emtgrimreaper Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 Let me start by saying I'm getting to be over the hill. Last night at work, I had my thing laid out where I was going to sleep at the station (yes we are allowed), when the 20 year old female that I was working with walked in and threw my stuffout of the way so she could sleep there. She then said because I was on the computer and not not there, it gave her the right. So I walked over and set my happy but down so she could not lay down. She threw a fit. Then while setting there we got sent to do a transport from a hospital. She heard the dispatcher and me talking. she continued to set thereand would not get ready to go, she then got mad because i statrted the rig. she tried to call the supervisor and get me in trouble. I could not beleive what I was hearing. Needless to say nothing was said to me and she remained quiet all night and would not talk to me. It was the best night I have had at work in a while. Does this make me a old geezer because I would not bow down to the young kid?
akflightmedic Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 Let me start by saying I'm getting to be over the hill. Last night at work, I had my thing laid out where I was going to sleep at the station (yes we are allowed), when the 20 year old female that I was working with walked in and threw my stuffout of the way so she could sleep there. She then said because I was on the computer and not not there, it gave her the right. So I walked over and set my happy but down so she could not lay down. She threw a fit. Then while setting there we got sent to do a transport from a hospital. She heard the dispatcher and me talking. she continued to set thereand would not get ready to go, she then got mad because i statrted the rig. she tried to call the supervisor and get me in trouble. I could not beleive what I was hearing. Needless to say nothing was said to me and she remained quiet all night and would not talk to me. It was the best night I have had at work in a while. Does this make me a old geezer because I would not bow down to the young kid? No it makes your employer shitty for only providing one bed.
emtgrimreaper Posted March 24, 2011 Author Posted March 24, 2011 sorry forgot to say two beds in other room, she wanted to sleep on couch in lounge.
Timmy Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 Well the whole situation sounds immature and unprofessional. If you can’t work in a professional manner or work as a team with such a trivial matter then how do you function as ambulance professionals? The issue should have been solved there and then, instead it escalated to potentially impact on a call when you were being dispatched. Maybe some education in conflict management for all employees wouldn’t go astray. 3
Lone Star Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 When in a situation where there's sleeping accommodations (and when sleeping on duty is allowed), I tend to ask my partner if there are any preferences to sleeping arrangements, (i.e.: which rack they prefer). Once that's dealt with, they must abide by their choice for the night. That’s the bottom line. I can’t believe that two alleged professionals would resort to throwing temper tantrums like a couple of spoiled kids. If I were the supervisor, I would have to reprimand the both of you. You state that you’re “getting to be over the hill”. I’m not sure how old you are, but it sounds by your choice of words that you’re considerably older than your partner, which means that you’ve had more ‘life experience’ available for conflict resolution. Would it REALLY have killed you to opt to crash out on the couch for the night? Without knowing the layout of the station, and where each of you were, if she HAD laid down on the couch, would your being on the computer have bothered her as she tried to sleep? To allow this to become an issue to the point of not speaking to each other for the whole night shows immaturity on BOTH parties. Obviously since such petty non-issues can elicit such behavior from the both of you, it’s apparent that a crew change is in order. You know the old saying, “If you can’t play nicely together, then you can’t play together”. I have to ask this: do you have children of your own? If this was a petty squabble between your children, how would you have handled it? Based on this type of petty bullsh*t, it’s no wonder that EMS is viewed as a child in the land of professionals!
emtannie Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 (edited) Well, I think some of the posters jumped the gun a little. The OP said “she…would not talk to me” not “we didn’t talk to each other.” A couple things though - have you worked with this partner in the past? Has she acted this way in the past? I ask, because if this is her general method of handling conflict, there are some huge issues with her maturity level. Are there things you could have done differently? Oh yeah, but you probably know that, so beating you over the head with it isn’t going to make a difference. Going forward, I would sit her down and talk to her. I would tell her that I didn’t appreciate her throwing my stuff on the floor so she could have that spot, and that she could have asked, or even said “you aren’t here, so I am taking it.” I would also tell her that from here on in, if I work with her, we will decide on sleeping arrangements at the beginning of the shift, so that this conflict doesn’t happen again. AND, I would tell her that I wasn’t pleased that she chose not to get ready for a transport, and instead chose to have a tantrum, and that if that happens again, it won’t be tolerated and will be reported to the supervisor. Then, I would ask her if she has anything to say about it. If she decides to argue the point, I would ask if she would like to sit down with the supervisor together to discuss it, so that it doesn’t become a “he said, she said, they said” thing. Ensure that you document the incident of that night, and your conversation, so that if and when you do have to discuss it with a supervisor, the details are retained. As an “almost over the hill” provider, I think one of your roles is to guide younger, newer employees in how to act professionally. I wouldn’t let her get away with her actions, but I wouldn’t stoop to her level either. Outline your expectations up front, and then maintain those expectations. She needs to respect others’ property and learn to play well with others. Your job is to teach her how she can do that without the tantrums and silent treatment. (edited to correct grammar only) Edited March 24, 2011 by emtannie
FireMedic65 Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 Sounds immature to me. She should have asked first about moving your stuff. Calling a supervisor to you into trouble is childish. Sounds like she was causing the problem and wanted you in trouble for it. Hormonal maybe?
paramedicmike Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 I don't know. I think I might be tempted to let her act like a child. Then, while she's asleep in the bunk, wrap her car in plastic/saran wrap to the point that she can't get into it. Situations like this are tough. Short of lowering yourself to her level, which it sounds like you did, you're really not going to get anywhere... and even then you still won't get anywhere. The best way to have handled it would have been to make every attempt to explain just how wrong she is in polite, non-accusatory language. She's young and stupid And then smile and wave as you drive by her as she's trying to get in her car to leave.
FireMedic65 Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 Saran wrap is always a good choice. Post pics of her so we can further assess means of action.
Emtpbill Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 KY on the pillow, hurricane spray on the toothbrush, man I could sit here all day and list the things I have seen people do to each other in the name of harrassment.
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