abhaya08 Posted June 15, 2012 Posted June 15, 2012 I have recently been diagnosed with Mood disorder, not other wise specified, depressive and intermittent psychotic symptoms (VA Disability). Which means that sometimes, I have strange perceptual experiences. It's not very common, and I don't really think differently than most, and I can realize when I might be thinking a bit crazily. I'm just curious, would this bar me from being in EMS? I mean, the only thing that really triggers the symptoms is 36+ hours with no sleep. I've always wanted to be a paramedic, so..help? Thanks! abhaya08
Bieber Posted June 15, 2012 Posted June 15, 2012 Hey man, welcome to the forums. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be able to give you an exact answer to your question here--the best thing you can do is to contact your local regulatory EMS office and speak to somebody there about it. They'll have an answer for you.
Arctickat Posted June 15, 2012 Posted June 15, 2012 Considering that medical information is private and confidential, there is no legal requirement for you to divulge this information on any application for employment. The worst that could happen is that your employer would fire you for lying on your application if there is a question there. Hell, half the people in EMS have mood disorders, the other half are just plain nuts. Except for Kiwi of course...he's a chocolate covered cherry.
abhaya08 Posted June 15, 2012 Author Posted June 15, 2012 Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. I just talked with the DAV (Disabled American Vets) and they told me that many veterans are not barred from any kind of jobs, including medical..and these are people diagnosed with PTSD, which is a very serious issue.. and it is HIPAA, so I suppose I would be fine. And chocolate covered cherries do sound nice right about now.
Eydawn Posted June 15, 2012 Posted June 15, 2012 My question is, do you trust your own judgment when you start to go wonky? I know my judgment tanks on me when my blood sugar gets low. Peanut butter packets are now my friend. I've made errors that could have been very serious providing patient care when I was coming off a shift on low sleep and low sugar. Do I think that I'm a danger to patients? No... because I know myself and now know how to mitigate the situation when it occurs (and recognize that it is happening much quicker.) Do you know your warning signs? Do you have enough time that you could pull yourself out of a patient care situation? Welcome to the club... like Arctikat said, most of us are nucking futs... in one way or another. As long as you aren't knowingly putting patients at risk by pursuing this career field, I say give it a shot. It may not work for you, or it may be the greatest environment for your brain EVER. You won't know till you try! Wendy CO RN-ADN Student 1
Richard B the EMT Posted June 16, 2012 Posted June 16, 2012 I'm fairly sure I worked with Viet Nam War Veterans who were undiagnosed PTSD cases. Then, there are some EMS folks with some longevity on them, who, due to the job, might be undiagnosed PTSD cases. Many say, "You got to be crazy to work here". Some say it's a prerequisite of pre-employment All I know is, somehow, I fit in. I'm fairly sure I worked with Viet Nam War Veterans who were undiagnosed PTSD cases. Then, there are some EMS folks with some longevity on them, who, due to the job, might be undiagnosed PTSD cases. Many say,"You got to be crazy to work here". Some say it's a prerequisite of pre-employment All I know is, somehow, I fit in. Edit: Please understand I am trying to make somewhat of a joke of this. If I offended, I apologise.
paramedicmike Posted June 16, 2012 Posted June 16, 2012 My question is, do you trust your own judgment when you start to go wonky? This is a very important question. Exceedingly important. You'd be putting yourself in a position where your actions potentially affects the outcome of others. You need to know yourself very well before proceeding. Do you know your warning signs? Another excellent question. Please see my reasoning in my above comments. Do you have enough time that you could pull yourself out of a patient care situation? What happens if you can't pull yourself out? Then what? I don't pursue these questions that Wendy asked because I'm trying to give you a hard time. I'm pursuing these questions because you're starting this course knowing in advance that you might, potentially, be at a disadvantage when trying to deal or cope with evolving situations. There is a real potential to do harm in this job. The ways to cause harm are extensive and varied. Knowing yourself ahead of time and being able to act under pressure is going to be key. To be fair, I'm not asking this because of your admitted diagnosis. These are the same questions I ask of new people who don't have the same diagnosis you do. Even people without diagnosed mood disorders can crack under the pressure of some calls. So this isn't a matter of trying to pick on you. It's a matter of trying to prevent harm to a patient. If you know the answers to the above questions and believe that you are in well enough control of your faculties to function, safely, until the call is done, then by all means go for it. Get involved. Take the classes and do what you have to do. We'll be here to help you along the way. If you know the answers to the above questions and believe that you are not yet in well enough control of your faculties to function, safely, until the call is done then please delay your entrance into the field, seek the appropriate treatment, and then move forward with your pursuit of an EMS career. This job isn't for everyone. There is no shame in knowing that it's not right for you (a general "you"... not "you the OP"). There is also no shame in taking the time necessary to get yourself in shape to handle the stress of the job. That's something, however, only you can answer.
abhaya08 Posted June 17, 2012 Author Posted June 17, 2012 I really appreciate the input on this (and I did laugh at your joke Richard . To Wendy and paramedicmike, my only known trigger to start showing symptoms are a lack of sleep exceeding 36+ hours straight. All in all, I would never intentionally put a patient in harms way, why? Well, because I care about their outcome, and their health. People are important, at least in my eyes, and keeping them alive is something that is incredibly important to me. I don't believe I would ever consciously put someone else in harms way. That being said, I am curious if I should talk with my employer about this. I am going to be a EMT-B for AMR, as well as paramedic, does anyone here know their protocol when it comes to this kind of thing? Once again, thank you, I appreciate everyone's input.
Vorenus Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 Can`t comment on protocols, but just to add to the points made above by Wendy and paramedicmike - it`s not that unlikely not to have 36 hours of sleep in EMS (or very little at least, depending on where you work and how long your shifts are), so you would need to be clear about the possible consequences, would such a situation arouse and wether you could cope with it.
Kiwiology Posted June 17, 2012 Posted June 17, 2012 (edited) The majority of shifts are something like 8, 10, 12, 14 or 16 hours and some places do 24 but they are the exception. It is not uncommon for most people on night shift to get at least a bit of sleep in depending on your call volume, even when I did something like 13 jobs in 14 hours I at least got an hour or two of sleep ... Edited June 17, 2012 by Kiwiology
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