Nick talks about a difficult traffic accident and how something that seems like not a big deal but actually affected him – we can’t choose the things that affect us

Is there something protective in the fire or law enforcement world that helps with longevity? Is it the wider variety of calls?

EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) is a form of psychotherapy that Nick had some great results from utilizing and highly recommends to those struggling

Working together as a tribe is a key aspect of a functional scene. Everyone has their roles, their strengths and they complement each other

When things would go bad, Nick would take all the responsibility on himself but share the successes with everyone

Nick talks about an officer that was vulnerable enough to go into the details about a difficult call where he ended up struggling for his life and how this inspired him to get some help and talk about past trauma as well

It is important to recognize your need for help before it becomes a big problem

Our experience on the panel leads us to believe that we are more likely to respond in anger as men in EMS – maybe that prevents us from seeking help sooner

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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 ed...

Why did Nick switch to law enforcement? He burned out on medicine

What does he miss the most: The team mentality. The fire crews that he grew close to. He felt certain they could handle whatever call came their way

We talk about the struggles working a 48-hour shift with a rural fire department but also having to manage the expectation from the private ambulance company that you run calls in a much wider radius to include the city when needed

Sleep deprivation is a big factor in burnout

Nick talks about his heavy caffeine intake and how he started having runs of dysrhythmia that later required a cardiac ablation for atrial flutter

What does Nick not miss? Getting up to run calls. The tiredness. The anger and helplessness

I remember getting to my absolute wits end on those 48-hour shifts and having to call our supervisor and tell them we were done running calls because we were so tired

Nick talks about how he could feel that stress and sleep deprivation damaging him in real time, like if his hand was on fire

The stress level of running those calls an hour from the hospital with no other paramedic on scene and having to perform high level skills has not been matched as a PA in the ED

Nick talks about how, even in law enforcement, his fear of the next call is not equal to what it was as a paramedic

Brent talks about a time when Nick was so angry he started stabbing his seat belt

Don’t blame the patient for their medical emergencies and don’t take your frustrations out on them

Nick talks about losing his temper on an innocent dispatcher after a hard night

Why do we see more resiliency and less burnout on the fire side?

Maybe the team mentality on the fire department, ability to move to slower shifts, debriefing

We all tend to get support after that horrific call that makes the news, but a bigger problem might be the micro-traumas that we all undergo day in and day out

Resiliency needs to be built into the system – you are going to get burned out and have a tough day at some point and it needs to be prepared for

We don’t typically lie to ourselves that we are “okay,” we may genuinely feel okay. It’s later that situations and calls may

Support the show

If you want to support the show, follow the links below for some great health and fitness products.

My favorite protein:
https://1stphorm.com/products/phormula-1/?a_aid=PracticalEMS

My favorite 1ST Phorm Energy Drinks:

https://1stphorm.com/products/1st-phorm-energy/?a_aid=PracticalEMS

My favorite creatine supplement

https://1stphorm.com/products/micronized-creatine-monohydrate/?a_aid=PracticalEMS

My favorite pre-workout supplement
https://1stphorm.com/products/project-1/?a_aid=PracticalEMS

If you want to work on your nutrition, increase your energy, improve your physical and mental health, I highly recommend 1st Phorm. Check them out here so they know I sent you.

1st Phorm | The Foundation of High Performance Nutrition

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 ed...

Mark (paramedic) | Brent (fire officer and EMT) | Nick (former paramedic and current police officer)

Mark has worked in urban and very rural 911 ambulances and does part time EMT education now

Community paramedicine is an emerging field and can vary a lot from region to region. Paramedics are flexible providers, so the potential is huge

Brent has stuck with firefighting from his early days as a recruit all the way to becoming a fire officer

Nick has transitioned from EMS to law enforcement in the last several years

The history of the spine board is a good lesson for new people: The way we practice medicine is a constantly moving target. Best practice is not always based on good data. We used to put EVERYONE on a spine board, but this has turned out to likely be doing more harm than good

Even though logically something might make sense, it doesn’t mean it always does in reality. Backboards and epi are big examples of this

Mark talks about the history of backboards and how this practice came to be

An important point to remember in emergency medicine: If you have nothing really wrong with you, we are more likely to harm you than help you with treatment. This is because nothing comes without risk and if there is truly nothing to treat, the scale weighs entirely to the risk side.

Support the show

If you want to support the show, follow the links below for some great health and fitness products.

My favorite protein:
https://1stphorm.com/products/phormula-1/?a_aid=PracticalEMS

My favorite 1ST Phorm Energy Drinks:

https://1stphorm.com/products/1st-phorm-energy/?a_aid=PracticalEMS

My favorite creatine supplement

https://1stphorm.com/products/micronized-creatine-monohydrate/?a_aid=PracticalEMS

My favorite pre-workout supplement
https://1stphorm.com/products/project-1/?a_aid=PracticalEMS

If you want to work on your nutrition, increase your energy, improve your physical and mental health, I highly recommend 1st Phorm. Check them out here so they know I sent you.

1st Phorm | The Foundation of High Performance Nutrition

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 ed...