I had an encounter with a decent young EMT who was leaving
the field. This young man had a strong sense compassion, the ability to think,
and truly wanted to help people. He was not helped grow as an EMT. He was not
taught the things he should have been. His partner was quick to blame him for
any failures. He seemed to think that he should take responsibility for things
that went wrong. I happened to be driving while he was finishing a PCR when we
were dispatched to an emergency call. It took us an inordinate amount of time
due to confusion on my part. He was willing to take the blame for this as he
was quitting, and thought it was ok. That’s when I started seething.
When I
started in this business, I had several Paramedics and senior EMTs who took
time to ensure that my questions were answered. They reassured me when I thought
I did something wrong. I was corrected when I actually was wrong, but at no
point was I belittled. I was mentored. We didn’t call it that, it was just how
things were done. If someone wanted to be an EMT and was willing to listen we
helped them. Now to be honest, we often eased or tried to force people out who
we noticed were dangerous.
Everyone
was given a chance because you never knew who was going to have the ability to
do the job. We took time to cover skills that were often neglected in class. We
listened and took time to help them deal when that bad call came. We had a lot
of people turn out to be good EMT’s and some of them became Paramedics with the
talent and understanding. It seems silly but it worked.
This
seems to be gone these days. People make mistakes, and new people are unsure of
themselves. Someone’s inexperience should not be an excuse to shift blame to
them. These people need your guidance. When you make a mistake, own that
mistake. Show the new person that mistakes should be a chance to improve. Learn
from your errors and grow from them. Teach these things to new EMTs.
I
mentioned a bad response time earlier. I went to the Supervisor on duty and
took my concerns to him. I readily admitted that I was the one in error. I also
took my concerns to him. As an employee I felt it was my job to pass on my
concerns. I also explained to the young man that he did not want to burn his
bridges. He might want to come back one day. I hope that he returns to EMS, as
we need people who have the passion to help others.
A
blogger who I respect has stated the good judgment comes from experience and
that experience comes with bad judgment. Bad judgment seems to cause a lot more
situations like this. If we refuse to mentor people EMS will continue to be a
job and not a profession. EMS will not be a destination, but a stop towards
something else. We often discuss better treatment modalities, appropriate response
types, and bases vs. SSM. But we never discuss how to improve the profession
from the inside. You are the first person that young EMT gets to work with. You
are the one that will influence their mentality. Don’t treat them like they
should be perfect. Remember someone took the time to help you. Good mentorship will give you that partner
that you want. The one that can anticipate your moves and sees patients as a
human beings.
Thank you for your time,
Lone Medic