For those of you who have been doing this awhile...

[Colorado Medic]

Crazy

I have been in EMS for 8 years and going strong. Six years as an EMT-Basic and Two years as a paramedic.
I currently working 24 hrs shifts and have for the past 4 years, we avg. 10-15 call a shift.

I feel that burn out is on the person, heart experience and so on. Also allot goes back to if you have had a good partner. My partner and I have been together for right at 2 years and we are best friends. There have many times we would get upset with EMS “like the drunk at 3am" But we just keep plugging away.

We talked about that we don't want to be on a bus when we get 40 yr (no offence to anyone). I just love EMS yes I like helping people and it's a great job. I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.

I hear there are AVG for burn out, But EMS has the highest divorce rates also.
I just hope and don’t plan on burning out anytime soon….

 

[JimH]

I think there are probably degrees of burn out- in my case, it was total and complete.
I remember my EMT being up for renewal, and I finished the class, and decided not to take the county exam, and it was a good time to make a break. I was already in A&P school, and I took a security position to get me through school. (The security company actually treated it's employees much better than the ambulance company I left)
I had many opportunities before to go for Paramedic training as an EMT, but I think I knew I did not want to stay in for a career.
Now, in retrospect, I love what I do, and I'm glad I had'nt made a bigger investment in EMS.
A good partner is important, my partner at my final ambulance company was probably the reason I did not leave sooner.
She went Paramedic, and finally left the field too.
It is'nt the stress, I can honestly say on my present job, I have been in situations as or more stressful than anything I met on an ambulance.
When I work now, I remember 50 and 60 hour work weeks and shudder, it was kind of the industry standard then- that might have contributed too
I cannot imagine doing 5 12s a week as I did for a long time-

 

[eggshen]

I have been in the game, high volume, for going on 15yrs now. I make too much money to leave now. All I can say is make sure you have something to fall back on when you decide you are over it.

Egg

 

[trauma1534]

I have been doing this for 12 years, 5 years paid. I must say that before I was paid, I would run anything that came out. I just wanted to run run run. When I went paid, I turned it into my job. I didn't want to run run run anymore. I pulled my hours at work, went to my volunteer squad, ran my shift there, and took a different approach to it all. There was a different outlook on it then. It shouldn't be, but it is. I carried myself differently and everything. After I went to work for a busy city department, running sometimes 20 calls in a 24 hour shift, I didn't want to see an ambulance off the clock. It took me about 6 months to start to feel that way. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and what I do for a living. I can't imagine myself doing anything else for a living. But as far as wanting to run run run, I don't have that urge anymore. When I was a volunteer, I did it because I wanted to WHen I became paid, I did it because I had to. Now I work for a slower paced, low stress department. We may run 1 call in a 12 hour shift. Works for me. I have found that I'd rather run one good call in a shift, than to run 20 BS calls. It's all about quality, not quantity that makes you a damn good provider. Where I am now, I have atleast a 30 min. transport time now. That gives me time to perform everything needed to maintain and make my patient better before arriving at the ER. If you stay in it long enough, you will get burned out. But, you will always have the same passion for it as you do now.

 

[Ridryder911]

Good points... and I agree. What most medics do not understand is one can be as good as they want to be.... 1 call or 20 calls.

Yes, exposure is essential and needed but locale and size of town, numbers of calls is irrelevant. I have seen crappy medics from making 1 call a month to making 15 calls in 12 hours. It is like any other profession what your personal standards and expectation of delivering health care is.

The same as any profession... some of the best Doc's I have seen perform is in the boonies.. where there is no other help...

R/r 911

 

[Fedmedic]

I left EMS because one day I shook my pants leg and ashes fell out. I knew it was time to do something different. But it wasn't the job itself, it was what you have to put up with and what you will put up with, I worked the last 6 years on an ambulance for a busy agency that averaged 18-24 calls in 24 hours, of which, maybe 3 really needed an ambulance. That is what I got fed up with, the abuse of the system. I still love taking care of the patients that really need taking care of. Although, now I don't really have the opportunity, working in a prison is a whole different beast. But I am very happy here. "8 and the gate" and that is it. When I leave work, my job stays there. BOP is the best kept paramedic secret in the world, bar none.