I ran into a medic recently and he looked great! He looked rested and happy and healthy. So I asked him to tell me the recipe of his secret sauce. These were his words verbatim: “Things got better once I realized this job was actively trying to kill me. I have to fight back.” He went on to tell me that he has to take purposeful steps to mitigate the effects of the job. And that’s the nature of this work… if you float along unconsciously and don’t actively take care of yourself, it can be hard to make a life-long career of it.
In this episode, our guest thinks he has sorted out how to become what has been affectionately called a “Lifer.” They are the rare breed of medics who have managed to make a career of this bizarre job. This guest is 4 years in and I think he is right: he seems to have pieced together a good chance at becoming a career-medic.
Listeners have said they come to Medic Mindset to remember what they loved about the job when they first started. If that’s something you enjoy about it, you are in the right place with this episode.
We discuss:
How he got his start
What makes a good teacher
How he avoids overconfidence
A lesson hard-learned – an error of omission
Importance of hiring well
Party-time at the station
How much pay is enough
Advice that he pays forward
Comfortable with uncomfortable
Benefits of Crossfit
Effects of the job on his marriage
How being a barista prepped him for the field
Talking on the radio
What he still struggles with
Showers on duty
Questions he uses to prompt new medics on calls:
“What do we know so far?”
“What kind of things would cause this?”
“What are some things we could put on the patient to help clear things up?”
His advice to a student in paramedic school
Two questions for Ginger
1. What skill or tool do you wish we had in the field?
2. Where do you see Medic Mindset in 5 years?
Medic Mindset 