Before You Hit "Send"

Seth has been involved in EMS for more than five years. Last year he was promoted to shift supervisor. He has just completed an overnight shift and is in a less than joyful mood. As he sits down at his computer and prepares for his administrative responsibilities, he checks his email. One of the first emails that he receives is from a staff member that he just spoke with regarding their performance. As Seth reads the email he begins to realize that the staff member is implying that their performance is due to Seth being perceived as an "ineffective leader."

Seth absorbs this news, clicks "reply," and vigorously begins to create his response. About half way through his response he realizes that he probably does not want to actually send what he just typed. Instead, Seth deletes the email and moves onto his next task. He will reply to the staff member's email in a couple of hours.

Austin is a paramedic in a medium sized EMS system. She just completed a 24-hour shift, is exhausted, and had to complete an incident report because a "frequent flier" complained about her demeanor during the 20-minute transport. After filing the incident report she drafts an email to her supervisor.

In her email she uses colorful language to describe her perceptions of treating the "frequent flier." She then insinuates that if the communications center had a true appreciation of what constitutes an "emergency," that deferring these types of calls might help to keep healthcare costs down. Exasperated, she clicks "send" and goes home. Four hours later she suddenly realizes what she said in her email and begins to have second thoughts about sending the email....

Email. Like it or not, it has become part of mainstream life for many individuals. It is reported that just less than 90 percent of all Internet users in the United States use email. It is also reported that nearly 90 percent of the individuals who use email at work are using it for work-related correspondence. The message is rather strong: email is here, it has permeated the U.S. workforce, and it is an acceptable means of communication. As such, email users, including those who work within an EMS system and use email as a primary source of communications, should take the time to become aware of some of the basics of email etiquette. Why? Because work-related email can carry the same weight as a written or spoken memo. In light of this, the following provides some general reminders regarding email.

Overall tone.
April is an EMT who would like to learn more about the neighboring EMS system's ALS career opportunities. After locating the EMS system's website she found an email address for the HR department. She sent an email similar to "Can U plz send info on paramedic jobs." In this case, the use of text messaging in her request might not have been the optimal approach. Rather, she might have considered drafting a more formal email requesting employment information.

Spelling & grammar.
Steve is an EMS sales representative who would like to meet with a prospective client. In one of his emails to the prospective client he suggests, "...We could meat at Oceanside Dinner for lobster feat." Even though they are minor typographical errors, "meat" versus "meet" and "feat" versus "feast" can result in a slightly negative first impression. If possible, spell-check emails prior to having them actually sent from the Outbox.

Be nice.
It is easy to get caught-up in the daily grind. There are calls to be run, staff to be supported, critically ill patients to attend to, and meetings to be attended. Regardless, when sending an email, try to be polite. The words "thank you" and "please" may carry more weight than you realize. In fact, they may be part of the reason why you receive a response to your inquiry.

The tone of the email.
This is difficult to describe in writing. Prior to clicking "send," take a few moments to re-read the email. Does the email sound inviting or could it be perceived as having a negative tone with it? If you are unsure, consider delaying sending it right now and revisit it at a later time. Why? Most likely one goal of the email is to communicate. To be effective, you likely do not want to be perceived as condescending or demanding (unless you are intending to do so). Taking a few minutes to re-read the email may be invaluable. In some cases switching the order of sentences may be all that it takes to overcome the potentially negative tone.

Capital letters.
The use of CAPITAL letters implies screaming or yelling. In many email correspondences, the over-use of capitals can also become distracting. When Austin sent "IF I NEVER SEE THAT PATIENT AGAIN, IT MAY BE THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENS TO ME" to her supervisor, this may have been interpreted differently if she had sent "If I never see that patient again, it may be the best thing that ever happens to me." Depending on the relationship she has with her supervisor, the all-caps email may have even elicited a different response that the lower-case email.

In EMS, the ability to respond appropriately to email may be (to some) a reflection of one's ability to be an effective leader. By taking some basic measures and pausing before clicking "send," providers may promote the likelihood that their email message will be error free and as balanced as possible. Failing to take such factors into consideration may jeopardize what was meant to be an innocent mail. If you wouldn't say what you are typing, or think that you may regret sending, seriously re-consider whether you want to click "send." You may want to start over or cancel it altogether.

Paul Murphy has been involved in the emergency medical services and healthcare for more than a decade. He has held a variety of clinical, administrative, and consultant roles. He has functioned as an EMT, Paramedic, Flight Paramedic, and Critical Care Paramedic. He has worked in a variety of settings, ranging from rural volunteer to paid urban EMS systems. Paul is active in healthcare management and has held management roles at start-up companies as well as a Level II Trauma Center. He is a published author and has spoken at healthcare conferences. Paul has Master's degrees in Computer Resources/Information Management and Healthcare Administration.