Practical EMS
My mission is to use the stories we all have in emergency medicine to encourage and uplift you where you are. EMT, Paramedic, nurse, PA, NP or physician. Emergency medicine is a very difficult specialty with unique challenges, and it calls us all to be better than the average person in order to stay healthy for our patients, our families and own mental wellness. I want to connect with EMS crews, fire crews, ER RN's, ER techs and new ER advanced practice providers to better understand their current struggles. I also want to bridge the gap between prehospital medicine and the emergency department and to encourage those seeking to become an advanced practice provider. Disclaimer: All Practical EMS content is opinion only. It is unaffiliated with any company or organization and does not represent any company or organization that Aaron currently works for or has worked for in the past. No content should be taken as medical advice.
Practical EMS
92 | Eddie and Casey | Good EMT partners | Calls that damage you | Remembering the bad calls over the good | Effects of a career in EMS
We talk about the immense responsibility and stress of being a paramedic and the stress difference I’ve noticed moving to ER PA
Casey talks about RSI and how it still causes his palms to sweat
We should have a healthy respect for high level skills
As paramedics we can tend to focus too much on a complicated task and neglect the overall picture of what is happening with the patient, a good partner can really help avoid this
It can be really challenging with a partner that is not watching your back adequately and needs to be micromanaged
A good EMT anticipates the paramedics’ needs
Good BLS will lead to good ALS care
You have to trust yourself as a paramedic before you can trust your partner
The further you progress in medicine; you tend to stop advertising that you are in medicine
Sometimes the mistakes or the hard calls are easier to recall than the good calls or the victories
Casey talks about a rough pediatric call when he was a new paramedic
Fortunately, the really hard calls are few and far between
Eddie feels like the bad calls are how EMS has damaged him. He struggles to remember the good calls, or the calls where he felt like he did a perfect job
He lives with regret where he feels like he could have done better as well as the tragic calls and feels like this gets worse with time
Sometimes ignoring the trauma for years on end really ends up affecting you when you are older
The jokes can be a cover for how you really feel
But as a paramedic you have to detach and be above the fray, getting stuck in the same emotions as everyone else will not allow you to effectively do your job
Eddie talks about an incredibly tragic case he ran that always haunts him
Once you start getting into the mentality of BSI scene safe, you tend to start practicing that in all areas of life. You get used to always making sure you are safe
We talk about private ambulance and the difference between retirement and disability benefits from fire service
It’s really hard to switch from being a paramedic to another career after a certain period of time
Full show notes can be found here: Episodes - Practical EMS - Content for EMTs, PAs, Paramedics
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Everything you hear today from myself and my guests is opinion only and doesn’t represent any organizations or companies that any of us are affiliated with. The stories you hear have been modified to protect patient privacy and any resemblance to real individuals is coincidental. This is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice nor used to diagnose any medical or healthcare conditions.