Ups and Downs of EMS

[Future EMT 07]

In the opinion of all of you EMTs and Paramedics what are the ups and downs of working in EMS??? I'm interested to know before I enter the field.

[Imagine89]

Ups: No white walls, you're helping people, you're doing something you love, Health benefits (depending upon where you work)

Downs: Bad calls, Job Politics, Job market inconsistency (but if you keep one, you're probably okay), Low pay, High burnout rate

Eh, off the top of my head after a pretty much sleepless night.

[Neesie]

I love my job! Some of the ups for me are being able to help someone, even if all I can do is hold the hand of a crying 88 yr old man for comfort as he is being taken to another hospital post CVA. An up is when a 40 yr old female walks into your office to pay a bill and says thank you for saving her life after she went into cardiac arrest and you brought her back. An up is when you can give an IV and administer D50W to a diabetic patient and within seconds they are becoming coherent and begin to talk to you and say thank you instead of F-Off.

Some downs are like the call we just did last night...a 14 yr of boy who went into cardiac arrest and we COULD NOT bring him back. Dealing with the families in such a case really stinks. A down is when you are flying out a 45 yr old man who has a subdural hematoma and you watch his wife and children say goodbye to him and that they will see him in a few hours but when they get there, they only get to see him in the morgue. A down is when you have a 24 yr old pt in extreme pain because he got his had caught in drill press with the bit still in his hand and you can't do a damn thing about his pain.

These are a few of the ups and downs of EMS for me. It can be very rewarding but just around the corner it can be very disheartening.

[bassnmedic]

I believe that most everyone will have the pretty much the same ups and downs. However, realize that you will not get rich in this profession in a material sense, but what you receive within yourself can be very rewarding. With that said here are some of my ups and downs.......

CONS- low pay, retirements pretty much suck unless you get on with a gov't entity, no sleep (depending on where you work,ie...rural vs urban)emotional stress from the bad calls, and all this can, but not always put stress on your homelife.

PROS- helping others(whether it be medically or emotionally), as long as people get sick and do stupid stuff we'll have job security, oh yeah then there are the woowoo's and ding dings and flashing lights..LOL , don't forget the neverending opportunities for continuing education.

Good luck in your EMS endeavors.

Todd

[Future EMT 07]

Thank you all for your replies. Others are still welcome to give any input.

[AZCEP]

EMS is entirely different from most other lines of work out there. Few, if any, can come close to comparing. EMS is not what you may think it is either. TV/movies don't show anything near real situations. Yes, occasionally, we do something heroic and save/prolong a life. Most of the time, however, we are dealing with less than ideal circumstances, and less than ideal people.

To paraphrase a nursing description, "We see the absolute best and worst, in the absolute best and worst of, and with people/weather/equipment."

Maybe you could do some ride-time with your local service before you decide. You will be glad you did.

[emsdave]

In the opinion of all of you EMTs and Paramedics what are the ups and downs of working in EMS??? I'm interested to know before I enter the field.

EMS is a job of extremes, you will:

1. work with some of the hardest working people that you will ever meet, or someone who brings a new level of lazy.

2. work with someone that you enjoy, or someone that can't stand to be around for another minute.

3. work with someone that cares about being professional around a patient, or someone who keeps getting called into the office to explain their actions.

4. someone who cares about their personal appearance, and the way their rig looks, or someone that looks the same as the homeless person you just brought in.

5. someone who is willing to keep learning, or someone who already knows everything.

Finally before you know it, you yourself, start falling into these categories. Personally I love this job, I can't picture doing anything else, but there are times you just shake your head and wonder WTF.