I have been in EMS now for 5 years, 4 as a medic. I am currently in a Paramedic to RN bridge Program. I have seen quite a few medics and EMT's who were at opposite ends of the spectrum. Empathy to me means taking care of the pt and reassuring them when you need to. You can still do your job, and yes some of the patients elicits an emotional response for me, but I have learned to to deal with it after the call.
Call me jaded or indifferent, but the way I see it, I have a patient to deal with and take care of em. Most of the time it is definitely something that I would not even dream of calling an ambulance for. Sometimes it is a real, bona fide life threatening emergency. Then I have to step back, distance myself, take care of the patient. There is time for thinking about your emotions when you get em to the hospital. That does not always happen, but I strive for that goal.
Kids will get to me faster than anything. I have worked several children in cardiac arrest, and I still have nightmares to this day about it. I do remember the ones that I have delivered, including one with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, and he was not breathing when he was born. Being able to control the emotions and keep a cool head is what separates the pros from the amateurs.
Just my $.02
If these same judicial despots misconstrued the Second Amendment as broadly as they do the first, Americans would have nukes to defend themselves from noisy neighbors. - Mark Alexander
I will stop buying guns when my wife stops buying shoes.
"You cant invade America. There would be a rifle behind every blade of grass" - Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto
A Recession is when your neighbour loses his job,
A Depression is when you lose your job, and
A Recovery is when Obama loses his.
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