PsychMedic
Forum Ride Along
- 1
- 0
- 0
Hello everyone,
First off I would like to thank you for reading my post and responding if you are so inclined. I ask anyone who reads this to please comment as I really needs some brutally honest opinions and advice.
Background:
I became a Paramedic in 2005, graduated near the top of my class and transferred easily and into ALS patient care after being an EMT-B for 6 years. I was well know in my community and county as a solid EMT and maintained that reputation as a medic.
After about a year and a half being a Medic, my life began to collapse around me. The stress of working 3-24's and a 12 per week began to wear me down and burn me out. I had begun having problems with my wife and drinking heavily.
Let me say that I NEVER drank or was under the influence at work, however I did have 2 run ins with law enforcement while intoxicated within the same month. Once at a local club where I was involved in a fight with another patron, resulting in me being taking to the county jail for public intox (no charges filed) and once while during a argument my wife hit me with a cookie jar and I physically removed it from her( resulting in an arrest for misdemeanor domestic violence, with all charges dismissed). I proceeded to follow all of this up with an affair with my partner/dispatcher that my wife found out about.
I ended up being involved in a "excessive use of force" with a patient, who was a 6ft 6in 150kg Heroin OD with decreased RR, and upon giving him 4mg of Narcan, literally like in the movies woke up and attempted to beat the hell out of me. after our wrestling match in the back of the rig once I restrained the patient, I lost my cool, during the fight he had roughed me up pretty badly and for some insane reason I calculated that I should shave off one of his eyebrows to get back at him I guess?
1 week later I was called in while on shift to find 2 investigators from county EMS and 1 from state EMS. I was asked about my drinking problem which I readily admitted that I had and about the incident with the patient.
My state and county license was placed on temporary suspension pending further investigation and ultimately I was offered to voluntarily forfeit my license with the option to reinstate after 2 years or have state EMS revoke it.
This all occured in the latter part of 2006
Current:
Since then I have seriously gotten my life in order. My wife and I celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary last week, we have a 2.5 yr old son and 1 on the way.
I have kicked alcohol out of my life and have maintained a sober lifestyle for almost 4 years.
I have had no run ins with the law since the aforementioned episode.
I attended a voluntary 10 week Anger management course.
I enrolled in school and am working on my undergrad in Psychology, with the intent to become a Educational Psychologist.
My biggest problem is that EMS (as most can understand) was my life, all of my friends are in EMS, and it is the only job I have done since I was 18.
No matter what I do I can not seem to find my grove in a different work field, I was a Correctional officer for 9 months and it just wasn't for me, I working in a Trauma center OR as an Anesthesia tech until I was laid off and I work for a Confined space rescue and safety company for over a year. None of it "felt right" Its been 3 years and everyday multiple times a day I reflect on my poor judgment and decisions.
All I want is to be in EMS again,
I have been unemployed for 7 months now and can't get through a job interview without the HR person telling me I am overqualified or under certified for even menial hospital jobs and I have no experience with anything else
I enrolled in a community college EMT-B program that starts Monday and my instructor and former supervisor pointed out to me that I am still eligible for "Re-entry" with NREMT,which he suggested that I do and become a medic again. This just made me excited,scared,stressed and reflect even more.
State EMS said that I have fulfilled the forfeiture of my license and am eligible to become a medic again in the state providing I fulfill NREMT's requirements.
I want this so bad I can't think straight,
I just would like some opinions of my fellow EMS brothers and sisters about what I should do.
What are the odds I can pass the NREMT cognitive and psychomotor exams after being out of the field for 3 years.
Will I even have a chance at employment with my background.
Please feel free to say or comment about any of this, or add other concerns that I may have forgotten.
Thank you for your time, Sorry about the long read.
JD
First off I would like to thank you for reading my post and responding if you are so inclined. I ask anyone who reads this to please comment as I really needs some brutally honest opinions and advice.
Background:
I became a Paramedic in 2005, graduated near the top of my class and transferred easily and into ALS patient care after being an EMT-B for 6 years. I was well know in my community and county as a solid EMT and maintained that reputation as a medic.
After about a year and a half being a Medic, my life began to collapse around me. The stress of working 3-24's and a 12 per week began to wear me down and burn me out. I had begun having problems with my wife and drinking heavily.
Let me say that I NEVER drank or was under the influence at work, however I did have 2 run ins with law enforcement while intoxicated within the same month. Once at a local club where I was involved in a fight with another patron, resulting in me being taking to the county jail for public intox (no charges filed) and once while during a argument my wife hit me with a cookie jar and I physically removed it from her( resulting in an arrest for misdemeanor domestic violence, with all charges dismissed). I proceeded to follow all of this up with an affair with my partner/dispatcher that my wife found out about.
I ended up being involved in a "excessive use of force" with a patient, who was a 6ft 6in 150kg Heroin OD with decreased RR, and upon giving him 4mg of Narcan, literally like in the movies woke up and attempted to beat the hell out of me. after our wrestling match in the back of the rig once I restrained the patient, I lost my cool, during the fight he had roughed me up pretty badly and for some insane reason I calculated that I should shave off one of his eyebrows to get back at him I guess?
1 week later I was called in while on shift to find 2 investigators from county EMS and 1 from state EMS. I was asked about my drinking problem which I readily admitted that I had and about the incident with the patient.
My state and county license was placed on temporary suspension pending further investigation and ultimately I was offered to voluntarily forfeit my license with the option to reinstate after 2 years or have state EMS revoke it.
This all occured in the latter part of 2006
Current:
Since then I have seriously gotten my life in order. My wife and I celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary last week, we have a 2.5 yr old son and 1 on the way.
I have kicked alcohol out of my life and have maintained a sober lifestyle for almost 4 years.
I have had no run ins with the law since the aforementioned episode.
I attended a voluntary 10 week Anger management course.
I enrolled in school and am working on my undergrad in Psychology, with the intent to become a Educational Psychologist.
My biggest problem is that EMS (as most can understand) was my life, all of my friends are in EMS, and it is the only job I have done since I was 18.
No matter what I do I can not seem to find my grove in a different work field, I was a Correctional officer for 9 months and it just wasn't for me, I working in a Trauma center OR as an Anesthesia tech until I was laid off and I work for a Confined space rescue and safety company for over a year. None of it "felt right" Its been 3 years and everyday multiple times a day I reflect on my poor judgment and decisions.
All I want is to be in EMS again,
I have been unemployed for 7 months now and can't get through a job interview without the HR person telling me I am overqualified or under certified for even menial hospital jobs and I have no experience with anything else
I enrolled in a community college EMT-B program that starts Monday and my instructor and former supervisor pointed out to me that I am still eligible for "Re-entry" with NREMT,which he suggested that I do and become a medic again. This just made me excited,scared,stressed and reflect even more.
State EMS said that I have fulfilled the forfeiture of my license and am eligible to become a medic again in the state providing I fulfill NREMT's requirements.
I want this so bad I can't think straight,
I just would like some opinions of my fellow EMS brothers and sisters about what I should do.
What are the odds I can pass the NREMT cognitive and psychomotor exams after being out of the field for 3 years.
Will I even have a chance at employment with my background.
Please feel free to say or comment about any of this, or add other concerns that I may have forgotten.
Thank you for your time, Sorry about the long read.
JD