EMT that barely knows how to drive

TM556

TM556

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I really need advice and I didn't really know where to ask it but here it goes:

Long story short, I lost both of my parents when I was a kid and I was also in a ****ty foster home. Never really had anyone to show me how to drive and I didn't go out of my way to learn how until I was 22 which was when I finally moved back with family and things settled down a bit. Went to driving school and passed the driving test after I got my EMT cert, then applied to EMS jobs. I've been working with a transport company since June and have been strictly teching. However, I'm being urged to drive by the higher ups but I've been avoiding it. I have never driven an ambulance. I have a total of about 7 hours behind the wheel (with a sedan) and I'm still not confident as a driver. By the way, my company is located in Brooklyn NYC of all places so throw heavy traffic and ******* drivers into the mix. It makes me really anxious because the main experience I was to get out of transport is driving so that I'll be more comfortable by the time I drive Mods working 911. I've been given the opportunity to drive but I really don't want to learn on the job with an ambulance (especially with patients), even though the supervisors don't seem to worry about that. I don't have enough money at the moment to buy a car and pay for insurance so that I can practice a bit - and I'm certain practice and time behind the wheel is all I need. Maybe it's just me doubting myself and I should just drive the bus but I don't want to look like an *** in front of my partner or worse, get into an accident. Any advice guys? Thanks in advance.
 
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DesertMedic66

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Please drive more than 7 hours before you drive an ambulance.

Go on a road trip or get out of the city and put some miles in. The only way to get comfortable driving is to drive.
 
PassionMedic

PassionMedic

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Honestly, the road trip idea isn't a bad one. Get a family member or friend, who you feel comfortable explaining your situation to, and take a drive. Go for a day or two and get as much time in driving as you can. Have them drive out of the city, and then as you feel more comfortable, plan to drive back in. Or drive out to montauk, you'll get highway and town driving experience in. You could do that by yourself in a day with a rental. Get a solid 6 hours experience in on one day.

Until your comfortable driving, you aren't gonna be comfortable driving an ambulance.


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mgr22

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I got a late start in driving ambulances, too, because (1) I was often the only medic available and (2) I preferred to tech while other medics wanted to drive. When I did start driving, I found backing up to be the biggest difference. I practiced doing that with a car, using the side mirrors instead of the rear-view.

So much for technical considerations. Safety should be the primary concern. Take responsibility for the welfare of everyone aboard. Drive as slowly as you need to. An extra minute or two en route almost never makes a difference. Stop or at least pause at all intersections. Brake gently. Expect other drivers to do stupid things. You'll get better at it.
 
OP
OP
TM556

TM556

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I'm scheduled to drive tomorrow and I told my supervisor my concern - he tells me "you'll be fine". I don't think he gets how inexperienced I am..
 
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mgr22

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TM556 said:
Yeah. I keep telling him I'm not comfortable and he ignores it. Kind of pissing me off. Not trying to put anyone's safety at risk
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Not sure whether he's a well-meaning boss who knows you just need a chance to succeed, or an apathetic jerk who doesn't worry about potential problems because they require effort. It sounds like you should at least go for a brief, supervised drive with no one in the back before transporting patients.

From a distance, I can only wonder how unsafe you might be. You still get to make the final decision about whether driving an ambulance is dangerous or just new.
 
OP
OP
TM556

TM556

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mgr22 said:
Not sure whether he's a well-meaning boss who knows you just need a chance to succeed, or an apathetic jerk who doesn't worry about potential problems because they require effort. It sounds like you should at least go for a brief, supervised drive with no one in the back before transporting patients.

From a distance, I can only wonder how unsafe you might be. You still get to make the final decision about whether driving an ambulance is dangerous or just new.
Click to expand...

To be honest I think its the latter. They're short of drivers.
 
VentMonkey

VentMonkey

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GMCmedic said:
I guess Ill be the odd one out.

You should have prepared yourself before you took a job that may require driving.
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Make that odd two. OP, your life no doubt has taken some turns most in their lifetimes could never imagine and for that, sorry, but honestly if you carry a chip on your shoulder all of your life you are going to find more roadblocks than opportunities.

Is said supe a d-bag? Maybe, but so could the next one be, and the next one, and the...well you see where I am going with this. If anything you've come this far in life which--in and of itself--is by no means a small feat.

Maybe when you have a day off if you haven't seen it already you can watch Antwon Fisher it sums up what I am getting at much better than I can. Good luck, and just remember introspection can truly change your outlook on life.
 
OP
OP
TM556

TM556

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VentMonkey said:
Make that odd two. OP, your life no doubt has taken some turns most in their lifetimes could never imagine and for that, sorry, but honestly if you carry a chip on your shoulder all of your life you are going to find more roadblocks than opportunities.

Is said supe a d-bag? Maybe, but so could the next one be, and the next one, and the...well you see where I am going with this. If anything you've come this far in life which--in and of itself--is by no means a small feat.

Maybe when you have a day off if you haven't seen it already you can watch Antwon Fisher it sums up what I am getting at much better than I can. Good luck, and just remember introspection can truly change your outlook on life.
Click to expand...

I wasn't really complaining.. I just came on this site for advice to get myself going. Not really pitying myself.
 
VentMonkey

VentMonkey

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TM556 said:
I wasn't really complaining.. I just came on this site for advice to get myself going. Not really pitying myself.
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Fair enough, for what it's worth I didn't think you were self loathing, and it's still a good movie. Anyhow, carry on...
 
Jon

Jon

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So... how's it going? What have you done in the last week to try to fix this?

At the end of the day, there's no substitute for practice. You need thousands of hours of driving to be proficient.

Look at your partners. See how they handle things.


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