Haters

     Question: You have a paramedic whose first instinct, every time you try to do something, is to object. He hates the way things are, hates changes even if they make things better and hates you for making the changes. He doesn't break rules, so you don't feel like you can just fire him. But he's like a political radio talk-show host. He contributes nothing, creates nothing and does nothing but criticize the work of others. You dread going to work on his duty days because, well, he just seems to drag everybody down, including you.

     Answer: Free up his future. Today if you can, before another gripe goes by.

     I know, you're probably thinking EMS Magazine has found a new author for this column. I'm the one who usually advocates for crews. This is about the other crews. The needs of many outweigh the determination of a few to be unhappy, no matter what. One person like this can sicken a whole organization, simply by being officially tolerated. Our nation is in the throes of some dark times right now, and we all need to shoulder the responsibility for fixing that. Plenty of good people are nervous about their incomes and their outcomes. Their leaders need to be leaders.

     You'll do all of your crews a favor by meeting with your malcontent, reorienting him to a few economic realities that are way bigger than EMS, informing him that you have found applicants who would love to take his place, and challenging him to join up and shut up or leave. If you're lucky, you won't have to fire him.

     Of course, if your documentation does not reflect your own adherence to your agency's progressive disciplinary procedure, I feel sorry for you. But sometimes you can rattle somebody like that just enough to induce him to straighten out his act. I think it's almost always preferable to termination.

     Especially if he was once a really good team member.

     Thom Dick has been involved in EMS for 38 years, 23 of them as a full-time EMT and paramedic in San Diego County. He is the quality care coordinator for Platte Valley Ambulance Service, a community-owned, hospital-based 9-1-1 provider in Brighton, CO. Thom is also a member of EMS Magazine's editorial advisory board. Reach him at boxcar_414@yahoo.com.