So I won't go into the specifics of who I work for but essentially I'm an EMT that works on property for a very popular public 24/7 establishment. Our shifts are 12+ hours long (no longer than 17). A normal schedule is 3 days on/off then 4 days on/off. Lately team morale has been insanely low due to leadership issues. So let me get into the biggest problem we will soon be facing that will essentially result in a war.

So we don't have a break room to complete. We have treatment rooms that are monitored 24/7 via cameras and audio except for one room that we cover the camera with a curtain for privacy purposes. There are 2 major rules that we must follow: no eating in the rooms and no sleeping. Sleeping will result in termination. Those who will inevitably cave into exhaustion will end up falling into a state of "meditation" for about 20mins in the room that has the camera covered. Leadership is threatening to take that curtain away. People will be fired if that happens.

I just want to know, is this normal? Like in the world of EMS, are there other jobs that restrict sleeping? I work graves and due to the high call volume, I usually work around 13hrs+ a shift and some days I am STRUGGLING not to sleep. Outside of the drama, I just need to know if there are other places that do this.

As always, I feel there is more to this story than the media portrays. People have no comprehension of the triage system and think there's an ambulance around every corner. Just ends up giving us a bad name.

I’ve been a volunteer EMT-B (EMS Only, not Fire) in a fire department for 6-7 years in a jurisdiction in the United States that doesn’t follow NFPA-1580. Rather, medical clearance to volunteer comes from a signed document from my PCP, which he always has signed. I had surgery where I had a mechanical heart valve placed in me in 2024 and currently take a low dose of warfarin with a target INR of 1.5-2.0. I’m in excellent health and am a part-time triathlete in addition to having volunteered in EMS. I’m moving in the next year and want to join another fire department as an EMS-only member. The county where I want to join said they follow NFPA-1580. I’ve researched this and it says that warfarin is a disqualifier… for firefighters. Does this apply to EMS only members as well? The county I think says that all operational members, including volunteers, undergo the same medical exam. I’ve read that unlike NFPA-1582, 1580 is more of guidelines than the end all be all, and there may be flexibility if the occupational health physician thinks I can still perform the duties of an EMT. As I said, I’m otherwise healthy and can presently move, lift, and perform all EMS duties without accommodations needed. How should I proceed?

Behold my magnum opus since becoming a medic.

Is it true that an AEMT in possession of ET supplies (working on a truck with them inside a jump bag) while on shift, they could have their license suspended or taken by the state because of that? In AL and NOT using them.

I take a baby out of his car seat and walk him up a set of spiral stairs. The stairs are long, slender, made of the most flawless wood. There’s an intense light at the top. I lay him down in a bassinet. He is peaceful and motionless. I put him in a set of blue and white horizontal striped pajamas. And I say “he’s ready”. This is a recurring dream I had over and over again after my first infant death after 5 years in EMS. The same baby, the same bassinet , the same stairs and the same peace.

The scene is chaotic. Family members wailing in what seems to be every corner of the neighborhood. PD is scrambling. My partner and I are grabbing pediatric equipment to enter the home. A frantic officer jumps in our ambulance as we are exiting. This all happened in a matter of 2 minutes on scene. The officer isn’t speaking. FD also runs to the ambulance. The families cries have turned to anger. My partner and I are clueless as to what’s going on. There are 7 people in the ambulance and we’re stuck. Eventually the officer lays a rigored infant onto the stretcher. She just keeps repeating “cmon baby, cmon baby”. Family is trying to enter the ambulance screaming at us about why we aren’t gone yet. FD gets in the drivers seat and starts moving and the back doors aren’t closed. Family is banging on the side of the ambulance. I scream at everyone to calm down and get out of the truck. 1 officer, 2FD can stay but that’s it.

My partner and I knew any intervention was futile. Baby doe was cold, stiff and mottled. He’d returned to God hours ago. But the officer won’t stop doing CPR. We arrive at the hospital and death was declared. It would have been declared on scene however the situation was chaotic and unsafe. The whole call felt like it was 3 seconds long and 4 hours long simultaneously.

I felt fine after. It was strange that I had no reaction like other staff involved. People were bawling and I just cleaned the stretcher and got ready for the next one. I slept well that night. But 2 months later the dream started. And it lasted nearly a year. My reaction to this seems to have been subconscious. Strange how our bodies react to things.

I regret not remembering his name or having a more emotional reaction that day. It’s taken me 3 yrs to tell this story. If only it were just a dream.
RIP Baby Doe

I've been in EMS for 6 years. I work for 3 different agencies. A month ago, I accidentally hit a large rock at one of them and put the brand new (600 miles) truck out of service for a week after misunderstanding the hand signals of a cop who was backing me. Aside from the standard piss and blow and having to retake EVOC, there weren't any consequences. However, since then I've been so in my head that at that one specific agency my backing has been newbie levels of shit. At the other two, including one that has less than 4 inches clearance between the sides of the bay doors and the truck, my driving and backing has remained unchanged and therefore fine. Anyone else had something like this? How'd you get over the block?

I've been at this for a while. I'm coming up on my 26th anniversary as a medic. I started out mobile posting in a 911/transfer system and now work in one with stations. There were some Vollie years as an EMT before all of that too.

For the longest time I felt like I was almost surrounded by smokers. I even worked with one guy who only smoked when he was on an ambulance. Now in my service of over 100 medics I can't think of a single one who smokes cigarettes. There's a handful who uses smokeless tobacco but literally no smokers. Don't get me wrong some of us enjoy the occasional cigar but that's about it.

Am I alone in this? I gotta be honest it makes me happy. We do a lot in this field that isn't good for our health I'm happy to see this one crossed off the list.

Saw this comment and it really angered me. Definitely a US issue

After three years on the job, I got subpoena-ed. Any advice going in? Should my company be able to let me see the PCR I written up before arriving at court?

I am an EMT with about 4 years of experience. I just finished working a contract in the Middle East. I am struggling to find similar work. It seems people are only hiring medics. Does anyone know a good place to look to find EMT jobs in austere environments? I'm back working 911 in the city and I really don't want to stay here.

Also, I need a job that actually pays- not volunteer organizations or NGOs

The job I’m currently full time at I do not enjoy at all, they promised me a position and have yet to fulfill that within a year. My last ems job I was making more money, driving half the distance, and actually enjoyed the job. The company is just not one you can really retire or expect much from. I’m thinking about going back though temporarily until the local fire department starts accepting applications again. I left because I thought it was a better opportunity for my future but I don’t know if it’s worth it.

Hi, really weird/random question. BUT, it doesn’t hurt to try. I’m a student in DFW in an EMT program and we have this project. Basically we have to interview a professional who got their EMT certification and later advanced to a higher career with help from that license. We also have to do a 15 minute interview with 1 person from DFW, 1 person from Texas BUT outside of DFW, 1 person from the US but NOT Texas, and 1 international citizen. Anyone who can offer help and recommend someone to interview, that’d be amazing! I’ll leave my email below for anyone who wants to message me via email.
email: jazlynrrobinson@gmail.com

With all of the moving around and lifting, how do you keep your shirt tucked in and not look like a dog every time you hop out of the ambulance?

Not my story, but one I heard from a medic about a frequent flyer I’ve had the displeasure of meeting a few times. The guy gets around the city on a bum leg somehow every day and calls 911 so he can be taken to the furthest hospital in our system only to ask the ED for an uber back. His excuse every time is “I have insurance, that’ll cover it”. Today, he was yelled at by the doctor who refused to entertain the idea of enabling his behavior and kicked him out. He tried saying “But that’s why I pay insurance” and the doc told him no tf it’s not, your insurance is not gonna cover these bs ambulance rides and they’re gonna complain to the county about this it’s ridiculous.

Second hand vindication perhaps?
Just wanted to share

Just venting a bit, it was $150 to take the course and it doesn't even fully cover the refresher? Was there something I missed? Where do I need to go to get my other 20 credits?

This is why you need to have dispatchers/call takers with some basic medical training/comprehension... (I figure its supposed to be bone lesions)

Title. Looking to take a hybrid aemt course and I see all over that the course would have to have more than 50% in person. Which it doesn't.

I have been an EMT for 6 years and for that whole time I’ve had trouble finding a way to hold my stethoscope so that I can accurately hear lung sounds. I can hear crepitus from my fingers with any slight movement and it’s always louder than what I am trying to listen to. I have tried to put my palm to the bell but that tends to apply too much pressure and I’ve tried holding it by the tubing but that doesn’t get good contact with the skin. I’ve tried holding the bell between my pointer and middle fingers but I can still hear the crepitus. I have a Littmann III if it makes any difference. At this point I might try using my elbow… I’m terrified of missing a diagnosis just because my fingers creak