares them for what they will encounter in the EMS field. If you can not handle a psych' patient for the short period of time associated with an ambulance call, then perhaps you should take some CEU's or an extra class pertaining to psych' patients.

"We might get a call for someone who's depressed, show up on-scene, and they're aiming a shotgun at us"

Ah! Yes, the common EMT gripe about how "Dangerous" our job is. This must come from all those incidents where EMS personnel have had shot guns pointed at our face. Sure it could happen, but this comment is way over used by some EMTs. You are probably not going to get any empathy out of any of the seasoned EMT/Paramedic's in here with that comment.

"Personally, I like being able to help someone with a physical injury or illness that I can put my hands on and treat. Can't do that with psych patients."

Whoa! Careful there my friend. Statements like that somewhat sell our profession short of its capabilities. I have helped many psych' patients, so have my co-workers, and so have the thousands of visitors here at the city. Maybe it didn't require me "putting my hands on them". But then again, that may be the difference between you and I. You like to work with your hands, and as for myself... I like to work with my hands and my brain!

Sorry for being bold, but I'm not about to let you sell this profession short! [-X

[Just Plain Ruff]

what I hate are partners or co-workers bitching and moaning about having to take another call or a transfer.

I also hate people who bitch and moan about doing the job that they were hired to do, be it running calls, taking care of grandma or whatever.

I've seen it all before, I've been there too but people, get over it if you want my opinion. If you hate doing the job or parts of the job enough to complain about it here then maybe EMS is not your cup of tea.

Just be glad you have a job to go to and to hate.

[Dustdevil]

Sounds like Canadia needs to pass more gun laws!

Maybe talk to New York City or Washington, DC. They both passed more gun laws, and I'm pretty sure they completely eliminated murder from their cities. As much as they whine about what is going on in Iraq, obviously they have nothing to worry about in their cities anymore.

[JPINFV]

what I hate are partners or co-workers bitching and moaning about having to take another call or a transfer.

I also hate people who bitch and moan about doing the job that they were hired to do, be it running calls, taking care of grandma or whatever.

I've seen it all before, I've been there too but people, get over it if you want my opinion. If you hate doing the job or parts of the job enough to complain about it here then maybe EMS is not your cup of tea.

Just be glad you have a job to go to and to hate.

I'd bet that most jobs and careers aren't a 100% joy and filled with workers who fart rainbows. Yes, certain parts of the job suck and there's nothing wrong with complaining about it. On the other hand, if you're at an IFT company, should you really be shocked that your next call is a dialysis transfer?