Movin On Up

This month I was hired by a large ambulance company that runs IFT's and 911 calls, which is a big step up for me. Besides that obvious excitement of running 911 calls, there is the relief that comes from working for a well run company. As of now, all ambulance services (minus the Fire Departments) are private and are run like regular companies that need to make a profit. Fortunately for me, this new company understands that keeping a happy/not completely over-worked staff is one of the key points to having good service.

One of the things that strikes me about working 911 is the pace- most of the time it's slow. The majority of the calls we run could easily go to the doctor's office or urgent care. When there is a true emergency, it puts everyone on edge- if you ever see a Fire Captain running with a patient, it's a big deal. There are little flashes of excitement and then a good amount of sitting around in the rig waiting for the next call. The thing that stays true to all the bs calls is that you have to treat them with the same professionalism and compassion that you would for a major trauma or medical emergency. It's really about the connections you make- the patients I'll remember most are the ones I had conversations with and got to know a little bit about them. That is more interesting to me that how many full arrests or trauma calls I run.

Basically, I love my new job and I'm excited to really get into the swing of things. I went on my first full arrest call this week and I feel like I've learned a lot in terms of what kind of care provider I want to be (emulate some paramedics, do the opposite of others...).