There are times in which an individual must just get away from it all, and put down the smartphones, tablets, and computers, and pick up something outside the field of EMS and Fire. Really, I say that right. You all have been following me for the past month and a half and listening to the different tales that I have told, and followed the literary journeys I have taken you on. But...there are times in which one must get away from it all.
Every semester when we conduct a new interview process for our Paramedic Program we try to talk with the individuals and see what they have going on in theirs lives. Not that we are nosey, or just want to pry into individuals lives, we try and see what escapes these individuals have before they start into the paramedic program. Now if you go an interview a dozen, two dozen, or even a hundred medical school students in their first years you will find that most are already at the point of burnout and are preparing to drop out of the program they have longed for as long as they can remember. The same holds true to paramedic students as well. They are working full-time jobs, full-time students, and having to complete a large number of clinical rotations just like physicians. With these three large blocks taking time out of their schedule, where do they escape. If you ask them, most will tell you that they are looking forward to a slow shift at work, or a "white cloud" day at a clinical to escape, but they are still in the system. Like Thomas Anderson, "Neo" "The One" in the Matrix trilogy, he had to be unplugged from the system to escape, but he was still fighting the system he was trying to escape.
Tonight was my night to escape. Just like those paramedic students, administrators can also get overwhelmed working within the system. In the past several weeks I have been working with my wife and several excellent friends to learn our lines and our actions to put together the play "No Name on the Street" at our church before communion. You may find it funny that may way of escape is to, well...Work! Yeah, I know, I really am a workaholic. I think that I already posted to that effect but this was an escape for me. I have been working day in and day out to learn the lines of the second spectator in the story of the crucifixion of Christ. It was so vastly different than my day-to-day position that I was able to lose myself in the story and relax by playing this different character.
Our Fire and EMS brethren constantly find themselves looking at another off-duty training day, an out of town educational program, an extra shift or two (or three), and studying for the next promotion. We leave our primary positions at the end of a shift only to jump on another ambulance or fire truck at our part-time jobs. When we are at home we don't relax. My last position on the fire truck our dispatchers would turn the lights on every time we got a run and it got to a point that when I was at home if my wife or kids would turn on the lights while I was asleep I would jump out of bed ready to respond. We hardly take vacations and are slow to commit to other things because we are waiting for that next overtime shift assignment. That continues to hurt our bodies, hurt our minds. It leads to greater risk of burnout, and more specifically it harms the relationships that are around us.
In my spare time I write this blog, I host the EMS Educast Mini Editions, and sometimes I co-host the EMS Educast. I design new presentations for speaking engagements, and work on things I didn't get done in the office. I find new ways to use social media in my position for multiple organization, and design research programs. And if you notice I really didn't mention anything I do for my regular job, but all these things can take a days break.
So while acting out a play such as "No Name in the Street" may not be something that you enjoy (I didn't think I would at the beginning) there is something that you can do to unplug from the system. If you host a podcast in your spare time, schedule a regular podcast vacation. Believe me your listeners will understand. If you host a daily blog, take a day to write an extra posting or two that can be schedule to release while you escape for 48 hours. If you are social media junkie that utilizes the services of Facebook, twitter, and linked in for your position...download Hootsuite and Autoschedule a couple days worth of posts so you can disengage your computer and live your live.
While "No Name is the Street" may not be your way, find you escape and engage that. To the better mental health of you and your peers.
Take Care and Stay Safe!!!
The ComboMedic
twitter.com/dsblev
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