So there I was, sitting in the back of the ambulance cleaning up after running a combative patient that was under the influence of meth-amphetamines. My partner and I were wading through the wreckage that this outstanding citizen caused. Kind of like people do when their homes get demolished by tornadoes. I looked at my partner – who happens to be brand new – and told him that he did a good job on the call. He looked up at me with a confused stare and replied, “are you being scarcastic?” I explained to him that he stayed calm and did a great job with getting the restraints placed on the patient in a timely manner. ”Um….thanks, nobody ever gives me feedback so I don’t really know if I’m doing a good job or not”, he replied.
After speaking with him for a while, I realized that he is afraid to ask any senior medics or EMT’s for advice. This really troubles me for many reasons. For starters, the majority of my family lives in this town and if a new EMT wants to better himself and learn from the more experienced medics, then I want that opportunity to be available to him. If he runs my family, I want him to be competent and comfortable with his skills.
Back in my night-shift days – before giving in to the call to promote to middle management – we used to all sit around the crews quarters and talk about our calls while finishing up our PCRs. Everyone talked about scenarios, asked questions and offered advice to the new guys. Nobody was afraid of being perceived as an idiot or a bad medic. We were all there to learn from each other and grow as professionals. Nobody was out to be the “best medic”.
We owe to our newcomers to flood their brains with tips and information, whether they ask for it or not. Every time I see a teaching opportunity, I jump on it. Likewise, I take advantage of every learning opportunity that comes my way. Just remember, in time our “FNG’s” will become the senior providers. At some point in time, my health will get the best of me and I will require EMS. The same “new guy” that nobody wanted to bother with may end up coming to my aid. I don’t know about you, but I want him to have the benefit from learning from all our years of experience.
