Drama, drama, drama...

[LucidResq]

Alright, what is it about EMS that breeds drama? And how do you confront/deal with it?

The drama/rumors/gossip I see at the amusement park is enough to rival anything I saw in middle school... enough that I'm honestly glad I don't work in "real" EMS because it would be hard to tolerate full-time, year-round. I don't have to deal with anything like this in any of my other jobs. Occasional issues... yes... but those are rare and almost always handled easily by just confronting the person in a professional manner.

Last night I had to deal with some cliquey BS that had the potential to compromise pt. care and my safety. Now if this had happened anywhere else I work (which it wouldn't in the first place) it would have been easily to resolve - I'd just confront them and take it from there. But considering the type of people and culture I'm dealing with now, if I confront them then they're all just going to talk you-know-what about me to everyone and the cliquey BS is just going to get worse. Ditto if I go straight to the supervisor.

Sorry that this is kind of rambling but I'm obviously clearly frustrated. Not taking a hit on "real" EMS either because it's pretty clear to me that several hardcore drama queens and kings just drag everyone else in to their asinine games.

 

[Shishkabob]

It's not just gossip, but butting heads in general. A-type personalities... tends to happen.



I grew tired of drama and just ignore it for the most part, though I had to put an Intermediate in his place the other night.

 

[LucidResq]

I work with surgeons and researchers. You don't get more Type-A than that, and still... very little drama. I've thought that maybe "well it's a small world" but the clinic I work in is small and there are probably fewer people working in our field in general in this state than there are people working in EMS.

Maybe it's the type of people EMS attracts.

 

[Shishkabob]

Maybe it's the type of people EMS attracts.

You're one of those people

 

[Scottpre]

I worked EMS at a large Casino for a while. Same thing there. There were a lot of times when I felt like I was working in a soap opera. What I found helpful was to comeback to the basics with PT care. Point to established protocols if PT care is the issue. Some of my own personal rules:

1- Never argue with your partner or other EMS in front of the PT.
2- If you feel the need to argue (away from PT), be sure to have a SOLID reason why you feel strongly about something.
3- If it's just a matter of style, shut up and follow the lead EMT/Medic and then discuss it later over coffee or something.
4- If it really isn't big enough or bad enough, just let it be.

As for everything else (who at work is sleeping with who, etc). Ignore it as much as you can and try not to get sucked into contributing to it.

Just my own $.02

 

[JPINFV]

That's why single coverage first aid jobs are awesome. All of the fun patients, none of the cliquey BS.

 

[Sasha]

1- Never argue with your partner or other EMS in front of the PT.
2- If you feel the need to argue (away from PT), be sure to have a SOLID reason why you feel strongly about something.
3- If it's just a matter of style, shut up and follow the lead EMT/Medic and then discuss it later over coffee or something.
4- If it really isn't big enough or bad enough, just let it be.

You can follow that all you like, it's the other person who may insist on shouting infront of patients and fighting over petty issues.

If you have a problem with someone, BEFORE you take it to the supervisor take it to the person first. It kind of throws them under the bus without allowing them to change first. I had a partner run to my super without even giving me the slightest clue there was something wrong, it sucked to be blindsided like that. If the person doesn't correct the problem, then take it to supers.

There is drama everywhere. It's worse than high school. Just ignore it the best you can or brush it off. Although I think deep down we all like a little drama... why else would you be on EMTLife?

 

[feldy]

Just worked a huge event this weekend and there was a ton of drama. The problem was there was medical staff from 1st responders to RN's. The RNs gave us the most problems because they thought that they were better than everyone else but they did not know how to act in a non controlled environment like EMTS and 1st responders do. They treated everything like it was an emergency and rushed things and if a call came out over the radio...no matter where they where they would rush their in the three carts we had even though there were more than enough people on scene. There wasnt any face to face problems but the people in my section (who were all EMTs and 1st responders) plus the head of Medical for the event all talked about how people need to calm down and just do thier jobs and leave everything else aside.

And yes...sometimes if it gets "quiet" a little drama isnt necessary a terrible thing.

 

[Scottpre]

I've ran into the nurse thing you describe before as well. It was just a large-scale MCI functional drill, but the RN in charge of the treatment area had no idea how to manage a triage flow in a pre-hospital setting. She kept breaking from her command role to perform PT care. The entire triage/treatment area got overwhelmed. Glad it wasn't for real.....

 

[mycrofft]

The boss needs to know.

And the boss needs to know how to work with it without just stomping in and saying you told him/her. Sasha, I generally agree with you, but sometimes the only way to lay one of these people to rest is to stake 'em through the back.

Ignore queenbees and whatever the male equivalent would be. Step outside the game and think in terms of patient safety, sexuxal harassment, and hostile workplace issues. If they are making it hard to do your job, file a formal complaint, but have names, dates and particulars.

This is the biggest reason for not having liasons with co-workers.

As a retired RN AND former USAF MedTech and civilian EMT, I have to say many nurses are given credit beyond their actual preparation for stuff. I've cited a few times here how my co-workers were overtreating and misapplying assets, and it was not because they were bad nurses, but they were not seasoned and were not being controlled by knowledgable superiors.

Unlike me, of course!:blush:

 

[feldy]

And the boss needs to know how to work with it without just stomping in and saying you told him/her. Sasha, I generally agree with you, but sometimes the only way to lay one of these people to rest is to stake 'em through the back.

Ignore queenbees and whatever the male equivalent would be. Step outside the game and think in terms of patient safety, sexuxal harassment, and hostile workplace issues. If they are making it hard to do your job, file a formal complaint, but have names, dates and particulars.

This is the biggest reason for not having liasons with co-workers.

As a retired RN AND former USAF MedTech and civilian EMT, I have to say many nurses are given credit beyond their actual preparation for stuff. I've cited a few times here how my co-workers were overtreating and misapplying assets, and it was not because they were bad nurses, but they were not seasoned and were not being controlled by knowledgable superiors.

Unlike me, of course!:blush:

+1

Im sure many of the nurses i worked with were really good nurses and i completely understand that they had good intentions (some also had children in the event which is why they were there)...but the pre hospital setting is a very different setting which is not for everyone. And one of the RNs who wasnt over stepping her ground applauded me for keeping my cool during a missing child call we had. I appreciated that and appreciated the fact that she knew even though she was a much more seasoned nurse than i was an EMT, that from the start of the call i was more in control than she was b/c im used to dealing with/trained to deal with situations that are not in a controlled setting or in the walls of the nursing station.

I do work in a very large ED and have seen both sides so i still give credit to RNs.

 

[8jimi8]

+1

Im sure many of the nurses i worked with were really good nurses and i completely understand that they had good intentions (some also had children in the event which is why they were there)...but the pre hospital setting is a very different setting which is not for everyone. And one of the RNs who wasnt over stepping her ground applauded me for keeping my cool during a missing child call we had. I appreciated that and appreciated the fact that she knew even though she was a much more seasoned nurse than i was an EMT, that from the start of the call i was more in control than she was b/c im used to dealing with/trained to deal with situations that are not in a controlled setting or in the walls of the nursing station.

I do work in a very large ED and have seen both sides so i still give credit to RNs.

i'm sorry... what in your emt training, trained you to deal with missing persons? Being calm under pressure is one thing, but you people act like just the fact that you are outside changes the laws of physics and medicine.

 

[Scottpre]

Not physics and medicine, but environment and situation. It is not a condemnation of the RN's or anyone else. It's a simple matter of training and familiarity with a particular environment.

Just as a clinical RN may not do well in a pre-Hospital situation if placed in command for an MCI, so a municipal fire fighter may not do so well in a wilderness EMS situation where the PT is 5 miles from any road, but a seasoned SAR EMT is just fine.

Take that same seasoned SAR EMT and put that person on rotation for a week in the ED/ER of a major urban trauma center and I am sure they won't perform as well as the veteran clinical RN.

Everyone feels smug from time to time when working in their comfort zone while observing another medical provider struggling with unfamiliar territory.

As a personal example: I have no problem treating pre-hospital patients inside of an intact regional EMS system. MCI's in the field don't bother me, but break the EMS system through a natural disaster and I'll be struggling to provide long-term/disaster patient care.

 

[feldy]

...

 

[feldy]

i'm sorry... what in your emt training, trained you to deal with missing persons? Being calm under pressure is one thing, but you people act like just the fact that you are outside changes the laws of physics and medicine.

sorry...i didnt mean to sound like that if i did...some of the events that ive done (not the most recent one but others in the past) We have an orientation and part of that is dealing with missing persons at an event and how to handle it until it is resolved.

In no way does that make me an expert, just a little more experience than someone esle there. And it so happend to be that the nurse knew that so she let me handle it. That is all. Im sorry if it seemed that way. I see that you are a nurse but also an emt so im sure that you are good at what you do and know how to handle yourself in both environments but im sure others have noticed that the level of comfort can change if you are not used to working in the field or in the hospital. And im not bashing nurses out there for the record

 

[CAOX3]

i'm sorry... what in your emt training, trained you to deal with missing persons? Being calm under pressure is one thing, but you people act like just the fact that you are outside changes the laws of physics and medicine.

You people?

Hmmm.......

What the heck does a missing person have to do with physics and medicine?

 

[Shishkabob]

i'm sorry... what in your emt training, trained you to deal with missing persons? Being calm under pressure is one thing, but you people act like just the fact that you are outside changes the laws of physics and medicine.

Um..."you people"?

 

[Veneficus]

it has been my observation that the amount of drama is inversely proportionate to the amount of sick patients, structure fires, and other general "things that make you busy."

 

[TransportJockey]

I think working back home with my ex-fiance while we were just starting to date was probably the worst I've seen for drama. That or going to breakfast with her and her partner after we stopped working together (they were both 22 year old girls at the time, which means bad )

 

[JPINFV]

Um..."you people"?

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAlVKgl_zCQ[/YOUTUBE]