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Forgive me for not being clear. I'm already doing all of the obvious. (I don't know you, and there's no way to read tone of voice, so I'm trying to avoid assuming that you think I'm an idiot...) I'm more interested in advice about the emotional side of things. How you avoid having your...

I've had to take a few years away from emergency response due to getting very sick. My doctors have finally told me that I can return to EMS and firefighting. However, my knowledge has gotten rusty, and I've lost all my muscle. I've also moved to a new state. Has anyone here done something...

Good, but would be a lot more readable with paragraph breaks. No reason you can't do both. Writing usually doesn't pay enough to live on. Vene, I remember you talking about starting a blog awhile ago. Did you ever do it?

Well, I'll give the OP credit for doing enough homework to find this forum. While state websites and Google are great places to start, they won't turn up the perspectives that threads will. Aside from what they've all said about finding courses and so on, I'd recommend doing a few...

I'm not as experienced as most people here, and I'm not a medic, but I would've thought about it after the fact. I usually forget about calls pretty quickly, but sometimes they'll stick with me. I'll try to figure out why. In this case, I'd try talking to the patient alone first. I can...

It sounds like you've got the right idea. Don't jump right in without seeing whether it's really the job for you. Keep your job until you're sure... and maybe even then. I know a lot of volunteers who ride ambulances to keep from going crazy in their cubicles, and stay in their cubicles so that...

We also have a brush truck or plow go ahead of us to calls, sometimes with a jump bag and providers. If needed, they can sometimes walk to the patient well before the vehicles can get there. (By the way, has anyone here tried cross-country skis for that?) When it's snowy enough, I won't...

1. How did you get into this career? I enjoyed lifeguarding and first aid classes in high school, so I took EMT when the opportunity came up. Obviously, I liked that too. 2.What is a typical day on the job like? Fairly quiet. Show up, check the rig, wash the rig, deal with any leftover...

That's all true. I think we're actually closer to getting this issue right than most fields, though. Everyone needs sleep, but driving down the highway when we might as well be drunk has become normal throughout society. Some of it is cultural--where else is sleep deprivation a status symbol...

I'm an insomniac, so I usually just study or goof off online. If I can get to sleep, though, I will. Ideally, I'd make them a right on any job with long, irregular shifts and a high potential for serious accidents. For 12s, I can see your gripe, but only if that's the provider's sole...

In case you're a chick, I can assure you that guys dig lifeguards, too. Even if you have to wear ugly one-pieces. :)

I'd hope so. Not always possible immediately when you've only got two EMT-Bs on scene, though.

I've had several of those calls. The main thing I learned is to get PD involved quickly if possible, try to make sure your patient doesn't have a weapon handy, keep your back to the door, and watch out for those sudden mood swings. If the patient doesn't get violent, those calls can be very...

I'd second this. I took a lifeguarding course when I turned 16. While you probably won't get to save a life, it'll teach you a bit of the public interaction skills you'd use in fire & rescue, get you some (sort of) relevant experience, and (maybe) teach you to work as part of a team. Besides...

There's only one circumstance where I'd consider working an obvious death. If someone pulls a gun on us and demands we try to save the patient, I might work it for the sake of getting us into the ambulance and out of that situation. (PD comes to all of our codes, but we often arrive first, and...

If I found him unconscious, I'd probably think he's an EMT...

Because guys dig chicks in uniforms. :) More seriously, here's my take: -We can help. Not all of the time. Not most of the time. But occasionally, we get really lucky and find ourselves with a chance to make a difference. Just being there helps, even with a bad outcome. Think about it...

I don't think I've ever had a case of eyeballing or vodka tampons (though if I get a teenage girl with a tampon, I'm not going to check it for vodka), but I know a few kids who claim to have done it. I asked one about it. He said it hurt and he wouldn't try it again.

Thank you for the compliment. :)

That's the key. I know a girl who has an allergy tattoo on her shoulder blade. Not a great idea. I've also seen joggers with tags that lace into their shoes. I check for those now, but only after missing the first one I encountered.