Burnout advice?

[medicgirl05]

I'm wondering if there is a way to overcome burnout? I'm not sure what is going on with me but I'm guessing burnout is pretty close.

I've thought about going to a therapist but will that really help anything? I'm a little leery of laying my problems out to a stranger and I don't even know where I would start...but I think I need to do something to fix the current situation.

My partner said maybe I should find a new employer in an attempt to temporarily relieve the feeling, but I don't know if that will help anything or just make things worse.

I have been going to school to get a degree in EMS but this last semester was pretty much a waste because I just can't get motivated and so I'm not taking any classes this coming semester. I have never failed a class in my life and I failed 2 this semester just because of pure laziness. I know it sounds ridiculous but I literally couldn't make myself do the work. It wasn't even hard, so I threw about $1000 down the drain. I can't find a non-EMS job where I make as much money as I currently do. I just feel stuck. I think I can pinpoint a specific call where things took a nosedive for me and that was about 6 months ago, so I don't know if things will get any better with more time...

It's a little embarrassing because I have only been doing the EMS thing for 8 years. ALL of my coworkers and most of you have been in the business much longer. It would be nice to get some more time in before I hang it up.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[island emt]

Girl: You have what is commonly referred to as PTSD.

Like it or not we are all human and as much as we try to file away the horrible calls we need to deal with , it doesn't always work.

Most of us have been where you are at some point in our careers. I know I have.

Some get through it by talking to a professional , some use exercise or a get away vacation to clear the mind,

Others turn to drugs or alcohol to drown out the nightmares.

Some even take their own lives in an attempt to escape the demons.

Please re-consider talking to someone unconnected to your service with professional training.

It can work wonders in re-examining whats important for you in life and how to cope.

I found a minister who is also an EMT, so he could relate to what my dreams were about and why it disturbed me so much.

Please be safe out there tonight.

Ed

[scubanurse]

We've all been there. I think you will find some help in talking with someone. Island is right though, the best course is to work through these feelings so you can continue in the career you love.

[MariB]

I remember you discussing this certain call and having a very difficult time. Get help, before it destroys even non ems parts of your life.

[paramedicmike]

I remember you discussing this certain call and having a very difficult time. Get help, before it destroys even non ems parts of your life.

This.

It's already started to affect your life as you have just outlined for us. Take some time to yourself, get professional help, and allow yourself the time to recover.

[DwayneEMTP]

If you are doing this only because you can make more money doing this than other things that you can find then I don't think that avoiding burnout will be likely.

I use two things to stay invested, one obvious, but the other maybe not so much.

The first is that I avoid negative people, those that don't share my professional/moral/ethical ideas surrounding EMS, and seek out those that do. I don't dislike those that don't share my ideas, I've just gotten old enough to realize that I just simply don't have the energy to be who I'd like to be in EMS while allowing them to suck the positives out of every shift. It's not always easy to do this, but with the internet age I've found that even when I can't find people that I respect to hang out with physically, I can always do so mentally and emotionally online.

The other, and this changed everything about me as a paramedic, was realizing that I rarely make big, obvious physical changes in patients, but that I can sometimes make small, emotional, mental changes in them. I am less motivated by the dramatic change in a patient's condition after pushing D50 or Narcan than I am in that moment when I see the shock on a lost, confused face after saying something akin to, "I need you to listen to me for a minute...this is important. Do you know why? Because you're important..." The look that seems to say, "Wait..you can see me? Everyone talks at me, but I'm not sure what to do when people actually see me..." Old people, drug addicts, fake suicides, drunks...If I can see that look on their face, I feel like I've done something important. I probably haven't, but it's what makes me excited, and reminds me to slow down, on every patient.

You've got some really cool posts here. I know that you have an amazing spirit, I think that maybe you need to take a new look at each person that enters your ambulance. I think that you'll see that on every single call that you're making a positive impact, or a negative one...Almost never will you be neutral, despite what others try and convince you. If you're not touching people's spirits then maybe you're not the provider that you'd hoped that you'd be...but today is a new day, right?

Professional help is always a good idea. I've sought help on many occasions in my life and each time I've left with new tools that made my life better. And, though it makes sense to you now, it's silly to think, "I don't even know where to get started talking to a stranger..." That's why you go to a professional. Would it make sense to you to hear your patients say, "I didn't call an ambulance because I didn't already know what they would do..."?

As with most things, starting sucks, but this is exactly the right time to get after it Babe...

Good luck