76 | Difficult intubation | Advice for newbies | Don’t blame patients | Your happiness is up to you | Event horizons on calls

Practical EMS

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.

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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.