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Emotions in the field of EMS>?
I was just wondering how all of you deal with the emotions and stress from your career? From people dieing and dealing with death? That is the only obstical i forsee in my path of becoming an EMT/Paramedic? I can be very emotional sometimes?
Thanks,
Bobbie Jo
Thanks,
Bobbie Jo
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by D.MAN on
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I deal with it by thinking of it this way.we are instraments of god.he puts us were he wants us.do your job and then cry if you need to.there is no shame in it.god wont give you more than you can handle.
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Permalink Reply by Ron Maddox on
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Bobbie Jo,
I have been in the Fire and EMS service for 18 years. There are things that bother me to this day, there are also traits in us that bother me as well. ALL Firefighters and EMS have a sick sence of humor. That is how most deal with the things you see on a day to day basis. Some things will always bother you, Kids, elderly. Those are the ones you expect. But its the ones that you don't expect that can be bad. he smell of a certain calone or perfume that your loved one always uses, a watch that looks just like the one you got for someone. These are the things that you need to be prepaired for, it's also the thing they do not prepair you for in class. The best thing that an "Old Hat" can tell you is this, deal with tragety the way you need to, just do not let it get to you and stop or hinder your tratment of a patient. The next thing that they do not tell you is that it is OK to cry with your paitents but do not get emotionaly involved. There is a difference. Hope that this in some wierd way helps.
Lt. Ron Maddox
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Permalink Reply by Donnie Bathje on
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Bobbie Jo
All of these are great ideas and should be practiced routinely. The only thing I didn't see in all the post, othe rthan the hobby idea, is to simply get away. Go on vacation and take some time away from it all. There is a reason we are afforded time off, use it. Good luck inyour endeavors. By the way you were made for this because one of the first things you thought of was hoe to deal with the issues you will face and not pretend to be invincible.
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Permalink Reply by Yves H Wild JR on
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Bobbie Jo;
I have to say your profile shows you’re entering the field for all the right reasons (the same as many of us). When I joined my first fire department 10 years ago I had the same worries. Could I deal with blood, guts and death? The best way I have found to deal with it is, as your career moves along remember all the calls that went well, what would have happen if I wasn’t trained or had not chosen this field? And as for mentioned talk about it at the station. Medics and fire fighters generally have a sick sense of humor (that’s one way I deal with it) but, it takes a while to find out what works for you! Hope this helps.
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Permalink Reply by Amanda Dunlap on
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Emotional detatchment is one of the most important tools you can have in this field. I was lucky in that I knew I had decided I was going to be in this field when I was 13. So at that age I knew enough to know that I had to start detaching myself from emotional situations. This is a very hard thing to do completely and if you're lucky enough to be successful in it then you can be assured you belong in this field. I had practice though. My aunt died shortly thereafter and that experience really gave me a chance to work on emotional detachment and when other people thought I was cold or that I didnt care, I would just tell myself it will help me in the long run. It is much easier to master emotional detachment before you get in the field or very early on in your career. Keep in mind though once you have become detached doesnt mean things wont bother you. You will always have those calls that get to you. Everyone does, you just have to know how to deal with it. If your company has any sort of debriefing program take full advantage of it. most of them are called critical stress incident debriefing or CISD teams or something to that effect. It doesnt matter how petty you think the incident was if it bothers you, you need to talk to them. If you want to talk to me more about it don't hesitate to send me a message or IM me on AIM: Imfallingcatchme.
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Permalink Reply by doug louden on
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when i have a bad call i usually go home talk about it to my wife and we sort it out that way and that helps me out alot . but all people are differant taht way . i hpoe you find your onway dealing with all of the bad stuff that happpens around you good luck
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Permalink Reply by Joe Brooks on
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Bobbie Jo,
I'll tell you what my father, a career firefighter/medic told me to remember when dealing with the stress of emotional runs ; YOU didn't cause the problem. But YOU CAN help! Depend on your training to get you through the difficult situation, then, depend on your brothers and sisters in your department (buddies, officers, staff councilors) as well as family and friends to process your emotional trauma. Strong? Yes. Silent type?... Dosen't work. Work it out, talk it out, go to work the next day and help again.
Keep up the good work and be safe,
Joe
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Permalink Reply by Charles Garnto on
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All you need is someone good to talk to i have had a 2 month old die in my arms after i pulled him out of a house fire its tough but if you have someone to talk to its helps alot
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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That's rough. If you need someone to talk to I can listen. As you know we are all here for each other.
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Permalink Reply by Kimberly Robinson on
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Some things you'll learn really fast:
- Its a hard old world sometimes, and not everyone gets a happy ending.
- The one thing you think you could never handle happens every day, somewhere, to someone.
- You have to set your feelings aside temporarily to deal with the situation at hand. Its not about you.
If anything, doing this made me face the fact that we can make all the plans we want for the future but we are fragile, fragile creatures and nothing, including the very next moment, is guaranteed. Doing this job makes me appreciate pretty much everything more than I ever have in my life.
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Permalink Reply by Bruce C Ziebarth on
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I know this has almost become a Taboo to speak about But, I believe one thing that greatly helps in a belief in something higher than ourselves. I believe this is why alot of firefighters are religious in one way or another. Believing that some things are out of our control and handled by a higher power greatly helps you to "lay everything at his feet". At the end of each day, no matter what has happened that day, I pray and ask God to help everything sort itself out.
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Permalink Reply by Wayne Breckenridge on
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Hi bobbie Jo
I've been a EMT for 4 years and a firefighter for 6 and i seen somethings in this job.Its not for somepeple.The one call that was hard for me was whan i did CPR on a 9 year old girl.But i had a job to do and i did it.after the call is when you deal with the emotions and stress.You have to find your own way to deal with it that work for you and you dont have to do it by your self find someone to talk to.The job can be very emotional sometime but i think you can do it.
wayne
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