Pride, Professionalism, Duty

Three words. These three words bring the driving force that draws people into the career of emergency services. Long before we ever understand those words, the moral fiber is built into us. The emergency services of any kind, police, fire, ems, search and rescue and others, is truly a calling. Most people that begin this career will tell you that they got into it because they wanted to help people. People are our business. People that get hurt, that get sick, that have mental health issues, or in general can't cope with their current situation. These people need someone, these people need us. We are there to answer the call, and if there wasn't people like us, what could people do? 

Over my years as a paramedic I have met many other medics, EMT's, Fire fighters, and Police officers and there is something that I have noticed that binds these three groups. Regardless of how much ribbing or joking we might torture each other with. There is a high level of professionalism in every service. It may look different in each case, as each of our jobs is different in each situation. This professionalism goes beyond a clean uniform, polished boots and proper radio etiquette. This professionalism is how we treat the people we meet in our day to day lives, and in our day to day calls. Professionalism goes beyond the job and extends into our personal lives. When we interact with someone at a grocery store one evening, the next day we could be in their home treating them for any number of ailments. If we are not professional off duty, those people we meet may remember us, and their confidence in us could be shaken. This would be a tragedy of epic proportion. It is important to remember that out of uniform we are still a member of emergency services, and the way we act in public matters. I learned this lesson where I grew up and started my career in EMS. Every day I saw people that I knew, and more importantly knew me. As I grew in this industry I learned that my actions outside of work mattered just as much as they did at work. 

Taking pride in who we are is vital to help us to remain professional. Even when we are over worked, short staffed, and have any number of extra stresses imposed on us from outside or internal sources, what we do matters. That is what pride is. Remembering, when it feels like no one else notices, that we make a difference in people's lives. The people that we meet, they know, and they appreciate what we do. Many people are ignorant to the world of emergency services, and that's ok, they don't have to know or understand, or even care. The truth is that one day they may need us, and when that day comes we will treat them with the same dignity and professionalism that we treat every person with. Public education about emergency services could go a long way to help people understand, but in reality, for many people ignorance is bliss. Until that day comes that they are dialing 911 they won't understand what we do and that is actually ok. 

When a person makes the choice to serve in emergency services it is because of those three words. Pride, Professionalism and Duty. We are drawn by a duty to act on the behalf of people who are unable to act on their own, due to injury, illness, or a bad situation. We treat every person with dignity, respect, kindness, and honesty, even when those people may not treat us the same. We take pride in the fact that we are educated, motivated and dedicated, and we will be there, every time. There is nothing on earth that will stop us from responding to someone in need as that is what our calling is. Emergency Services World Wide Live The Words, Pride, Professionalism, Duty. 

Found this video on You Tube. It's self serving but It was made by someone that appreciates YOU as an Emergency services provider for what you do. 

When Professionalism Meets Silliness, Tongue Bleeding Moments

In the world of EMS not every call is tragic, many calls are routine, and some are almost too funny for words. I want to give you a look at some of the funny things we get to see. I have to point out that details will be limited due to privacy laws, but hopefully you will see the humor in these little anecdotes. For the most part the people were good people and were literally just having a bad moment or a bad day. On occasion we are presented with a call that has us biting our tongue, and at times to the point of bleeding because what we are seeing is absolutely hilarious, but for the person in that moment is a very real concern. This level of professionalism that we maintain is necessary because we are in a place of trust. We are not there to judge people, and we are definitely not there to belittle people. We are there to help people and if the situation has gotten to the point that EMS needed to be called then we will show up and we will treat you with the utmost in dignity and professionalism.

To start off the anecdotes I must tell you about one winter evening where we were dispatched to a person laying in a bus shelter. It was quite cold out, and the buses had stopped running for the night. When we arrived at the scene we met a very pleasantly intoxicated homeless gentleman who was waiting for the bus to get back to the homeless shelter. Two problems with this though, it was well past the times for the buses to be running and he was at a South Bound bus stop and the shelter was north. So after a thorough assessment it was determined the individual was ok and he wanted to be taken to the homeless shelter. On the way to the shelter my partner had our gentleman singing a very pleasant tune to pass the time. It was great to have a patient that was pleasant and not trying to assault us because he was drinking. It was also nice to hear something different emanating from the back of the ambulance than the usual hustle and bustle involved in caring for seriously injured people.

In the world of EMS we discover people who find all kinds of new and inventive ways to hurt themselves. I can't share details about this as most are graphic. I have one story from several years ago though, this was more a hospital story than an EMS story. An individual had driven him self to the hospital as he was too embarrassed to call 911. The individual had lodged a paper towel holder into his rectum. The circumstances of how it got there are unimportant. The relevant data is that it was there, and it was protruding approximately 4 inches outside of his rectum. My question has always been... How did he drive? Anyway, at the end of the day surgery was required to remove said paper towel holder. Surprisingly the end of it had a condom on it, again the circumstances of how that got there are also unimportant! Let me be clear; you as an individual have the right to put things where ever you like. You also have the right to wrap things with what ever you like. Keep in mind though, when things go wrong and you get hurt, you will have to explain the entire situation to the paramedics and then again to the doctors and nurses in the emergency department.

This career is not always going from tragedy to tragedy, a lot of the time we get to meet really nice people that are having a bad day. I have found many people are just having trouble coping with their situations and it feels good to be called upon to help them through it. At times we get to see humor in our calls and in the right context that humor helps the calls flow well. In some cases we are surprised by the incredibly creative ways people hurt themselves but as long as people keep doing it we will have jobs and stories to tell. I encourage you to remember a small piece of philosophy I heard recently, "Don't do anything you wouldn't want to explain to a paramedic". Solid advice, but honestly you have the right to do what you like, and when it goes wrong, we will be there to help you.

Camaraderie In EMS, Why It Is Important

If you are not a Paramedic or an EMT and you have ever been out with a group of us, our behavior may shock you. We have a penchant for the inappropriate, and a flair for twisted humor with a dash of darkness. We are generally a handsy bunch with a lot of hugging and we share openly about many parts of our lives with each other. This flies against the mainstream ways many people behave, but it is important and necessary for us to behave this way. It's no secret that the work that we do can take a toll on us and as that toll builds it is necessary to find ways to cope with that stress.

At first glance inappropriate behavior and twisted humor might not seem like much of a coping mechanism, but it is very important for us. This camaraderie is a relationship that grows quickly and it becomes strong. It is not something that needs to be feared. It may seem strange to you as a non medical professional but I assure you it keeps us sane. The things that we are forced to see on a day to day basis create a bond. We work closely with our partners for 12 hours or more per shift. We live in the cab of our ambulance and in busy centers rarely see halls or have any time apart. When faced with things that no one else should see it is important for us to be able to get those thoughts and feelings out of us. Enter the camaraderie of EMS. When we get together we may not talk about that difficult call right away, but we will often get as many hugs as we can.

Overall it's a small thing that gives us an outlet for our feelings that we may not voice in the moment. A lot of those feelings don't necessarily need to be voiced, they just need to be hugged out. Our dark humor on the other hand can come across as offensive. In today's "Let's be offended by everything" mentality I worry for the future generations of Emergency Services Personnel. For the most part we try to keep our dark humor out of the public eye, but if you are at an event with Emergency Services there is a chance you will hear it. I urge you to not judge, and I assure you this does not mean that we don't care about people. We do this job because we care about people. When we let those bits of dark humor out with each other, and usually we are unaware if it happens in front of people that might not understand, it's again just a way of letting out the feelings that take a toll on us.

Overall our camaraderie is what keeps us gong in this career. If we are unable to joke, and be inappropriate and spend time with each other the toll on our psyche could be devastating. If you are dating or the spouse of an emergency services member I encourage you to promote them spending time with other emergency services people and having that good time unhindered and free from judgment. In the long run this will give us longevity in our career and have us bringing less of our "stuff" home, "stuff" that no one should be subject to or burdened with.

Please share this post with your loved ones and friends so that our camaraderie can continue to thrive and keep us serving the public good.

Essential Emergency Service, Or Partner In Health Care, An EMS Identity Crisis.

Over the past several years a lot of talk and study has gone into whether or not EMS is an essential service, or not. It was always interesting to watch the debates and changes made based on the need of the day. It has got me thinking about what EMS actually is in the eyes of the public and in the eyes of Emergency Medical Service workers. The name implies that we are an emergency service, but our actions define us in a much broader role. With that in mind I ponder the idea that maybe, like the fire department of old, we are in an identity crisis and it might be time to embrace our full range of diversity.  This in turn makes us a far more essential service than some people are ready to admit.

The diversity in EMS reminds me of the days when fire departments first started up. Every time something happened that people didn't know how to handle, they called the fire department. Through that commitment to doing what was asked of them, the fire department has evolved into an entity that is highly diversified with many facets. In EMS many practitioners get upset when they are asked to do things outside of the norm. I think that it is time, as a profession, to embrace those things so that in time we also have a highly diverse practice. Having many specialities would allow practitioners to change their career field without changing their career.

More often than nought we are heading into situations that require many different techniques and plans to effect positive change for patients. These include putting patients in touch with external resources for help. We also can provide many treatments and therapies right in people's homes removing the need for an ER visit. We also partner with the hospitals in providing care to patients in hallways when hospitals are over capacity. We perform facility transports to home, or other Healthcare service providers. The list goes on and each of those facets can be and in some cases already exist within EMS.

I believe it will be many years before the powers that be and EMS nail down a conclusive version of what Emergency Medical Services is as a full entity. I also think that as practitioners it is our responsibility and our duty to own the diversity that is EMS in all of its facets. In time I foresee a highly diverse system that allows it's practitioners to participate in the parts they truly enjoy. I also firmly believe at some point as allied health care professionals we will also be seen as an essential emergency service without debate. 

Wear your uniforms with pride my friends. Others may not see it yet, but the health care system and general public safety does need us. We are an essential emergency service with a bright and growing future full of diversity and opportunity.