76 | Difficult intubation | Advice for newbies | Don’t blame patients | Your happiness is up to you | Event horizons on calls
11/17/24 • 29 min
Nick talks about a difficult RSI intubation and his struggle to overcome the feeling that he didn’t do his best
We talk about how intubation success was such a critical point as a paramedic that everyone would have judged you on in the past
We talk about the direct laryngoscopy vs the new video techniques
Advice for the newbies:
Brent: You’re going to struggle with burnout. You need to recognize it early. Prepare for that possibility.
Nick: The things that affect you are different for everyone. Certain things you think may not affect you will actually become a problem for you later. You can’t choose the things that you will struggle with. Always treat the patient well and don’t blame them for the problem they are having. It is not all about you. Treat people with respect and give them options. Let them save face.
Mark: Recognize that your happiness is up to you. Don’t expect the company or organization to give you your happiness or your wellbeing. If you see yourself getting less happy, you don’t owe the organization anything. You make the decisions that affect your life. We can’t blame the environment we choose. Make a change if you need to.
The mountain will always be the mountain. We have better gear than we did before but that doesn’t make the challenge itself that much easier. EMS is tough field and that will always be the case
Knowing when to step away is also important
Nick’s metaphor: Event horizons are the edge of a black hole. If you were in space and you passed into an event horizon you probably wouldn’t even notice. But from the outside, you would just appear to disappear. Event horizons appear in our careers as well. You may not really understand you are at that point of terminal burnout but looking back you might be able to pinpoint that point of no return that you crossed.
Where is the event horizon on a call? That point of no return where the outcome is assured.
Full show notes can be found here: Episodes - Practical EMS - Content for EMTs, PAs, Paramedics
Most efficient online EKG course here: Practical EKG Interpretation - Practical EMS earn 4 CME and learn the fundamentals through advanced EKG interpretation in under 4 hours.
If you want to work on your nutrition, increase your energy, improve your physical and mental health, I highly recommend 1st Phorm. Check them out here so they know I sent you.
1st Phorm | The Foundation of High Performance Nutrition
Everything you hear today from myself and my guests is opinion only and doesn’t represent any organizations or companies that any of us are affiliated with. The stories you hear have been modified to protect patient privacy and any resemblance to real individuals is coincidental. This is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice nor used to diagnose any medical or healthcare conditions.
Nick talks about a difficult RSI intubation and his struggle to overcome the feeling that he didn’t do his best
We talk about how intubation success was such a critical point as a paramedic that everyone would have judged you on in the past
We talk about the direct laryngoscopy vs the new video techniques
Advice for the newbies:
Brent: You’re going to struggle with burnout. You need to recognize it early. Prepare for that possibility.
Nick: The things that affect you are different for everyone. Certain things you think may not affect you will actually become a problem for you later. You can’t choose the things that you will struggle with. Always treat the patient well and don’t blame them for the problem they are having. It is not all about you. Treat people with respect and give them options. Let them save face.
Mark: Recognize that your happiness is up to you. Don’t expect the company or organization to give you your happiness or your wellbeing. If you see yourself getting less happy, you don’t owe the organization anything. You make the decisions that affect your life. We can’t blame the environment we choose. Make a change if you need to.
The mountain will always be the mountain. We have better gear than we did before but that doesn’t make the challenge itself that much easier. EMS is tough field and that will always be the case
Knowing when to step away is also important
Nick’s metaphor: Event horizons are the edge of a black hole. If you were in space and you passed into an event horizon you probably wouldn’t even notice. But from the outside, you would just appear to disappear. Event horizons appear in our careers as well. You may not really understand you are at that point of terminal burnout but looking back you might be able to pinpoint that point of no return that you crossed.
Where is the event horizon on a call? That point of no return where the outcome is assured.
Full show notes can be found here: Episodes - Practical EMS - Content for EMTs, PAs, Paramedics
Most efficient online EKG course here: Practical EKG Interpretation - Practical EMS earn 4 CME and learn the fundamentals through advanced EKG interpretation in under 4 hours.
If you want to work on your nutrition, increase your energy, improve your physical and mental health, I highly recommend 1st Phorm. Check them out here so they know I sent you.
1st Phorm | The Foundation of High Performance Nutrition
Everything you hear today from myself and my guests is opinion only and doesn’t represent any organizations or companies that any of us are affiliated with. The stories you hear have been modified to protect patient privacy and any resemblance to real individuals is coincidental. This is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice nor used to diagnose any medical or healthcare conditions.
Previous Episode
75 | We can’t choose what affects us | Teamwork on scenes | Recognizing you need help | Responding with anger
Nick talks about a difficult traffic accident and how something that seems like not a big deal but actually affected him – we can’t choose the things that affect us
Is there something protective in the fire or law enforcement world that helps with longevity? Is it the wider variety of calls?
EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) is a form of psychotherapy that Nick had some great results from utilizing and highly recommends to those struggling
Working together as a tribe is a key aspect of a functional scene. Everyone has their roles, their strengths and they complement each other
When things would go bad, Nick would take all the responsibility on himself but share the successes with everyone
Nick talks about an officer that was vulnerable enough to go into the details about a difficult call where he ended up struggling for his life and how this inspired him to get some help and talk about past trauma as well
It is important to recognize your need for help before it becomes a big problem
Our experience on the panel leads us to believe that we are more likely to respond in anger as men in EMS – maybe that prevents us from seeking help sooner
Full show notes can be found here: Episodes - Practical EMS - Content for EMTs, PAs, Paramedics
Most efficient online EKG course here: Practical EKG Interpretation - Practical EMS earn 4 CME and learn the fundamentals through advanced EKG interpretation in under 4 hours.
If you want to work on your nutrition, increase your energy, improve your physical and mental health, I highly recommend 1st Phorm. Check them out here so they know I sent you.
1st Phorm | The Foundation of High Performance Nutrition
Everything you hear today from myself and my guests is opinion only and doesn’t represent any organizations or companies that any of us are affiliated with. The stories you hear have been modified to protect patient privacy and any resemblance to real individuals is coincidental. This is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice nor used to diagnose any medical or healthcare conditions.
Next Episode
77 | Kelly Grayson Part 1 | Author | Blogger | Paramedic
Kelly Grayson is a very experienced paramedic, educator, speaker and author that serves the EMS community.
You can follow him here:
(10) Kelly Grayson (@AmboDriver) / X
You can find his books on Amazon
Kelly talks about how he was cocky for many years when he first started as a paramedic. Paramedics often go one of two routes: God’s gift to paramedicine or bringing their text books around in fear every day
Kelly re published En route and On Scene the way he meant to release them in the first place in 2023
A lot of us go through the “God’s gift to paramedicine” phase of our career when we are overly-confident when we are new
Kelly tells a moving story about an elderly woman and how not everyone wants to be saved
Full show notes can be found here: Episodes - Practical EMS - Content for EMTs, PAs, Paramedics
Most efficient online EKG course here: Practical EKG Interpretation - Practical EMS earn 4 CME and learn the fundamentals through advanced EKG interpretation in under 4 hours.
If you want to work on your nutrition, increase your energy, improve your physical and mental health, I highly recommend 1st Phorm. Check them out here so they know I sent you.
1st Phorm | The Foundation of High Performance Nutrition
Everything you hear today from myself and my guests is opinion only and doesn’t represent any organizations or companies that any of us are affiliated with. The stories you hear have been modified to protect patient privacy and any resemblance to real individuals is coincidental. This is for educational and entertainment purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice nor used to diagnose any medical or healthcare conditions.
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