Posted: 1/31/2016 7:56:39 PM EDT
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How much does your work affect you emotionally, if all all? Does it become personal? Does a day's work of 'involved' calls drag on your mind once you're done for the day? Or are you able to compartmentalize your work from the rest of your life and not let it bother you?
I'm trying to understand which is more common, for comparison to someone I know. I'm wondering if maybe this line of work just isn't ideal for them. |
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If you can't put it away at the end of the shift, you shouldn't do it. It will consume you.
Always remember the Laws Of The House Of God: Three and four are the most important. 3. AT A CARDIAC ARREST, THE FIRST PROCEDURE IS TO TAKE YOUR OWN PULSE. 4. THE PATIENT IS THE ONE WITH THE DISEASE. |
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i can't say it's ever really bothered me. to be honest in over 20+ years on and off i actually can only remember a handful of calls, most of those are more funny than traumatic. my brain just seems to shut it all off. I do still occasionally see the faces of some of the really bad calls when a certain sound or smell triggers me. While i feel sad for them i know in my heart i did everything humanly possible and nothing would have saved those no matter anything else i did.
i'd say the older i get the more things tend to stick with me but i don;t seem to have any lingering emotional issues. Some people are wired to handle this stuff and some aren't. i have seen a LOT of medics and first responders drop out after a year or 2 because they just couldn't deal with it . |
| It takes a lot of learning at first on how to deal with it. I've been doing fire/EMS for over two decades and still occasionally have calls that get to me. Heck, I recently had a run where our medic (solid guy, tons of experience, plenty of bad calls) had one run that just got to him. It happens and we got him the help he needed. |
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not a Medic...but an EMT....have worked many traumatic car accidents, arrests, and very tragic calls....
I have never had an issue as i know that i do every single thing i can for a pt just like i would as a family member. you just have to realize sometimes its their time and people die...shit happens |
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Remember two cardinal rules:
1) People die, you are not God. 2) You cannot change rule#1. A couple of other observations: People can be animals Let your coworkers talk you in off the ledge if something really bothers you. Don't take work home with you. And remember the good calls, they help you stay grounded. Have a "few" years under my belt.... |
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I leave work at work. Sometimes a smell may trigger a memory of a call or I will drive by an area where a bad call happened and think of the call, but that's about it. But I don't have any issues sleeping or any of the other issues I hear others have.
Like others have said, people die. It's part of life. I don't let it get to me. |
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I keep myself from staring at the ceiling at night by making sure I am prepared before hand and I don't fuck up. Self doubt will end you in this business.
If I know I gave that patient every possible chance they would have got with any bad ass PM out there then I don't carry baggage from the call. I compartmentalize the really ugly stuff and only revisit it when things unexpectedly bring images into my head. Train hard, study hard, understand the gravity of the decisions you are making and don't fuck up. That's how I cope. |
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Quoted:
Leave it at work. And when at work, dark humor. Very dark humor. The shit we joke and laugh about would horrify the general public... Very much this. We watch out for each other. Notice when something is off. When needed you must know how and when to get additional help (cisd) |
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Quoted:
Leave it at work. And when at work, dark humor. Very dark humor. The shit we joke and laugh about would horrify the general public... Among the 'rules' I have there are: If I'm joking, it's not serious. If the jokes stop, it's time to start getting worried. Life doesn't begin or end in the ambulance. If no one dies, it's a good day. Over the past year, I've only had 3 days that were not good days. I've had some sad calls like being the one to notify social services that a Korean War green beret & his wife can't take care of themselves anymore (and the family may have been financially abusing them). In so doing, ensuring they're going to leave their home. Or transporting a 19 yr old that was told she had approx 50% chance of beating her leukemia that she found out about < 24 hrs prior. We have other guys that do transport for the regional pediatric specialty hospital. That's got to be a hard job if you have kids. |
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Retired now but was a combat medic, police EMT, and RN over a career of 40 years. Saw some bad shit. The only thing I can say is I did my best. Even when it went bad I felt I did my best. Injury to kids were the worst but a good home life and good coworkers will get you through. If you need a little more help get it.
Hang in there. |
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24 years. Traumatic calls, gore, doesn't particularly bother me. Now days I find that calls involving kids living in deplorable conditions, or innocent people in terrible circumstances that they can't change give me a bit of pause. Not losing sleep, but I appreciate the blessings I have that much more. |