Playing A Dangerous Game By Trying To Eat My Spaghettios While My Coworker, Who Is Notorious For Turning

Hey dispatch, did they tell you guys what the patient's being transferred for?

Yeah he swallowed a penny

Oh, well there you have it. That makes sense. This hospital only deals in nickles and dimes.

Me: okay, so imagine for a moment... That the monitor is your patient, ok?

Trainee: okay...

Me: so, the wires for the leads are kind of like your spinal cord. The spine can bend a little bit, but it usual only wants to bend one way, and you don't want it to bend too much or get pinched, right?

Trainee: I... Sure?

Me: Right Right, so... The way you wrapped these leads... If this monitor were a patient, I'd be checking for a priapism.

The spaghettios are too hot to eat. Will the EMT finish her lunch in time? Will she arrive clean? Will the nurse give a decent report? These are the burning questions with which I must grapple

Playing a dangerous game by trying to eat my spaghettios while my coworker, who is notorious for turning us all into flight medics, drives to the next call

One of the more difficult things to deal with as a patient advocate is that for some reason the hospitals and staff are usually not very happy when you have to advocate for the patient. Hmm.

Incredibly valid tags

"Wow you've been really quiet today, you must have had a lot of runs huh?"

"haha yeah it's been uh. It's been a day."

"you took a nap on the bench seat again huh?"

"yeah... Yeah I did."

If you live in an area with multiple hospitals within a small radius (I'm talking within a 30-40 minute drive), it's good to take the time to look up what hospitals offer what services.

Hospital A might be 10 minutes away, but it doesn't have a cath lab, so they won't be as helpful if you have a heart attack. Hospital B that's 20 minutes away does.

Some hospitals offer better prenatal care. Some are better for physical trauma. Ambulance crews are taught to know which hospitals are most appropriate for emergencies, but it's good to know who does what

im a trans new emt and i was wondering how you deal w day to day stuff

I feel like this is going to be a very "your mileage may vary" response, because a lot of this is going to depend on things like where you live, whether you do 911 or transport, and even what kind of crews you come across, but having been an EMT for several years, there are a few things that help me get through it:

First, from a trans perspective, it's important to remember that most people, most normal people, aren't going to look at you coming in and see a trans person. Most likely, they're going to see an EMT who is there to help. When I make patient contact, I introduce myself by my chosen name, and I immediately show care to the patient and whatever problem they're having. More often than not, they don't realize they're talking to a trans person despite my not passing extremely well.

I also wear a mask with every patient. This gives me the benefit of protecting myself and the patient, but also hides my stubble if I didn't shave well that day. Most people don't comment on it, and those that do would be unsafe anyway to be around.

Personally, the biggest factor for me for feeling safe on the job is my crew. I'm fortunate to be with a company that is very pro-queer, and so I tend to be with crew members that are accepting, even if they're a little confused about it. Finding a company, whether public or private, with good protection policies is really important.

From a more general EMT perspective, a few pointers I have that apply to pretty much any EMT:

Pack your lunch every day. Seriously. It's way cheaper than fast food and you'll be happier for it. If you don't have an office to go back to between runs, get a heated lunchbox that you can plug into the truck charge port. They usually run about 30 bucks and pay for themselves in about 2 weeks.

Pay attention to which EMT's care and which ones don't. The ones who care and show experience usually have good habits and good advice.

TRUST YOURSELF. I mean it. You passed the course. You know what you need to do in an emergency. The first time you run a code, it'll be the scariest time of your life, but you'll do it. You'll get through it. You won't be alone. Just remember your basics.

Seriously. Pack a lunch. Bring your own coffee or tea too while you're at it. (Cold brew you can set up the night before to save time in the morning)

There's a reason night shift has high turn around. If you want a lot of action, go to nights. If you want to keep your will to live, stick with mornings.

Don't rely on naps. If you get to take them because it's a slow day. Great. But if you go to work every day expecting to get one in, you will not.

Most importantly though...

You're going to see a lot with this job. Every day you're going to meet people having the worst day of their life. You'll save lives. You'll do everything you can for someone that isn't gonna make it and it's gonna suck. One day you'll probably see someone you know on your stretcher, and your job will follow you home every time a loved one ends up sick. There's not gonna be an easy way to deal with all of this, but time will teach you how to endure it.

The best way I've found so far is to not go through it alone.

Make time for your loved ones. Lean on them, and let them lean on you. You've chosen the path of the caretaker, but that doesn't mean you're the only one.

You got this.

Now seriously. Pack your lunch.

Every now and then I have to gently explain to a nurse that the reason I can't ignore a patient's refusal for transport is that I would prefer not to go to jail for kidnapping.

One of the more difficult things to deal with as a patient advocate is that for some reason the hospitals and staff are usually not very happy when you have to advocate for the patient. Hmm.

Gotta say, I was prepared for a lot when I became an EMT, but what I was not prepared for was the amount of other queer people in this field.

It's nice