Life Support: Quick Time

This month’s topic is years in EMS—not how many you have, but how many you have left.

I started thinking about that in 2000, five years after I became a medic. I was working two EMS jobs and one consulting job, and was volunteering most of my discretionary time at the local rescue squad.

As the calls accumulated, I was finally starting to feel I knew something about EMS. Like many of you, I’d found that sweet spot where I could explore the subtleties of patient care without neglecting the basics.

My problem, at 47, was that I was way past my physical peak. I began considering alternatives to 9-1-1 so I could stay in EMS without eliminating the possibility of lifting my grandkids someday. My choices were limited: take an administrative position or work someplace where the patients would come to me. I ended up doing both for a while by accepting a hospital supervisory position that included clinical responsibilities.

After saving six years of wear and tear on my back, I returned to the field part time while revisiting my first professional endeavor: journalism. Who knew an ex-sportswriter could ever see a hockey puck as a mechanism of injury?

Fast-forward 10 years, and I find myself mostly satisfied with the career choices I’ve made: ease out of overnights, ease into oversight; less riding, more writing. Having a plan helped me change my role on my own terms, and makes it a lot easier today to look back with affection instead of regret on those years stoked with the urgency of rescue.

How about you? Have you thought about what you want to do with the rest of your time in EMS? It goes quickly, I assure you.

Maybe you’ve thought of moving into management. Lots of people in our industry who started as street medics have become successful administrators. Or perhaps you’d like to do some instructing. No doubt you’ve seen many of your colleagues supplement their income by teaching a course or two on the side. Why not you?

If you’re worried about competition from more-senior colleagues, I can tell you that the practice of awarding new privileges and responsibilities based solely on years in EMS is the exception rather than the rule. Those who thrive as bosses or instructors usually contribute more than clinical know-how. People skills, formal education and life experience would be my picks for the most sought-after attributes among candidates for advancement.

So what’s stopping you from exploring your options? If you struggle to embrace occupational opportunities, perhaps the reason is more social than cerebral.

Are you shy? I can relate. As a young man, I resisted associating with people I didn’t know because having to speak with them made me nervous. I struggled to make new friends and, for a while, new business contacts.

I’m still shy. If you catch me at a cocktail party and I seem to be enjoying myself, I’m probably faking it. I get away with it because I like listening more than talking. It’s surprising how many people enjoy an attentive audience of one.

If you lack confidence in yourself for any reason, just keep taking baby steps, and let each little victory over doubt boost your self-esteem.

Perhaps you’re a procrastinator. Some of my best friends are procrastinators. When I ask them why, they tell me they’ll let me know next week.

The antidote for procrastination is deadlines. Try setting them for yourself if someone hasn’t done that for you. Being chronically late smacks of indifference, a trait most decision-makers loathe.

Suppose you have enough confidence and raw ability to push the edge of the paramedic envelope. What would you give for whatever you’re hoping to get?

Say you want to participate in a community paramedicine initiative. Are you willing to supplement your street skills with enhanced knowledge of chronic illness and public health? If you want medical professionals to take you seriously as a physician extender, you’re probably going to have to attend classes in something more robust than EVOC. Higher education might not make you a better medic, but it often makes you a better caregiver because it helps you understand people.

If your EMS career is winding down and survival is your only objective, I ask you to reconsider. Making the most of your time in EMS counts for a lot when you’re looking back.

Mike Rubin is a paramedic in Nashville, Tennessee and a member of EMS World’s editorial advisory board. Contact him at mgr22@prodigy.net.