I was discussing the role of passion in EMS with a friend of mine. She reminded me that there are plenty of people with a passion for EMS who don’t have the aptitude for EMS. That got me to thinking.
Maybe there’s a distinction to be made. The people who are the long-term successes in EMS have passions for the right things about EMS. You know, things like the actual practice of medicine, the life-long learning, and the compassion.
Because if all you are passionate about the ability to drive with lights and sirens, sleep on duty (not that the “safety nap” is a bad thing, mind you), and get two days off after working twenty-four hours, you’re quite likely to have one of two things happen to you. Number one, burnout when you realize that real-life emergency medicine in the field has no resemblance to the infamous EMS t-shirts claiming that you’re a “Trauma Junkie doing everything the doctor does, only at 80 miles an hour.” Number two, disappointment when you’re one of the people posting on a Facebook group that “you love EMS and want to be a paramedic, but you’ve already failed National Registry three times, so it must be the fault of your instructors.”
Be passionate about the medicine, not the perks.
Well said, wes.
What about those that are passionate about the patients, the medicine and the system? But, are beaten down by managers/medical directors/crappy policies/”the man” ? What about them? Why are they in the wrong for wanting to do the right thing in spite of some “authority” figure saying the right thing is wrong?