Archived Posts » 60,595,333
Getting off 24s
3/5/2012 9:22:13 PM
I have been having a bit of a rough time at work lately. More calls than normal, every meal missed, rough calls, we have been getting our ass pounded everyday and it doesn't seem like relief is on the horizon. High BP, unable to sleep at times, nightmares, etc.
Well today I called my manager today and asked what my options would be for getting off of 24s. She seemed very understanding with the fact that 24s are difficult. She said that at some point you have to look at your situation and determine if 24s are in your best interest.
I will be leaving my partner of 2 years
He is my best friend. When I get married he has agreed to be my best man, I have watched his kid during a family emergency, we hang out outside of work, etc.
I feel like I am abandoning him to whatever retard they stick with him. I am also concerned because I am not 100% prepared for the job. I am a specialist right now and in this EMS system I have little responsibility. I will soon be a medic (I hope) and the thought of a new partner and new responsibility scares me. I would like to learn under my partner I have now.
I guess i just need to sit down and look at what shifts and partners are available and see where I can fit in. I just needed to vent and ask for advice from you guys.
Jeff
Well today I called my manager today and asked what my options would be for getting off of 24s. She seemed very understanding with the fact that 24s are difficult. She said that at some point you have to look at your situation and determine if 24s are in your best interest.
I will be leaving my partner of 2 years
He is my best friend. When I get married he has agreed to be my best man, I have watched his kid during a family emergency, we hang out outside of work, etc.
I feel like I am abandoning him to whatever retard they stick with him. I am also concerned because I am not 100% prepared for the job. I am a specialist right now and in this EMS system I have little responsibility. I will soon be a medic (I hope) and the thought of a new partner and new responsibility scares me. I would like to learn under my partner I have now.
I guess i just need to sit down and look at what shifts and partners are available and see where I can fit in. I just needed to vent and ask for advice from you guys.
Jeff
3/6/2012 8:51:21 AM
You need to grow a sack and pay your dues. You will gain experience from all the calls. Learn to work the system and the street. When you get a bullshit call tell the patient the truth in an honest non dickhead manner. With that said don't get used by a shitty response company. If you have to make a career, locale or certification change do it. Good Luck.
APCapt.
APCapt.
3/6/2012 9:57:52 AM
Originally Posted By apcapt:
You need to grow a sack and pay your dues. You will gain experience from all the calls. Learn to work the system and the street. When you get a bullshit call tell the patient the truth in an honest non dickhead manner. With that said don't get used by a shitty response company. If you have to make a career, locale or certification change do it. Good Luck.
APCapt.
You need to grow a sack and pay your dues. You will gain experience from all the calls. Learn to work the system and the street. When you get a bullshit call tell the patient the truth in an honest non dickhead manner. With that said don't get used by a shitty response company. If you have to make a career, locale or certification change do it. Good Luck.
APCapt.
Two years with one partner would suggest that experience is not lacking.
OP: If your job is starting to affect your health, it's time to make a change one way or another. You can't keep it up forever. Sit down with family that would be affected and discuss pros and cons and make a calm decision... ideally when you're not at the tail end of a 24.
3/6/2012 10:20:02 AM
Originally Posted By apcapt:
You need to grow a sack and pay your dues. You will gain experience from all the calls. Learn to work the system and the street. When you get a bullshit call tell the patient the truth in an honest non dickhead manner. With that said don't get used by a shitty response company. If you have to make a career, locale or certification change do it. Good Luck.
APCapt.
You need to grow a sack and pay your dues. You will gain experience from all the calls. Learn to work the system and the street. When you get a bullshit call tell the patient the truth in an honest non dickhead manner. With that said don't get used by a shitty response company. If you have to make a career, locale or certification change do it. Good Luck.
APCapt.
i've got 5 years in an urban EMS setting, I have been scheduled on Saturdays for 4 of those 5 years. I have paid my dues and then some. I have worked hard to get myself through medic school and I want to sit back and relax for a minute. I know how to work the system and the street. If I told a pt how they were abusing the system I would get called into the office, rightly so. I don't work for a shitty company, they take very good care of us. 24s are rough on the body and the mind.
3/6/2012 2:10:54 PM
Welcome to EMS.
Lucky for some of us, we just get to load your cot and go back to sleep, fuck that transport part!
Nationally alot of departments are going to 12's on medic units. Just too many calls and too much bullshit on 24's.
Ever think of going to the FD? Unfortunately ALS engines are all the rage these days, too bad you can't make a medic into a fireman.
Lucky for some of us, we just get to load your cot and go back to sleep, fuck that transport part!
Nationally alot of departments are going to 12's on medic units. Just too many calls and too much bullshit on 24's.
Ever think of going to the FD? Unfortunately ALS engines are all the rage these days, too bad you can't make a medic into a fireman.
3/6/2012 2:42:14 PM
Originally Posted By 4Truck:
Welcome to EMS.
Lucky for some of us, we just get to load your cot and go back to sleep, fuck that transport part!
Nationally alot of departments are going to 12's on medic units. Just too many calls and too much bullshit on 24's.
Ever think of going to the FD? Unfortunately ALS engines are all the rage these days, too bad you can't make a medic into a fireman.
Welcome to EMS.
Lucky for some of us, we just get to load your cot and go back to sleep, fuck that transport part!
Nationally alot of departments are going to 12's on medic units. Just too many calls and too much bullshit on 24's.
Ever think of going to the FD? Unfortunately ALS engines are all the rage these days, too bad you can't make a medic into a fireman.
Yeah not gonna do the FD thing again. Too much BS. I like my lil ambulance. I am also half deaf so i fail to meet the health standards.
3/6/2012 5:11:32 PM
You've gotta make the best call for you. I understand your sentiments. I seriously debated leaving the .Mil FD for the City because of the guys I worked with at Engine 3... until my Captain had a heart to heart and told me to GTFO and go where the action was and get off 24/24.
If just running your regular shift is getting this bad, imagine trying to do it and your classroom, homework and clinicals for Medic on top of it.
Hell, if it's on the left side just blame the Q siren and an open window.
If just running your regular shift is getting this bad, imagine trying to do it and your classroom, homework and clinicals for Medic on top of it.
Originally Posted By giraffejeff:
Yeah not gonna do the FD thing again. Too much BS. I like my lil ambulance. I am also half deaf so i fail to meet the health standards.
Originally Posted By 4Truck:
Welcome to EMS.
Lucky for some of us, we just get to load your cot and go back to sleep, fuck that transport part!
Nationally alot of departments are going to 12's on medic units. Just too many calls and too much bullshit on 24's.
Ever think of going to the FD? Unfortunately ALS engines are all the rage these days, too bad you can't make a medic into a fireman.
Welcome to EMS.
Lucky for some of us, we just get to load your cot and go back to sleep, fuck that transport part!
Nationally alot of departments are going to 12's on medic units. Just too many calls and too much bullshit on 24's.
Ever think of going to the FD? Unfortunately ALS engines are all the rage these days, too bad you can't make a medic into a fireman.
Yeah not gonna do the FD thing again. Too much BS. I like my lil ambulance. I am also half deaf so i fail to meet the health standards.
Hell, if it's on the left side just blame the Q siren and an open window.
3/6/2012 5:22:03 PM
Originally Posted By giraffejeff:
I've got 5 years in an urban EMS setting, I have been scheduled on Saturdays for 4 of those 5 years. I have paid my dues and then some. I have worked hard to get myself through medic school and I want to sit back and relax for a minute. I know how to work the system and the street. If I told a pt how they were abusing the system I would get called into the office, rightly so. I don't work for a shitty company, they take very good care of us. 24s are rough on the body and the mind.
Originally Posted By apcapt:
You need to grow a sack and pay your dues. You will gain experience from all the calls. Learn to work the system and the street. When you get a bullshit call tell the patient the truth in an honest non dickhead manner. With that said don't get used by a shitty response company. If you have to make a career, locale or certification change do it. Good Luck.
APCapt.
You need to grow a sack and pay your dues. You will gain experience from all the calls. Learn to work the system and the street. When you get a bullshit call tell the patient the truth in an honest non dickhead manner. With that said don't get used by a shitty response company. If you have to make a career, locale or certification change do it. Good Luck.
APCapt.
I've got 5 years in an urban EMS setting, I have been scheduled on Saturdays for 4 of those 5 years. I have paid my dues and then some. I have worked hard to get myself through medic school and I want to sit back and relax for a minute. I know how to work the system and the street. If I told a pt how they were abusing the system I would get called into the office, rightly so. I don't work for a shitty company, they take very good care of us. 24s are rough on the body and the mind.
Sorry but 5 years is not a long time, either is 2 with the same partner. If your staying in EMS as a career until you retire that's at least 25 years. So you have 20 more to go. However 5 years working every Saturday is BS. There's a reason for that occurring which only you or your schedule maker knows. It might be just straight seniority. Btw read what I wrote, nowhere did I write tell a pt. they were abusing the system. Venting or taking anything out on a pt. is unprofessional and deserving of discipline. However (and I'll use a local ex.) if a pt. tells me they rather I call them an ambulance " because they will get seen faster at the hospital" instead of taking their POV. I simply explain that hospitals in our area no longer fast track ambulance Pt's. Everyone gets triaged, so they can save themselves the AMR bill and go POV.
Dude you just got your medics. Did you not realize that is more stress due to more advanced pt. care? You should not be looking to sit back and relax now. Now is the time to step up and use your knowledge.
Btw my system is a Co. FD 98% Paramedic. 20years FD, 23 years NAEMT-Paramedic. 24's is our regular duty shifts. Got off this morning, ran 18 medical and 3 fire.
Take it for what it's worth. Your in a service oriented career. Accept the service part and deal with it.
3/7/2012 1:14:09 PM
Yeah, I am interested in what getting your ass kicked means? Things very in terms depending on where in the country you are located. My system is fortunate enough to 2 lvl 1 trauma centers and cath labs within 10 mins of any station. We also have a Children's facility that is pretty good to.
As far as telling a pt. they are abusing the system. If they are calling cause they aren't sick, have left the hospital AMA 2 prior times that day, call 4 times a day and sign refusals, then yes they are being a burden on the system and YOUR AGENCY should have a policy to deal with that. I've never been one to yell at pts. but when you end up with a guy calling for the 4th time after being at the hospital with no Dx telling you HE has uterine pain you might get a little hot.
YMMV
3/7/2012 1:33:09 PM
Breedy I had a hard time deciphering your post because you goofed the quote. The best part was " If they are calling cause they aren't sick, have left the hospital AMA 2 prior times that day, call 4 times a day and sign refusals, then yes they are being a burden on the system and YOUR AGENCY should have a policy to deal with that" 
They call it the billing department.
And in my system the average rate for burnout is around 8 years.
They call it the billing department.
And in my system the average rate for burnout is around 8 years.
3/8/2012 6:51:23 PM
Fixed the quote above.
I missed the part where you work for a private and not an FD/EMS system on my first read thru. To be honest if you want off 24's and can get off then go for.
You never did answer what a typical day looks like for you. What are you transport times? Run volume? Are you responding with ALS from the FD?
To be 100% I am a paramedic because I had to be to work for the Fire Department. Around here privates handle inter-hospital, Dialysis, Non-Critical Transport for basically half what the FD pays. I understand this is not how it is everywhere, but around here most of the guys and gals working privates are new Medics trying to get hired by an FD or Medics who aren't cut out for FD/ front line EMS.
Don't get me wrong I actually enjoy EMS, if nothing else I get to say "Shit, I never thought I would see that?" I don't work in the billing department. I provide EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE. I am not out there to generate revenue and to be frank (not saying this what you do) but transporting just cause someone has money or insurance makes you a taxi service. If I am tending to one of the people I described above then I am not providing service to <insert nature of call> victim. I talking about someone who calls 168 times in 2011, twice from a cell-phone in the lobby of the Hospital not the old guy with COPD who has issues every couple of months.
If 24s aren't for you there is no shame in going to 12s, but consider how much of your free time will be lost doing so.
I missed the part where you work for a private and not an FD/EMS system on my first read thru. To be honest if you want off 24's and can get off then go for.
You never did answer what a typical day looks like for you. What are you transport times? Run volume? Are you responding with ALS from the FD?
To be 100% I am a paramedic because I had to be to work for the Fire Department. Around here privates handle inter-hospital, Dialysis, Non-Critical Transport for basically half what the FD pays. I understand this is not how it is everywhere, but around here most of the guys and gals working privates are new Medics trying to get hired by an FD or Medics who aren't cut out for FD/ front line EMS.
Don't get me wrong I actually enjoy EMS, if nothing else I get to say "Shit, I never thought I would see that?" I don't work in the billing department. I provide EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE. I am not out there to generate revenue and to be frank (not saying this what you do) but transporting just cause someone has money or insurance makes you a taxi service. If I am tending to one of the people I described above then I am not providing service to <insert nature of call> victim. I talking about someone who calls 168 times in 2011, twice from a cell-phone in the lobby of the Hospital not the old guy with COPD who has issues every couple of months.
If 24s aren't for you there is no shame in going to 12s, but consider how much of your free time will be lost doing so.
