Forum negativity towards the job has me concerned

[basejump]

I'll do my best to offer a little bit of the other side. EMS is filled with people who don't like their jobs. Everyone seems to have their own particular reasons why, but I will just touch on a few of the common themes so that you can be a little better prepared. These aren't necessarily my personal feelings, but I think they are all pretty accurate.

1. As an EMT, and even more so as a medic, eventually at some point you will realize that you are at the bottom of the totem pole in a system that revolves around hierarchy. Worse, you will realize that you belong there. Medical training for prehospital providers is like a crash course. There is very little of the background, of the science, of the rigorous study that characterizes most serious medical training. Because we lack this, we are constantly at the tip of the iceberg, knowing just enough to get by but not enough to really understand. Depending on your personality and your background, this may bother you every day or never at all. There is no real solution to this problem but to leave EMS and go back to school, which quickly becomes less and less of an option as people get older and more tied down by debt and family obligations. The result is a large population of dissatisfied EMS workers with no real way out.

2. The rest of the medical community, as well as many EMS employers, recognize the deficiencies detailed above and treat EMTs/Paramedics with a constant disrespect. This manifests itself in many ways both big and small, from relative job insecurity ("you are not special, you can be replaced tomorrow no sweat") to nurses/doctors/medical staff who refuse to acknowledge the vital role we play in the continuity of care. Some of this can be relieved on a personal level by maintaining a good reputation, but this takes years of work and at the end of the day when the chips are down, you are still "just" an EMT or paramedic. You will be reminded of this at the worst time and it will make you feel like shit.

3. There is the constant threat of injury. This is a dangerous job that requires repetitive physical motion. Back, knee, and shoulder injuries are extremely common and often career-ending. If that happens you can count only on a pittance from workers-comp for a short period of time, and then ending up jobless with very few marketable job skills. What are you going to do at age 40 with a busted back and a high school education? Not much. I realize you have a college degree, which is great, but this is the reality for an overwhelming proportion of EMS workers. Believe me, this weighs heavily on the mind of any career EMS worker, and it isn't a pleasant thought.

4. We rarely save lives, and a lot of the time it takes some creativity and imagination to even see that we "made a difference" for our patients. The majority of what you do on the ambulance will be needless transport for barely injured or sick people who have no business on an ambulance nevermind a hospital. The ratio will change depending on where you work, but I would (generously) estimate that 20% of the patients I see have a legitimate need for my services. This reality differs dramatically from the expectations of the newly hired. Even if you "know" it's not going to be all blood and guts, I don't think you can truly appreciate how ridiculous the day-to-day can be. Some people are better at handling this than others, as lots of people will certainty attest to on this forum. I can tell you though, if you take a look at people with 15 and 20 years in this business (a small population to begin with), you will find VERY few people who aren't frustrated with this on a daily basis.

5. The pay isn't great, and unless you work for a fire service or the occasional 3rd service municipality, you can forget about a pension or retirement benefits other than a 401-k. $20 an hour may seem like a decent salary to you now, but that money gets eaten up QUICK with a mortgage, school loan payments, and a family. Unless you are extremely good at managing your money (and most aren't), you will likely come to rely on overtime hours, which will be inconsistent and take you away from home for more time than you'd like. I work with a lot of people who routinely pull 60-hour work weeks just to pay the bills, and once you get caught up in that kind of situation it is very difficult to pull yourself out.

There are others, but I think those are pretty much the "big 5." Education, respect, injury, B.S., and pay. You should know that this is, however, an extremely rewarding job. Working on an ambulance gives you opportunity to see things that you never would otherwise, and I think really gives you a perspective into life (and death) that very few people get. I don't think there is any other job out there like this, and those benefits shouldn't be ignored. I am very proud of my job and I am extremely glad that I decided to do it. That said, I'm working my butt off to get out.

Thanks for the post. Very informational.

[TJZ]

Excellent points everyone!

EMS is right up there with motherhood. Tough job that cannot be beaten.

That said I don't think I have posted here since I was hired lol. I got in with a busy service, earned $9.50hr, worked 72-96 ave hours per week and missed my three kids so bad. So much side story here... but it is over now and I am back home with the kids.

They are my world and I am better to be here, I will never be able to go back in time to regain this time but... I DO miss it.

It almost destroyed my family, but I miss it.

My husband couldn't listen to any stories and if he did my awesome was gross to him... but I miss it.

It is a second to my family but I swear to you... not by much

Yes it is tough, but I loved it. Funny part is that I was never annoyed by the BS calls. We did many returns and elderly care and I was happy to do it so they did not have to ride with the cranky city Fire/EMS and hear about how they are so old they don't deserve an ambulance...

[Lone Star]

Yes it is tough, but I loved it. Funny part is that I was never annoyed by the BS calls. We did many returns and elderly care and I was happy to do it so they did not have to ride with the cranky city Fire/EMS and hear about how they are so old they don't deserve an ambulance...

TJZ,

I found this post while working on the ‘first cup of the day’, and I have to admit that it made my blood boil!

Before I continue, I want to get a disclaimer out of the way: NOTE: This is not meant as a ‘personal attack’. This IS meant to wake up those that are so self-centered that they would DARE to make a statement like what is in bold above.

Disrespect of the elderly is a major pet peeve of mine. When I hear some young person (EMT, Medic, Nurse or other individual that is in any way connected to providing care and services to the elderly), using such derogatory terms as 'raisin runs', 'GOMER (Get Out of My E.R.) runs', 'Granny slings' and a host of others; I want to just reach out and do physical harm to them!

These people are the reason we have the freedoms, a lot of the technology, and other things we take for granted in our daily lives. They have done more to EARN our compassion, respect and patience than most will ever do!

Having actually taken the time to talk to these people, one cannot help but realize that they are 'living history' of not only our respective countries, but of humanity itself.

They didn't ASK to grow old!

Most don't want to call us, because they don't want to be a 'problem' or a 'bother'. There are so many that are pushed into nursing homes and extended care facilities because their family can't be bothered to take care of the very people that brought them into this world and raised them.

I get so disgusted with how self absorbed and self centered people are today! We fairly bristle with anger and hostility when we think of someone treating our family members like that, yet these 'old people' are someone else's parents or grandparents! They're brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles as well. So many of the elderly are placed in these facilities and just ‘forgotten about’. Try putting yourself in their shoes for a while, and see how YOU like being treated as nothing more than an ‘inconvenience’!

Who is the ‘deciding authority’ that determines who DESERVES an ambulance or care from those that have taken an oath to provide that care? We don’t decide who ‘deserves’ to be treated. We don’t discriminate based on race, color, creed, religion or age. We’re SUPPOSED’ be treating everyone with dignity and respect. This includes the elderly!

REMEMBER THIS: This could be YOU some day! How are you going to feel, knowing that there are people you’re depending on to help you; thinking that just because you’re ‘old’ you don’t DESERVE to be cared for and taken care of because you’re nothing more than an ‘inconvenience’ to them…

[TJZ]

It will be you unless you are lucky enough to die young and leave a pretty corpse.

I took pride in doing all I could for each patient and it never was too much trouble to come and get them off the floor at 3am. If it is too much trouble then you are in the wrong job. Never pass up an opportunity to talk to the elderly, they have seen some stuff!!

[Just Plain Ruff]

You know Lone I am in total agreement but let me go one step further in my statement here.

If you as a provider consider any call beneath you when you are assigned to it, then you need to go to work for mcdonalds or burger king

It's one thing to choose to not work for a service that does IFT's which I have chosen to not work for. It's another when you knowingly work for an agency that does those types of runs and bitch about it.

Consider this, if your co-worker is bitching about running a particular type of call consider the time when you or your family needs that particular help and your co-worker is the one on the call. I can guarandamntee it that they will have the same attitude towards your family member as they have towards every other person of that type of call.

To those of you out there who are above running certain types of calls, SHUT THE HELL UP, run the call and then go back to doing what you were doing. I do not have the energy, the time or the desire to listen to you BITCH.

Take this advice from a friend of mine, treat everyone like they are your mother or your wife/husband, father, child, sister, aunt, brother or pastor and you will not hate your job as much as you originally did.

If you can't think that simply then are you sure you are really smart enough to be pushing medications or driving the ambulance?

[fiznat]

If you as a provider consider any call beneath you when you are assigned to it, then you need to go to work for mcdonalds or burger king

Come on, give me a break. Not every person who dials 911 needs an ambulance. I had a dude the other day who called from the waiting room of one of our local EDs because he felt he was waiting too long and wanted to go to another hospital. The complaint? He had run out of his prescription meds. How about another one I ran last week for a bead stuck in the nostril, or the cold and flu symptoms x 5 hours, or the guy who just wanted a ride to the liquor store next to the hospital (not joking). I reserve the right to bitch about these calls, and I really don't think I need a job at a fast food restaurant.

[medicgirl05]

I agree with you fiznat. There are some calls that are seriously ridiculous. I dont treat the patient any differently than any other patient but after the call I reserve the right to grumble about it. Especially at 3 or 4 in the AM when we have a shoulder pain for two weeks and they want to go by ambulance to get seen quicker in the ER. Its incredibly frustrating but theres nothing I can do about the way the system works so I load them in the ambulance. Ive also had patients want to go by ambulance so they dont have to pay for the gas to get to the ER. Its part of the job but it is frustrating too.