Really?

[njff/emt]

This thread is for all those calls we get in the wee hours of the morning, just around the same time we get comfy and just fall asleep or are already sawing a log. When we get to the call we say to ourselves "Really?, You woke me up and made me get out of my warm bed for this?". This is a place where you can share how you were robbed of your beauty sleep for something a simple call for a taxi could of saved alot of time and hassle.

 

[EMTRyan232]

This thread is for all those calls we get in the wee hours of the morning, just around the same time we get comfy and just fall asleep or are already sawing a log. When we get to the call we say to ourselves "Really?, You woke me up and made me get out of my warm bed for this?". This is a place where you can share how you were robbed of your beauty sleep for something a simple call for a taxi could of saved alot of time and hassle.

On one of my ride alongs that i had, we had a call for a tooth ache, it wasn't early in the morning but it was late on a Saturday night and college football was on.

 

[reaper]

And all this time I thought we were paid to run calls!

 

[abckidsmom]

People call your house and demand you come out for lame complaints? Wow, that's just nuts.

Or are you talking about people making ridiculous 911 calls and requesting your ON-DUTY presence, for their perceived problem?

It ain't all roses and sunshine, but it's comments like these that keep people from calling 911 in the night with their REAL emergencies. How many times have you been greeted at the door of a real emergency with the words, "I hate to bother you"?

You immediately say, "Oh, no! It's no bother. IT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR!!!!"

Let this attitude take root now, and you can count on a short, crabby career.

 

[medic417]

Seems there is already multiple threads for the non professional gripes about doing ones job.

 

[feldy]

When i work a night shift, im not sleeping at night im sleeping during the day before the shift. While i have been called out for the dumbest stuff at night, what does get to me is when we pull up and they are all ready to go, suitcase and all, just ready to get into the truck like its a cab and we are taking them to the airport, then we here another truck gets toned out for a shooting or unconcious pt that is only a few blocks blocks away.

 

[truetiger]

Got toned out because someone was "thirsty." Long story short guy on an atv got lost in the woods, fire dept + SO were searching for him, found him, guy was thirsty. No complaints, just thirsty.

 

[ZombieEMT]

For anyone that wants to act like complaining is not good, I think you just need to be realistic about certain things. First of all, not all of us in EMS are career staff, some VOLUNTEER their time to help others. Thats what I want to do but I still need to support myself with a full time job, which means sleeping during the day is not always an option. I do not mind responding to any legit call, when someone is having a real emergency. I love what I do, and I would do it all the time if I could, but that doesnt mean we have to be okay with people that wake us up to use as a taxi service.

 

[reaper]

So now you get to decide what is a "real emergency"? Just because you may think it is not worthy of your time and effort, does not mean that the pt might not think it is.

It is nice that you want to give back to your community. But this attitude is not the way to do it. You do not get to play on just the true emergencies. If you want to be in EMS, then you deal with all of the calls. If you are worried about not getting sleep at night, then do not do it on nights you work.

 

[46Young]

@ OP, don't be silly. A taxi ride costs money. A 911 trip does not. Can you blame them?

Unless you're making 75-100k base or more a year, this stuff gets old real fast. That's why the EMS field is highly transient, pretty much a stepping stone job until you can get a real career. Either you're at peace with the large amounts of taxi rides, or you're going to be miserable. EMS is mostly customer service, not for treatments. How many pts would end up the same regardless if EMS saw them or not? In all seriousness, I wonder if the average cabbie makes more than an EMT?

 

[46Young]

I've got an easy solution to mitigate the frivolous calls - transfer or change depts so that you can work in an affluent area. More often or not, they only call for legit stuff.

 

[TransportJockey]

I've got an easy solution to mitigate the frivolous calls - transfer or change depts so that you can work in an affluent area. More often or not, they only call for legit stuff.

Or a very very very very very rural area like I work in. I've had very few calls that were what most of the city providers I've worked with would term BS calls. Personally I could care less if it was a BS call since I'm happy to get any calls during my shifts

 

[Tanker299]

Folks, while not stated, I believe the OP is a volunteer who is most likely on a "duty-crew" rotation at a night of his/her choosing.

So yes, while I agree with most replies about this subject, I am not certain the OP was refusing to go on a call that seemed frivolous. nor will he stop going to the same call that comes in night after night where everyone knows exactly what's going to happen, every time, with the same "patient".
Simply stated, he wanted to poke fun at the fact that sometimes we in volunteer country respond to calls that would be better served by public transport but still, and this is very important before I get a e-crucifixion, we go.

No call is deemed frivolous where I'm at, no matter how many times the same address comes up, we still get up and go.

But we have the right to vent about them, no? Especially if you have to schlepp your derrière to your day-job at 7:30 AM after having spent a quiet night in the company of your volunteer partner and Mrs. Jones who wanted to chat about her cat :glare:

 

[TransportJockey]

For anyone that wants to act like complaining is not good, I think you just need to be realistic about certain things. First of all, not all of us in EMS are career staff, some VOLUNTEER their time to help others. Thats what I want to do but I still need to support myself with a full time job, which means sleeping during the day is not always an option. I do not mind responding to any legit call, when someone is having a real emergency. I love what I do, and I would do it all the time if I could, but that doesnt mean we have to be okay with people that wake us up to use as a taxi service.

If you don't like the calls you get when you volunteer, then stop volunteering, simple as that. Professional EMS can't pick and choose what calls we want to go to or not, so why should Vollies be able to?

 

[Tanker299]

If you don't like the calls you get when you volunteer, then stop volunteering, simple as that.

Hang on, you are saying then that no one complains about their job? ever? medical field or otherwise?
I have a pretty good day job yet sometimes I get irked about it and complain about it to colleagues. That doesn't mean I shouldn't be in my job, it simply means I found an aspect of what I did I did not agree with and vented, ranted, *****ed about it.

Jeez guys, take it easy, seriously. I read every post in this thread and no "vollie" (Gosh I hate that term) has said "we are not responding to frivolous calls". We merely rant about the ones we don't feel were "legit", but we still go and do not deviate from the protocols.

 

[ZombieEMT]

Now people are just blowing this out of proportion, I think. Again, its just a complaint, and like someone said previously, it does not stop me from responding or treating, if needed. I love the job that I do, but can any of you tell me that you that there is not at least one thing that bothers you doing ems? Really?

 

[TransportJockey]

Now people are just blowing this out of proportion, I think. Again, its just a complaint, and like someone said previously, it does not stop me from responding or treating, if needed. I love the job that I do, but can any of you tell me that you that there is not at least one thing that bothers you doing ems? Really?

You're right.,... my biggest pet peeve is not running any calls in a shift. I get bored.

 

[njff/emt]

Thank you Tanker and Hale, both of you see the point of the thread. It is just another vent thread but apparently some people have gotten mad at me once again for having an opinion. I chose this profession because I do enjoy helping people. it just irks me when I get called out for an unknown medical when it turns out to be a stubbed toe. I was trying to use humor but apparently some just shot right over that and vented their anger at me for wanting to hear my fellow brothers and sisters stories of calls they believe didn't need an ambulance for something that afew aspirin could of fixed.

 

[medic417]

Thank you Tanker and Hale, both of you see the point of the thread. It is just another vent thread but apparently some people have gotten mad at me once again for having an opinion. I chose this profession because I do enjoy helping people. it just irks me when I get called out for an unknown medical when it turns out to be a stubbed toe. I was trying to use humor but apparently some just shot right over that and vented their anger at me for wanting to hear my fellow brothers and sisters stories of calls they believe didn't need an ambulance for something that afew aspirin could of fixed.

No we are frustrated as there are already tons of these "venting" discussions where you could have added your thoughts.

 

[sbemt4596]

Simply stated, he wanted to poke fun at the fact that sometimes we in volunteer country respond to calls that would be better served by public transport but still, and this is very important before I get a e-crucifixion, we go.

wait you mean we're not public transport? coulda fooled me!