Emergency medical services constitute an integral component of our national healthcare industry. They contribute to saving human lives by providing pre-hospital transport facilities to their patients. This profession, despite insufficiently-paid, observes a 6% job growth that is faster than average. And getting into EMS isn’t even a challenge; the real dilemma lies in the survival of paramedics in their profession. An average paramedic lasts five years because this occupation proves to be a toll on human emotions. How can you boost your career in EMS and last longer than usual employees? Here are some pro-tips we’ve gathered after assessing what experts in this field have proposed.
Tips for EMS career properity
1. Know your niche:
The secret behind success in one’s career is the ability to find one’s niche. Emergency Medical Services constitute a range of inter-related fields and departments. You must find a particular area you’re good at to initiate a career and succeed in your profession. You can become the heart failure expert who resuscitates nearly-dead people. Or you can find your passion within the EKG department. Don’t limit yourself to something you’re not enthusiastic about; instead, acquire mastery in a specific category. Unless you concentrate on a single career choice, you won’t be able to function correctly in EMS or perform your duties fervently.
2. Communicate with seniors:
Don’t get bewildered by how your managers would treat you on your first day at work. If you wish to survive as a useful paramedic, you need to bolster your communication with the seniors. Making powerful associations with honesty and tolerance is the perfect method of boosting your career in this industry. Learn that the administration’s not the enemy here. Conflicts arise in every organization, mostly caused by a lack of a strong communication network. So, there’s no need to participate in any gossip to become involved in conspiracies against the upper-level management. Just be frank and open-minded about a dialogue with the seniors.
3. Continue your education:
Medical science is evolving rapidly, and medical knowledge is multiplying at an exponential rate. This constantly-advancing industry compels EMTs to pursue continued education if they wish to survive this profession. Now you can find continuing education online courses that improve your skills and retain your eligibility for this profession. Such pedagogical options ensure better patient care and improve job satisfaction. You keep up-to-date with the latest developments in the ESM industry and well-versed in the newest paramedical practices. Continued education expands your skills and capabilities while making you better qualified for promotions.
4. Collaborate with colleagues:
Not unlike your managers, you can also face difficulties adjusting with your coworkers too. It’s normal for employees to give newcomers a tough time. Public safety professions have no deficiency of seasoned veterans who deserve your trust and respect. In return, you’ll have to invest time and effort to earn this honor back! It requires a lot of patience and diligence to stand on the same footings as your colleagues do. So, don’t try to turn them against you in attempting to impress them with your “immense knowledge.” Be humble and show some humility. Your colleagues – like your seniors – can teach you a lot you need to learn to survive as a paramedic.
5. Get better credentials:
Proper education provides you with the credentials required for holding influential positions as a professional paramedic. The minimum requirement for this service is to acquire an associate’s degree. But a bachelor’s degree in EMS upgrades your credentials and makes you eligible for better-paying employment opportunities. Even that wouldn’t be enough to nudge out other applicants for the same job. That’s why you need to possess some extra qualifications too. Apply for additional credentials such as an NREMT certificate to achieve skills necessary for beating the competition. They also allow you to attain proper licensing in the future quickly.
6. Do lack warmth:
You might’ve heard how patients should get treated like family members. Now is the time to forget about all these soap-opera lessons. You won’t survive as a successful paramedic if you show warmth or compassion toward your patients. A decade ago, an average paramedic lasted for 6.5 years in the field. But then this tenure decreased to become four years. In 2016, Dr. Paschal proposed that a paramedic’s personality links with his/her character. She found that paramedics who lacked warmth performed efficiently in disturbing situations instead of losing themselves in the patient’s sufferings. Other preferable personality traits include reasoning, stability, and boldness.
7. Teach your pupils:
What’s the best method to keep your job skills always fresh? Tutoring youngsters who wish to enter the EMS industry is probably one of the most effective ways to maintain your professionalism. Launching an academic career does seem like a far-fetched idea. But, once you start mentoring, you’ll find teaching to be a much rewarding career. For starters, you earn decent money by educating students as a part-time gig. Secondly, your department can avail of your teaching services so they won’t have to outsource pedagogy. Thirdly, it’ll reflect on your loyalty to your profession and make you willing to acquire further education yourself.
8. Write about it:
And we’re not talking about journaling in your free time or writing about your work in a diary. As a professional paramedic, you must remain in touch with the latest development in the EMS industry. Learn about the recent trends well enough to convey some information regarding your occupation. You can become a content writer by authoring for magazines about the responsibilities of paramedical staff. Visit websites that accept guest posts to review their submission guidelines for reviews and articles. It’ll strengthen your knowledge about this profession as you’ll read books and research papers. This knowledge allows you to become better at your job.
9. Never panic:
Newcomers to the EMS industry often come across severely-injured patients, and they’re confused regarding their responsibilities. Sometimes, they forget that they’re not doctors and can’t provide the patient’s medical services to cure his/her wounds. Paramedics must monitor some crucial aspects of a bleeding patient to save the injured person’s life. These are called the ABCs of emergency medical services. The three alphabets in “ABC” stand for airway, breathing, and circulation, respectively. Your responsibilities involve bringing a patient to the hospital with stable ABCs so doctors can operate with ease.
Conclusion
Our country’s healthcare professionals have the nerves of steel which they need to tolerate the human suffering they frequently witness. And emergency medical service providers experience the most upsetting and terrifying scenes of them all. They constitute the immediate-response team that transports bleeding patients to the hospital while saving them for proper medical treatment. No wonder EMTs had a suicide rate of 5.2% back in 2018. That’s why they require continued educational opportunities to encourage themselves and bolster their courage. We can conclude that the EMS profession isn’t fit for everyone except for the braveheart who cherishes challenges.
