Steve La John

“Hero”…Hmm… Well I don’t know about that. I think if you sat down and talked to most Paramedics and EMTs that work in an ambulance everyday they would say; “This is just what I do; some days the people I take care of do well and some days they don’t”. I think few actually consider themselves “heroes”. I’ll tell you, working in EMS (Emergency Medical Service) since I became an EMT in 1977, I have always viewed my job as a mission more than a job. I have to admit, as a young EMT, the excitement of the lights and sirens, and the fast pace work necessary to make a difference in someone’s life was an attractive part of what brought me in. Over the years, I found the adrenaline became more of a hindrance than a help. So many of the situations we get involved in require a cool head. Think about the scene of a bad car accident or a severely injured child. Everyone is screaming, running around all over the place. Emotion is running high. Someone has to be able to take control of a totally out of control situation.  

So… what is the motivation to get into this field? All I can say is, I have studied the people in EMS for the past 30 years. Does that make me an expert? No, probably not. But let me throw a few theories out there and you can tell me what you think. Some people work in jobs where they work on a project with a three-year time line. They work on it day in and day out and they are able to stay focused because they can see themselves making progress and visualize the goal and the ultimate end result. Not that these people don’t have pressure at work, but I would bet they don’t like it much. On the other hand, most EMS providers are just the opposite. They would not be good in the above working environment. Paramedics and EMTs function best under pressure. They are self-motivated. They thrive on chaos. They pride themselves on their ability multitask. They are not interested in the big picture. For them, it’s about making a real bad situation “better”; making it “like yesterday”. Quite frankly, that’s what keeps them motivated. If I peeked your interest, stop back. Next post I will share some real experiences to back up my theory.
 
“Ya’all come back now, ya hear!”