There is to much bad blood between the basics and paramedic's where I work. We are a private transport service that runs ALS units.
I am a 3 year old Paramedic who hasn't worked as a P anywhere else, but who spent my basic life in a high volume 911 service where I am pretty sure that I've seen everything at least once even if I didn't know what it was at the time (except for those elusive purple unicorn calls)
As a 911 basic I was support staff. No 911 call except 'I ran out of my meds today and need a new prescription from the ED' were ever run by basics, but I never had an issue with being bored or not getting to utilize my skills. I was truly my partners partner. I took pride in the fact that they could always without hesitation know that I was going to do what I needed to do and that they could concentrate on the P stuff. I loved being a basic... I truly didn't want to be a P. I made more than some of my P's (don't tell them that) Then I did it I got my P and changed services after moving just before testing my P.
Now I have B's of my own, this is what I'm dealing with.
Oh you don't know that piece of equipment on the truck even though its part of your scope?
Oh you don't need to check off the truck, you were here 4 days ago and I'm doing it anyway?
Did you really just suggest on 2 separate occasions that our perfectly fine pt had s/s only a brain dead pt would have... out loud... to the RN... after interrupting my report?
Did I hear you right when you said that you would not listen to anything I try to teach you because I was not the training officer?
Did you really think I was over reacting when I told you that we couldn't take lol out of the ED even though her BP was 65 systolic?
So pop quiz diphenhydramine is what? Yes, a drug. No, we do carry it. Yes, its in a basic protocol. Yes, I'm sure!
Oh so you've been an EMT for 6 years... and you think I'm a bully, and condescending and that I step on your toes and have no right to do anything or ask any questions because I should have faith in you as a basic and as my partner because as your partner my only job to perform while you have patient care is to assist you in any way that you see necessary unless of course it pertains to providing the appropriate level of care and I must deduce this by not talking to the patient or the nurse or listening to the report or looking at the paperwork or asking you questions or assessing the pt because it is your call and you know how to do your job and don't need me to look over your shoulder because it hurts your feelings and you don't care if I do it because you have yet to show competence because it is not my job? Well I apologize let me know when you feel over whelmed and want me to step in, and please in the mean time will you be mentally preparing my petition to MY medical director (because as a basic you don't have one, I don't know why, but you operate under my license and I operate under med controls) not to tear up my ACLS card when things go south and maybe also consider getting on with a basic service so you can arm wrestle for seniority or maybe even go for your P. Thanks.
I wanted to blame this on being an IFT service instead of a 911 service but I've known B's in 911 that are the same. How oh how do I deal with this.
I'm not talking about the incompetence, that I know how to deal with. The animosity between the B's and P's is bad... I don't know how to appease them and make them happy – er so as to have a better working environment while still making sure that the pt is receiving the level of care that the pt needs. I am not worried about making friends but I don't want to make enemies, and I am grossly outnumbered in this day and age where a white man, accusing another white man of discrimination is going to get the full court press my job is on the line, all they have to do is call me bully enough times.
The only thing I have been able to come up with is being a narc and writing them up for every little thing in hopes that I'm not burnt at the stake alone, since corporate surely doesn't want to 'burn em all' please offer some advice on how to handle this, I'd really like some B's input. Just because I am saddled with the bad apples doesn't mean that I'm not aware that there are more goodones than badones. I'm a black cloud for partners. :-(
I am a 3 year old Paramedic who hasn't worked as a P anywhere else, but who spent my basic life in a high volume 911 service where I am pretty sure that I've seen everything at least once even if I didn't know what it was at the time (except for those elusive purple unicorn calls)
As a 911 basic I was support staff. No 911 call except 'I ran out of my meds today and need a new prescription from the ED' were ever run by basics, but I never had an issue with being bored or not getting to utilize my skills. I was truly my partners partner. I took pride in the fact that they could always without hesitation know that I was going to do what I needed to do and that they could concentrate on the P stuff. I loved being a basic... I truly didn't want to be a P. I made more than some of my P's (don't tell them that) Then I did it I got my P and changed services after moving just before testing my P.
Now I have B's of my own, this is what I'm dealing with.
Oh you don't know that piece of equipment on the truck even though its part of your scope?
Oh you don't need to check off the truck, you were here 4 days ago and I'm doing it anyway?
Did you really just suggest on 2 separate occasions that our perfectly fine pt had s/s only a brain dead pt would have... out loud... to the RN... after interrupting my report?
Did I hear you right when you said that you would not listen to anything I try to teach you because I was not the training officer?
Did you really think I was over reacting when I told you that we couldn't take lol out of the ED even though her BP was 65 systolic?
So pop quiz diphenhydramine is what? Yes, a drug. No, we do carry it. Yes, its in a basic protocol. Yes, I'm sure!
Oh so you've been an EMT for 6 years... and you think I'm a bully, and condescending and that I step on your toes and have no right to do anything or ask any questions because I should have faith in you as a basic and as my partner because as your partner my only job to perform while you have patient care is to assist you in any way that you see necessary unless of course it pertains to providing the appropriate level of care and I must deduce this by not talking to the patient or the nurse or listening to the report or looking at the paperwork or asking you questions or assessing the pt because it is your call and you know how to do your job and don't need me to look over your shoulder because it hurts your feelings and you don't care if I do it because you have yet to show competence because it is not my job? Well I apologize let me know when you feel over whelmed and want me to step in, and please in the mean time will you be mentally preparing my petition to MY medical director (because as a basic you don't have one, I don't know why, but you operate under my license and I operate under med controls) not to tear up my ACLS card when things go south and maybe also consider getting on with a basic service so you can arm wrestle for seniority or maybe even go for your P. Thanks.
I wanted to blame this on being an IFT service instead of a 911 service but I've known B's in 911 that are the same. How oh how do I deal with this.
I'm not talking about the incompetence, that I know how to deal with. The animosity between the B's and P's is bad... I don't know how to appease them and make them happy – er so as to have a better working environment while still making sure that the pt is receiving the level of care that the pt needs. I am not worried about making friends but I don't want to make enemies, and I am grossly outnumbered in this day and age where a white man, accusing another white man of discrimination is going to get the full court press my job is on the line, all they have to do is call me bully enough times.
The only thing I have been able to come up with is being a narc and writing them up for every little thing in hopes that I'm not burnt at the stake alone, since corporate surely doesn't want to 'burn em all' please offer some advice on how to handle this, I'd really like some B's input. Just because I am saddled with the bad apples doesn't mean that I'm not aware that there are more goodones than badones. I'm a black cloud for partners. :-(
