Burn Out

Unfortunately a common problem with EMS providers is burnout. Burnout though not exclusive to the EMS field it is a prominent problem. The most accurate defination I have found of burnout was "unrelieved job-related stress characterized by the person suffering from burnout may lose concern or respect for other people and often has cynical, dehumanized perceptions of people, labeling them in a derogatory manner". Personally I see where the cynicism comes from but for outsiders to the EMS it is probably difficult to imagine why people who dedicate their lives to serving the general public in their time of need can come to hating their job or the people they serve. Apparently it is already starting to effect me according to the observations of my girlfriend, it is difficult to not become angry when people call 9-1-1 for slipping on soap in the grocery store and when you get there they are more concerned with filling out a police report and making sure they get a copy. It is also infuriating when people call 9-1-1 for taxi services people who dont have a car or somehow have no friends, family or neighbhors willing to take them to the hospital 10 minutes away. Instead of calling a cab that would cost money on the spot they call 9-1-1 for an ambulance ride (that will go the same speed as a regular car) and most importantly they will not be seen quicker at the hospital and they wont pay when the bill arrives next month.This is the reason an ambulance ride cost $1500 because some people wont pay. Anyways regardless of  my little rant there, I still demand the most professional behavior of myself when on scene even if I believe that the call is an abuse or misuse of the 911 system. There reason I am writting about this is because I witnessed a senior member act verbally belirgerntly toward a patient, granted the pt was according to herself educated as a nurse, and was having a textbook panic attack, hyperventilation followed by her loosing the feeling in her fingers. The problem with this for my fellow member is that it was 3:00 AM and it was not the first call of the night that had been non-emergency. While that is not an excuse I just wanted to put that in context. Witnessing the behavior of my teammate made me more aware of my own behavior and what feelings to guard against when dealing difficult or frustrating situations.