Just Follow The Yellow Brick Road!

Life is full of preparation and practice....we just maybe don’t see it because it often has such a low impact on us. Maybe it’s driving somewhere you’re unfamiliar with and having to follow directions on GPS. Maybe it’s driving a rental car and figuring out its windshield wipers. Or, maybe the menu at a never before visited restaurant. What’s really going on with our thought process?

High stakes preparation is only different because we let it be different. Sure....easy enough to say. Consider these thoughts:

That unfamiliar place you’re traveling to...it has road signs, or landmarks, or markings on the street. We know how to use those!

That rental car still has a gas pedal and brake pedal. We know how to use those, too!

That new restaurant? The type of food maybe new, sure, but the process of looking at a menu and ordering, eating, and paying, are all familiar.

The important thing is to look for those familiarities, understand that you KNOW them and are comfortable with them. Do that, and the new stuff isn’t so intimidating.

Some of you reading this will know exactly what this little “parable” is about....just hang in there, you’ve got this!

Paramedics As Teachers....and as Humans

Last week I worked a double shift. Not too big a deal, just 24 hours. Hey, that’s how I USED to do it every shift! The first twelve were part of the system entry academy I’m in. The second half, on the same ambulance with the same partner (happened to be my brother in law), was an extra shift, rather than class related.

On both halves of the day I worked with either a new paramedic or a paramedic student. The new paramedic had some bad experiences during field training, and was apprehensive with us. Clearly, there was need for some change in this person’s experiences.

Throughout the day both my partner and I went about our usual way, integrating the three of us into the calls we ran. At this phase of my orientation I still function at a much lower level. Still, I made sure that I took care of everything I was allowed to, whether setting up an IV, obtaining a 12 lead EKG, or starting to work on the patient report. We both did as decent, and experienced, paramedics should do...we mentored a new paramedic with positive attitudes and the desire to help someone who is where we once were. What happened the next day? The new medic was all smiles when talking about the shift.

What did we do? We just treated a new paramedic the way we would have wanted to be treated...with respect, dignity, and the understanding that everyone starts somewhere.

This new medic’s experience had been so uncomfortable that thoughts of getting out of EMS were an option. I can only hope we offered an alternative ending to those thoughts.

So, tell me, what does it take to be friendly, helpful, and supportive? What energy is expelled?

When you weigh in the personal benefit you get from seeing someone else succeed, and knowing your efforts contributed to that success, you realize it takes ZERO effort.

We’re all on this world together, and many of us are trying to reach the same goals. So why not work together?

It’s Easy to Say There’s A Plan.....

Alright, God....three times you’ve made a decision that shook my world to the core. I didn’t agree with your plan. But, I know whatever you’re thinking, it’s the best plan. While I might get frustrated that I don’t grasp it, I know it’s right.

This time, though, I really hope your plan is the same as mine. It’s not for me, it’s for my friend.

Thanks for listening.

Starting Over - Week Two

I'm two weeks and a day into my EMS reboot. Still enjoying my millennial classmates....don't worry, they're not offended, as they call me a Baby Boomer (off by a couple years, but OK)!

I'm learning that I should consider buying an urban dictionary so I can keep up with them. Expressions like, "I'm down to clown," "Get crunk and get drunk," and "I am diggity down" all come from a much younger generation. Not to take a thing away from them. I'm sure my parents wondered at two thumbs up and, "Ayyyye!"

I'm still very much enjoying my classmates. While I have been playing my experience cards close to the chest (I think I have a fear of not meeting perceived expectations), I have been outed by several instructors who have known me for 25 or 30 years. So.....now I embrace my senior status, reinforced by classmate commits like, "Tom's social security number is '1'," and "Wrecking a carriage doesn't count," and "Tom's first radio was two cans and a string!"

At the same time, I've enjoyed reminding them that their parents didn't know each other when I started. They toss in some ribbing, and I respond that I'm retired. I don't have to work. They shut up.

The more I learn, the more aware I am that EMS is quickly evolving from what I remember. The days of "You call, we haul" are reaching their perihelion, and EMS MUST evolve to continue. The result is there is much to learn to get up to speed, but it is cutting edge. I'm very happy that my re-entry is in my home county.

Starting Over....Week One Finale

I'm working on wrapping up week one. It's been one heck of a whirlwind! Between the 10 tons of information, homework, and physical conditioning each day, its been a full week. And I only worked, really, four days...earning overtime, at that.

What I do have to say is that I have been very pleasantly surprised at the quality of the program thus far. The instructors have been dynamic, energetic, and focused on student learning. While I'm sore from the first real exercising I've done in years, I also recognize how much good it's doing me. And the coach is encouraging, supportive, and interested in our success.

I'll admit, at one point of exhaustion, I questioned what I am doing. But, pain and fatigue are fleeting.

On another note, I am very pleased with my classmates. While most of them weren't born when I left the field full time, they are energetic, positive, enthusiastic, and thrive on teamwork. I'm looking forward to succeeding and graduating with each of them!

Starting Over

I’m pretty sure plenty of folks have experienced what I have started. Returning to a starting point you thought you’d left behind. Let me clarify. I’ve been a paramedic for over 32 years. I spent, between full and part time, 21 years in the field. During that time I also taught full time at a community college as an Associate Professor of EMS, retiring form there in 2017. In response to students’ questions of “ will you get back on a truck.” My answer was a definitive NO!

But, after  one and a half years of just working part time, on an EMS truck, I’ve decided to go back to my roots and do it again.

In order to get cleared to function as a paramedic in my county, I have to attend a five week orientation. Now, I’d heard a lot of grumbling about this orientation.  Condescending instructors, intense work loads, simulation after simulation. However, the first day didn’t lend any credence to the rumblings. The instructors have been, so far, professional and very adept at teaching.

A couple of other things I noticed on day one: I can bend over and touch my toes. Thought that was a lost art! I have received nothing but positive comments and words of encouragement from peers, friends, and former students. I also am reminded of a former student, turned friend, then turned co-worker, Simon. When he attended my classes in paramedic school, he would be very relaxed during the usual morning routine of saying good morning. Once the lesson started he transformed into a focused, earnest, learner. I find myself mirroring that behavior. Hopefully, I’ll have the same outcome as my friend Simon.

More later.....