Don Quixote, Perfection, Mentoring, and EMS

Whew, that’s a mouthful.  And my apologies if this blog post comes across as a stream of consciousness rambling.  I’ve got a lot on my mind about some recent observations on some of the EMS Facebook groups.

A few weeks ago, I got “added” or invited to an EMS Facebook group that’s obviously populated by some pretty smart, perceptive medics.  As I’ve already shared my opinion of Facebook EMS groups and the “low information medic” demographic they skew towards, I was happy and excited to join such a group.  However, it’s pained me to watch the Don Quixote habit of tilting at windmills pop up.

Many of the best and brightest in EMS have tilted at EMS windmills over the years.  Bryan Bledsoe has done a great job at pointing out many of the flaws in EMS.  He does it with science, logic, reason, a dash of humor, and an incredibly likeable personality.  Unfortunately, so many of the super smart people in EMS who choose to tilt at the windmills fail in two aspects.  First, they have an incredibly poor sense of timing and perception.  Second, they tend to come across like Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory or The Comic Book Shop Guy from The Simpsons — socially awkward, judgmental, and more than a bit smug.  (Think about it, politics and music aside, socially, would you prefer to hang out with Ted Nugent or Moby?)

Pick our battles.  Yes, there are some low information Facebook groups out there that prey on the lowest common denominator of EMS.  Are we going to be able to change them?  Probably not.  However, those are not the people who are going to advance EMS.  If we pick our battles and learn how to work within the system, in future years, those same low information EMS types will still be on the transfer truck while the smart ones will be in management and clinical development positions.

Find like-minded individuals.  Associate with them, whether formally or informally.  Our national EMS association may have its issues, many of which I’ve blogged about before, but it will still be easier to fix EMS and our EMS association from within rather than merely complaining from the sidelines.  There are plenty of us who are still passionate about making EMS a profession.  Imagine what we could do if even 10% of us decided to run a slate of candidates for our EMS association.   Remember, politics is the art of the possible.  It takes compromise and deal-making to get things done.  These aren’t dirty words — just reality.

Until then, here’s some advice.  First, don’t argue with a moron.  They drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.  Second, don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good.  I’ve had more than one instance in my EMS career where I wanted perfection instead of what worked.  In the process, I left more than one good place in EMS — and possibly burned some bridges in the process.  Finally, seek out a mentor.  I’ve been blessed to have several mentors in my EMS life.  They’ve given me sage counsel, especially from two perspectives. Number one, the “I wouldn’t do that if I were you” reminder.  Number two, the “Been there, done that” reminder.  If you don’t have a mentor in your vocation or avocation, you’re not setting yourself up to be a complete success.   Many thanks to the mentors I’ve had along the way of my EMS (and legal) career.  I shudder to think how many more mistakes I could’ve made.