I've noticed the same. A few weeks back I had to pick a ~300lb fella up off of the toilet and if I wasn't there, they would've likely had to call the fire department for assistance. My paramedic colleague that day was a small woman with back issues that doesn't train or exercise. Astonishingly, it doesn't seem like my coworkers are making the connection between their lifestyles (smoking, pizza as the preferred meal, sedentary) and the condition that our patients are in.
One of the primary objections our hiring manager gets from EMT prospects is, "I can make more than this working at Arby's." This is not a good sign for the health of the overall system.
I agree that a podcast or article should happen in the future.
In the meantime, it is an interesting topic to hear stories from, in bits and pieces, on the podcast.
The experience also appears to benefit your podcasting skills by gibing you a broader knowledge to draw upon in those conversations.
I’ve had this discussion A LOT and what I’ve boiled it down to is that everyone in EMS wants to be a firefighter and no one realizes how much nepotism goes into hiring. Fact is, being an EMT looks baddass (and to an extent is). All these young guys think they’ll be Ricky Rescue on the pump in two years, only to get stuck on the box.Astonishingly, it doesn't seem like my coworkers are making the connection between their lifestyles (smoking, pizza as the preferred meal, sedentary) and the condition that our patients are in.
One of the primary objections our hiring manager gets from EMT prospects is, "I can make more than this working at Arby's." This is not a good sign for the health of the overall system.
I’m a little salty because I was this guy, but I would never trade the field experience I got from the job. Ever since I got out, every job I’ve taken that’s 8 hours or during the day has been a cake walk by comparison. You learn how to function in stressful situations, mitigate and attend medical emergencies and deal with every sort of person imaginable.
It’s such a valuable skill set- it’s just so unfortunate it’s not a lucrative career in any regard.
Are either of you (or both of you) interested in coming on the show? I don't have a vision for an episode about this stuff, so you can help facilitate a discussion if that sounds interesting to you. If it comes out well, we'll air it. If not, it'll be good to talk to you guys anyways.