EMS superstitions?

[mstovall]

Never ever ever ever say as you take the first bite of a meal "this person better be dieing." You will work a code. It will be a futile effort, but it will be close enough that you can't call it and feel good about it. I have had three different partners say something dumb like this and it has happened all three times. It usually happens after a day of interrupted meals for stub toes and cough that has been going on for a week, or infected hangnail, etc.

Also never buy a movie/rent a movie while on shift. You will never be able to finish it. Instead bring in something that you have watched 1000's of times and you don't care about stopping it anywhere.

Michael

[mobey]

People yell at me when I say it's quite...I mean they get freaking mad...but whatever.

Ya I get the same thing when I say it is QUIET

Haha sorry Anthony ...had to do it!!

[Happiness]

Quiet and Slow are words never said to a emt, nurse or doc in our community.

[Richard B the EMT]

Never say you have not had any particular call type in a while, as that will seal your fate that, lo, it will be your very next call!

The "Q word" is so fragile, it shatters just by stating it's name.

NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER Ever say that a shift or tour is too "Q word", for soon it won't be!

For the uninformed, the "Q word" is the opposite of "Loud".

The bosses obviously will not tell you, but there is actually a device, built into your ready rooms, your vehicles, and secretly attached to your belt buckles and pants zipper, that tells the dispatcher you just got food. Dispatchers therefore have to give you an assignment, or the dispatcher gets into trouble for not giving the assignment out.

[AnthonyM83]

Ya I get the same thing when I say it is QUIET

Haha sorry Anthony ...had to do it!!

Ha, good call out Mobey. I was still recovering from last night when I wrote this...

[spenac]

It is what it is.

What may be, will be...

Nothing I say, do, or not do will change whatever call is about to come my way. It is human nature for us to pay closer attention when the tones go off, catching you in the moment of whatever you were doing and then freezing that instant in your brain.

That bite of food almost in your mouth, that food order just placed/paid for but unable to wait for, the belt loosened for a healthy grunt, or your head touching the pillow. None of those have ever, nor will they ever affect the nature of calls during your shift.

However, it is understandable to have these superstitions as our life is based on them from infancy to death.

Yup. I like making everybody mad by doing and saying all the things your not supposed to say. Now on those days that the tones do keep going I get treated pretty rough in return.

[akroeze]

The corollary to the quiet rule is that if you actually want to be busy, saying it is quiet will make it even more so.

[njmedic1485]

1- Never take your gear out of the ambulance before relief has arrived

2- Never laugh when you hear another crew getting slammed, this will anger the EMS gods and they will be swift and terrible with their retribution

3- Never, Ever, Ever make solid plans for after work, it's a surefire ticket to the 10 minutes to go home, relief is nowhere to be seen job at the other end of your coverage area.

[Wags]

Well, the general rules seem to be that you should never go out for your food. Send someone to get it for you or have it delivered. To add fuel to the superstitious fire, I've had two cardiac arrests in the last two months that came within 10 minutes of my departure to pick up food.

People also seem very sensitive to the words "slow" and "quiet".

And if you're doing something important like changing an onboard O2 tank, or something fun like playing wiffle ball in the parking lot, never mention the lack of calls. This includes commentary in both a positive and negative light. "Thank goodness it's been slow so we can ____." is a killer.

[Eydawn]

Here's a rather unique one... the summer that I met my fiance we were both working out at the summer camp. Turns out every time he saw a damn deer we got a weird/important/what the hell? medical call. And it held true for quite a long time! I swear it...

Wendy

CO EMT-B