Do you need critical calls to enjoy your work?

[fiznat]

I've noticed that our attitudes about this work vary pretty widely. There are those considered to be "sparkey," those who are "burnt out," and many in between. All of these people seem to have different feelings in regards to what they want at work. I wanted to see what the consensus (if there is one) within this community.

I'll admit it, I need a critical call - a patient that makes me think and actually do something - fairly often in order to enjoy my work. If I go too long doing basic routine ALS with nothing interesting I get depressed and pessimistic about the job. I absolutely cannot stand doing transfers and I will do everything I can to avoid them.

Some people have different attitudes. I hear paramedics request long-distance transfers or easy BLS calls all the time. "Its a nice break," they say. I say to hell with that.

Where do you stand?

EDIT: I just realized I think I posted this in the wrong section. I guess it should probably be in general? Mods please move this if it is necessary...

[towheadedmule]

Considering that I get a complicated call every other day (rough estimate), I don't avoid transfers. I do not go out of my way to get out of them, but I do my share.

[Niftymedi911]

I've got only one word to say.... "Sparky". I joined this profession to be challenged. I can't take sitting a a desk job doing paperwork. I'm all for good challenging calls and also having a "break" a good mixture of the two as not to get complacent. This day in age it's extremely rare to find.

[chbare]

Not at all. Some of the "mundane" stuff can be quite interesting. Managing people with chronic conditions for example. Fascinating how these people will change through their life span, and the pathophysiology behind some of these conditions is quite interesting. One of the problems with somebody who strictly does EMS is that they may not have a chance to see and learn about the continuum of illness. So, only conditions that cause acute changes of a patients overall condition are noticed by EMS providers.

If I was ever to go to medical school, internal medicine would be the ticket.

Take care,

chbare.

[AnthonyM83]

I don't necessarily need critical calls often, but definitely need challenges of some kind or it can get kind of pointless for me. It's about helping the patient, but it's also about challenging myself and learning...and with shorter transport times it's harder to explore chronic illnesses especially with medics who just want us to sit back on most ALS runs.

SO, it ends up that really critical patients where everything's happening fast paced is sometimes the only calls where I can push myself to keep up and do BLS things without over my shoulder supervision...so as an EMT in this county, I think I really do need those critical calls because it's one of the few challenges we get to have.

[BEorP]

I enjoy my work most when I get paid to sit at my base for all 12 hours and study.

[dahlio]

I enjoy my work most when I get paid to sit at my base for all 12 hours and study.

As much as I enjoy having a chance to catch up on my schoolwork, It gets really boring. We have one base at work where the call volume is about one or two or day in a twelve hour shift. You just get plain bored sometimes, and want something to do. Critical Calls are definitely great learning opportunities, and very much enjoy them. Non-Emergency Transports can be boring, but you get to learn about procedures done in the hospital, and get to see what kind of definitive care patients get. A good mix is a great thing.

[Arizonaffcep]

I myself have redefined the term "white cloud." I do enjoy a "good call," don't get me wrong, but I don't mind some of the easy, mundane things we do as well. I enjoy (if it's a "boring call") to gather medical HX and try to figure out what's going on...or challenge myself to a "game" of "what's this drug for" and figure out what their HX is, based only on meds. Kinda breaks up monotony, and builds knowledge base. Besides, I enjoy a good conversation with patients, assuming they aren't vented!

[hammerpcp]

I do. I didn't get into this field to be a glorified taxi. I didn't invest time. energy and money into training to not use the skills and knowledge. That being said, I am not looking for all action all the time either.

[Dustdevil]

I do. I didn't get into this field to be a glorified taxi. I didn't invest time. energy and money into training to not use the skills and knowledge. That being said, I am not looking for all action all the time either.

Agreed. I don't have to have a regular dosage of critical patients to stay happy. But they do have to at least have some sort of acute medical necessity for me to work with. Give me something to evaluate and diagnose, and I'm happy. Trauma, I can pretty much live without. I've had my share for several lifetimes. But a good, complicated cardiac or pulmonary challenge is a challenge that keeps me sharp, and keeps me feeling like it's all worth it.

Routine, non-emergency, inter-facility transfers, where my mind has nothing to chew on are not what I went to school for. Hopefully, perhaps by the 22nd century, the U.S. will join the 20th century and completely divorce EMS from the horizontal taxi industry, like Ontario did years ago.