EMS personnel are in short supply.
What happened? I remember the days when getting into a paramedic program was comptetive. The testing. The years of struggling on a BLS truck. The endless nights of studying A&P.
Now, I see faces in the classroom that are disinterested. Folks who couldn’t do two minutes of CPR. Lost as to why they are there. Most wanting to take the fast track to nursing school. Almost none with any EMT experience.
In my book, what makes a good paramedic is an even better EMT.
Anyways, who wants to do this job anymore? Where are all the EMT and Paramedics going? Why do so little make it to retirement?
The state of EMS today is needing to desperately catch up with the times. Pay, retirement, and health benefits are why people are crowding the lines to fire departments and hospitals. To keep the passion alive, we need to make sure EMS folks are taken care of.
Incentives for keeping yourself healthy. Unfortunately there are papers coming out about how EMS personnel are generally unhealthy. That will be a post for another day…
This article by EMS World interviews a medic who has been doing the job for almost 45 years. 45 years!!! That is some passion for the work that we could all use. After my second year, I wasn’t sure how long I was going to make it. That was ages ago. Here I am. Still struggling on the boo boo bus.
He says he uses humor to keep his attitude positive. To not let the small stuff bother him.
Maybe we can all take some inspiration from his interview.
https://www.hmpgloballearningnetwork.com/site/emsworld/feature-story/how-long-can-paramedic-stay-job
Medic Up! 