paramedic burnout causes and "cures"

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lostnumber

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the title says it all...any thoughts?
 
lostnumber said:
the title says it all...any thoughts?
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Most "burnout" I have seen is in people who have the wrong perspective of what they are doing.

They get mad they are helping socially undesirable people instead of "fine upstanding citizens." As if high society every gets sick or hurt in an acute way requiring a paramedic very often.

They get upset because the routine of a healthcare career is not the adrenaline driven life saving excitement most of the time.

They get frustrated because they are often very capable people trapped in a dead end career choice with no lateral transfer, advancement, or personal achievement.

They become fatigued putting forth their best efforts to be judged by the lowest common denominator of the vocation.

Simple solution: Move on to something better.

Less desirable: change one's own perceptions.

least desirable: quit and go do something equal or worse.
 
If it gets to the point that others are mentioning that you are showing signs of burnout, it's time for a break. Taking some time off might very well make it easy for you to return to your job after a break, trying to work through it brings a good chance of going out with a bang instead, which isn't good for you or your patients.
 
As others have said burnout is caused by an imbalance between expectations and reality. We all feel it time to time, especially when you get a long run of certain types of cases.

There's probably no long term cure if your expectations are too unrealistic, but thins like annual leave, holidays, moving to different locations/roles can all help.
 
EMS, she is a dream killer...
 
I think the cure a lot of times is people just taking some time off.

There are some in this field who do not and never really loved the field. I have found it is not the patients that make me feel as burned out BS or not, as much as the people you work for not supporting or helping to improve a service.
 
medicconnor said:
I think the cure a lot of times is people just taking some time off.

There are some in this field who do not and never really loved the field. I have found it is not the patients that make me feel as burned out BS or not, as much as the people you work for not supporting or helping to improve a service.
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In my case, it's the people I am stuck in a box with for 8 hours...
 
that sucks, I work with some great people on my shift, but I have been in that spot at least its not 24 hours.
 
I'd define burn-out as loss of hope. It can happen in any profession. I think it occurs when the gap between expectations and experience reaches a critical width, different for each of us. We can treat burn-out temporarily by lowering expectations, but that's not a long-term solution. I don't think we come all the way back from true burn-out.
 
mgr22 said:
I'd define burn-out as loss of hope. It can happen in any profession. I think it occurs when the gap between expectations and experience reaches a critical width, different for each of us. We can treat burn-out temporarily by lowering expectations, but that's not a long-term solution. I don't think we come all the way back from true burn-out.
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"Hope is the denial of reality." :)
 
The reality is, 90% of EMS is comprised of worthless, undereducated, lazy, frequently overweight and out of shape people.

Once you just accept this fact, and accept that it is not going to change any time in your career, you can make peace and finally reach nirvana.

If you can't, it's time to move on to bigger and more than likely better things.

Anyone who gets into EMS with the mindset of being a hero, saving lives and having an exciting work day on a consistent basis, is completely blind and will almost always end up miserable.
 
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NYMedic828 said:
The reality is, 90% of EMS is comprised of worthless, undereducated, lazy, frequently overweight and out of shape people.

Once you just accept this fact, and accept that it is not going to change any time in your career, you can make peace and finally reach nirvana.

If you can't, it's time to move on to bigger and more than likely better things.

Anyone who gets into EMS with the mindset of being a hero, saving lives and having an exciting work day on a consistent basis, is completely blind and will almost always end up miserable.
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Hmmm...I agree about not getting into EMS with the mindset of being a hero, and about most days not being exciting, but I think if any of us were to decide that 90% of the people we're treating were worthless, we'd owe it to them (and ourselves) to find someplace other than EMS to seek nirvana.
 
Sarcasm aside, it's the truth. May not be the nicest thing to say but it is what it is.

The people on this forum are not those in question. Most of the people here are here because they do care and aren't those lazy worthless people.

Maybe it's just NY, but in my experience most of my coworkers have the mindset of doing the absolute bare minimum from a physical and education standpoint.

Furthermore, the volunteer services are often just as bad in the regards of education and training, probably worse. Volunteers tend to shine more on being less lazy though as they aren't so burnt out when it's just a hobby for them.


I hate to come off as a ****, but someone has to say it.
 
mgr22 said:
Hmmm...I agree about not getting into EMS with the mindset of being a hero, and about most days not being exciting, but I think if any of us were to decide that 90% of the people we're treating were worthless, we'd owe it to them (and ourselves) to find someplace other than EMS to seek nirvana.
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You misread my post.

I did not say 90% of my patients are worthless, I said EMS personel. And maybe it's not the same in your region, but in mine, it most certainly is.

I ALWAYS do my best to provide the highest level of care I can to all patients regardless of background. I have ambition and desire to better myself without expectation of compensation. I can't say the same for MANY of my coworkers. And, in this issue stems the majority of problems with EMS.

My own partner thinks D50 is synthetic, thinks SVT is sinus ventricular tachycardia and the other day told a patient etomidate stops their breathing. The level of incompetence is astounding. (mind you he has 20 years in EMS, 3 medic)
 
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NYMedic828 said:
You misread my post.

I did not say 90% of my patients are worthless, I said EMS personel. And maybe it's not the same in your region, but in mine, it most certainly is.

I ALWAYS do my best to provide the highest level of care I can to all patients regardless of background. I have ambition and desire to better myself without expectation of compensation. I can't say the same for MANY of my coworkers. And, in this issue stems the majority of problems with EMS.

My own partner thinks D50 is synthetic, thinks SVT is sinus ventricular tachycardia and the other day told a patient etomidate stops their breathing. The level of incompetence is astounding. (mind you he has 20 years in EMS, 3 medic)
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You're right, I did misunderstand it.
 
It's ok we can still be BFFs.
 
I think there are different levels of "burn-out." One that is truly burnt should probably think about a new career. Everyone gets frustrated and burnt at times which is really part of any job. EMS of course lends itself to these feelings more often and more intensely. I hit it every 5 years of so and the cure for is time off. Hanging out with the fam, friends, and generally forgetting about the job is very helpful.
 
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