r/ems

I’ve been in EMS for a little over 3 years now, and I think it’s time for me to move on. I used to be so passionate about it.

I think I have PTSD. I can barely sleep, and my home life is affected by this job. I have to do everything extremely quickly, even eating meals while I’m off. I scarf my food down and feel sick, I clean my house in an hour and do it so quickly I end up sweaty and exhausted for the day, I have no patience for anyone because they’re doing everything “too slow”.

I can never take a deep breath and relax anymore. My nervous system is completely shot I think from the constant adrenaline dumps and feeling helpless is horrible situations. My worst calls have been pushing into my mind before I sleep, when they never bothered me before. My first suicide call has been at the forefront of it, because I never coped with it when it happened. I’ve tried therapy, and it doesn’t help when I’m constantly being re-exposed to traumatic situations.

As soon as I secure a low stress job, that’s it for me. It’s been real. I admire those of you who can make it to 5 years and beyond that. I think my brain and body just can’t handle it anymore.

Alright I specifically made this reddit account so I could vent about this (long time lurker in this sub) so bear with me.

The shop I work at is in the suburbs, so not my systems main university hospital where they have every specialist service under the sun but also not way out in a rural area. We specifically do not have OB/GYN, OMFS, peds, or optho. We never have and probably never will, been like that for years. Yet despite that, we routinely get 30+ week pregnant patients checking in, massive dental abscesses, major ocular complaints, etc. literally every day. Obviously I don’t blame patients for this, for the most part they don’t understand the difference and I get that an ER is an ER to most people, but it’s frustrating to spend hours playing phone tag with specialists at other hospitals, then hours on transferring people, just so they can sit in someone else’s ER to wait for optho or OB or whoever. Even EMS will do this sometimes, if our wait times look better or other facilities are on diversion they will end up with us.

Part of it is my own frustration but it sucks for patients too, obviously I have no issue seeing anyone for something emergent and most of the peds and OB complaints are pretty mild and easy to handle, but if it’s something legit they have to sit and wait to be transferred (which don’t even get me started on the inefficiencies there) and then usually sit and wait at the receiving facility as well. Sometimes just to be sent home!

I had this poor guy come in yesterday with an orbital cellulitis I needed to transfer to our main hospital and he was pissed that he had to wait on an ambo and didn’t understand why I couldn’t just admit him myself. When I explained it to him he hit me with a “well how the hell am I supposed to know your hospital doesn’t do eyes!” Which is a fair point, how would he know? He wasn’t super sick, and in hindsight I’m sure he would have gone directly to a hospital with at least the possibility of having optho on call, but how would he even know that? EMS at least has some protocols typically to give them a heads up what services are available where, but patients? Nothing.

Is there any resource out there I could have referred this guy to that would at least give him a heads up before he came in what services our hospital has? Just check the website? Same thing happens from PCP offices sometimes, I’ll get a call asking to send in some OB complaint and have to redirect them with a “we’re happy to see her but I would highly recommend she goes to X as they have 24hr OB call and she will be seen quicker if the pregnancy needs to be addressed”. Sick patients with EMS going to the closest facility I totally understand but sometimes they drop off OB or peds cases here because “everyone else is on diversion” or some other nonsense (not trying to shit on EMS, I was an EMT for years and it’s a tough job I get that).

Anyone have any thoughts, resources, or similar experiences? Rant over, thanks for coming to my TED talk.

Hi guys. I currently take an XR and a IR for booster but I’m working 12s, I’m gonna move to 24 hour shifts and I’m wondering how you balance it?

Do you ever get called to run on severely agitated pts in police custody in the event if LEO requests EMS transfer to the local jail as they feel the pt is not safe to transfer in a patrol vehicle? If you felt that the pt was having a mental health crises would you insist on transporting to the ED?

I have been working in patient care since i was 16 when I say this. I recently got my first ems contract! I am loving it. Everyone is very professional and proud of their job however a lot of my coworkers complain about the smallest things that take one thought to figure out the why to. Am I the odd one out in that i take the stresses of the job and use healthier outlets? I understand occasionally I recently had a guy fake oding and I complained about that one. But is this the norm everywhere?

So example, it's snowing heavily and you crash your car. No major injuries but you do have a minor head laceration (no obvious concussion) and a suspected broken leg. You call your emergency number and they say it's gonna be 30+ minutes to reach you because of the weather.

Is the person gonna stay on the phone with you that entire time? or do they hang up?

Send photos of the worst emergency ambulance bay youve experienced!

Two months ago, I stood up and had my first ever pre-syncope episode which induced a my first ever panic attack. I thought I was genuinely dying. I called 911 while my boyfriend had me lay down on our bed which was placed in the living room because well, we were slobs.

I waited maybe less than 10 minutes before I heard those beautiful sirens outside my door. Then came in several two ems workers, one paramedic and one emt. To be honest, I don’t even know the difference.

My house was a mess, I was in deep depression, it probably stunk. However, I was treated like a human in need. I wasn’t made fun of, I felt safe. Now the symptoms didn’t subside at all, but I was being reassured.

I’m beyond positive they knew exactly what it was, a panic attack. But they didn’t dismiss me. They loaded me up in the back, the emts and the on duty officer all had me laughing with there jokes and I felt like I could relax. I told the emt “you guys are angels”. Which is corny now that I look back, but that’s how I truly saw them.

I’m sure she wasn’t allowed to say this, but I asked “am I gonna die” and she said “not today”. She was older then me by around 3 years (I was 18 now 19) but in that moment, I almost felt like i was in the arms of my mother, being comforted in a bad storm. Corny I know, but comforting.

We laughed on the way to the hospital while I was trying to fight passing out. It actually isn’t a memory that I fear. The worst part was when I had to say goodbye and wait for my blood tests to come back.

If you’re curious, no I did not test positive for that heart attack enzyme. But a doctor’s appointment two months later confirmed I do unfortunately have POTS.

So I just want to say, thank you. Thank you for saving lives, and thank you for dealing with scared teenagers like me. I always look back positively on those emts. I love you guys! (Idk abt paying that bill though sorry)

A few days ago I posted about a seizure that didn’t quite seem right at a public event we were staffing. I followed up with the medic today who was on the call.

Final medical report is that the seizure was in fact, faked. And it’s not his first one I guess.

For context I took EMT class in fall of 2024 and I’ve officially been certified for 1 year (and one month). He’s asked me to come in and chat with his class tonight and I’m nervous haha. What should I talk about?

what are yalls favorites? this seems oddly divisive and i want to hear more opinions

So I’m a volly, get all the jokes out of the way, I hate myself too, don’t worry. Anyway, I’m also EMR and my dept was standing by at an event at the local county fair along with the ambulance service.

A couple hours in, this kid starts seizing. Thrashing, foaming, all the things. I’m the first one there, I have I’m in his side, and his younger brother shows up with (what could have been seizure meds but the kid said Narcan) saying “the doctor prescribed this for his condition”. I asked if he was on drugs, he said no, and the medic was 30 seconds behind me so I told him to hold off.

The first episode lasted around a minute, the second one much longer, pushing 5. Ambulance takes him to the ER. When they get back, they were pissed and they were convinced he faked the whole thing.

-during arm drop test, he moved his arm out of the way of his face
-his corneal reflex was active
-during insertion of the nasal tubes for meds, he was wincing and sniffling

And all of that was while actively seizing.

I know this doesn’t matter, but it’s not his or his families first time with EMS. They are all obsessed with emergency services to the point that a couple have been banned from the premises of a couple fire halls.

So did he fake it? Was this just a weird ass set of circumstances? What the hell happened

Context:
- 911 Call Volume: 2000-2500 a year
- Transfer Volume: 1100 a year to the L2 trauma center an hour away
- Closest hospital is a small rural ED with some inpatient beds. L4 trauma center

edit for FAQ:
- There are two EMS stations
- Average transport times are 15-20 minutes but can be upwards of 30-45 minutes in farther ends of the county. Response times are roughly the same.