Another Paramedic

Just another paramedic blogging about my days on the ambulance.

[theemslounge]

That was my day yesterday but hopefully, today turns out to be different. - Saber #idiots #work #badday #nope

[anotherxparamedic-blog]

Pretty much everyday.

[anotherxparamedic-blog]

According to my "bright" partner, you cannot begin treating the patient (even assessment), until you have obtained vital signs. She states that "vital signs tell you EVERYTHING that is going on with the patient.

[falloutboy]

7.3.15 - Hershey, PA @ Giant Center - Boys of Zummer

Photos by Jack Edinger 

[anotherxparamedic-blog]

So, we have moved twice in the past year for different reasons. I think we have finally picked a place to settle down for a while. Which is good because I'm worn down physically, emotionally, and financially. This new agency seems like one I'm willing to stay at for a while, but as soon as I'm done with school I'd hope do enter the world of Emergency Management.

[anotherxparamedic-blog]

So like I've said, I have just started working at a new agency in a different state. So far the academy classroom portion was the better of the three I've gone through. But these medics I'm working with I'm still unsure of. I've become good at being the FNG but it it always stinks not having relationships built up.

[anotherxparamedic-blog]

Let's talk

I just read and rebloged a peice someone wrote about the stresses of this job we love. It really touched me because it was so well put. Somethings people don't realize is all the rigermaror we go through day in and day out. As a collective whole, ems personnel forget that in no situation is seeing a dead kid normal, or telling an elderly lady that her husband of 50 years has passed on would be the toughest thing someone would have to do, or listening to a lady telling me in detail how she listened to her two best friends get brutily murdered and she could do nothing about it will be with you forever. This job is stressful and that is an understatement. It is a wonder how we don't all suffer from PTSD from the situations we're tasked to mitigat. It's a terrible world out there and we need to be the ones to pick up the pieces when some ass hole decides to shoot up a building full of people. We must do more in our tight community to insure our sanity, because we aren't allowed to go on social media and vent about the details of our day because of law, and also because the lay person with no ties to this occupation can't fathom seeing a dead child, or telling that lady about her husband of 50 years, or the woman's story about her friends. Where do we go when we need help, do we call an ambulance? Do we check ourselves into a psych center for a few days and run the risk of being called a wimp when we return to work? Think about this then next time your on any critical run and your partner shows any difference in attitude, even if you got stuck that day with the one guy you can't stand at work.

[not-in-my-ambulance]

[youknowyoureemsfire]

Who are you? You’re the beating heart of the city. The tone. The safe sense of security we have when we get into bed at night. The knowledge that your greatest fear isn’t falling to your death or spiders. You dread looking at a screen one day and recognizing a name. An address. Because what do you do when it’s someone you know? Someone, who if they die under your hands, leaves you with a crushing guilt, heavier than any burden you’ve ever carried. Worse than witnessing a baby die in it’s mothers arms. An elderly gentleman succumbing to a disease he’s fought valiantly all of his life. You wonder why you submit yourself to constant mental torture, the unforgiving cycle of no sleep, stress, and anxiety. No sleep because on some days you watch the sun rise, and others you watch it set. No sleep because you can still smell the blood of the nine year old boy whose skull split open on the sidewalk after his drunk mother ran into a telephone pole. No sleep because you question every breath you have taken since then. At times, the bottle of pills on your dresser looks friendly, an open invitation to move on peacefully, away from the searing pain of the images carved into your eyelids. Your imagination is both your enemy and your friend. It offers you a blissful escape when you need it, and haunts your worst nightmares. There is a voice that screams at you, “why?” “what if?” It screams at you in the dark, and you are scarred, but no one notices. Who are you? Who are we? We’re the people that don’t want to be named. We’re the ones, the “they” you call when you make that other decision. We’re the ones who are awake when no one else is, the ones who run in while others run out and the ones who will stop at nothing to make sure you live the life we would want for ourselves. We are first responders.

Anonymous (via youknowyoureemsfire)

This is awesome

[braveresponders]

[anotherxparamedic-blog]

Pretty much....

[anotherxparamedic-blog]

Overnights

Man it's been a while since I was on over night's regularly. I forgot how fun it is at times and how grewling it is at others. Like last night was alright cause he had a 10 victim shooting and had to restrain a combative pt and didn't stop running all night. And tonight, all we'd done was a long distance transfer that took 4 hours and we get off in an hour.

[anotherxparamedic-blog]

This is where I'm at.

So I started my career in upstate New York in a pretty busy system, about 64,000 calls a year. I worked there for about 3 years as a basic before moving to Texas with my fiencee after getting my paramedic. Again, I worked there in a fairly busy system, about 32,000 calls a year (mostly transfers but they wouldn't tell you that). When we realized we both didnt like it we made the decision to move to Indiana where we are now. I just started working in this other fairly busy sytem, which so far is going well. I'm told we do about 42,000 calls a year. So that's where I've been and that's where I'm at right now. And as you can guess I've gotten pretty good at being the rookie, the new guy, the bottom of the totem pole, the FNG.

[anotherxparamedic-blog]

This is EMS!

So I’m not a huge wacker as they say, but I am proud of my profession. I have worked hard to get where I am, and have had some fun along the way. I usually bitch about things at work and try to make light of the situations at hand, but I’ve noticed that many people aren’t at that playing field. So I’m gonna do it here, but keep the bitching to a minimum. I hope anyone who stumles across this silly thing enjoys what they find.