EMTStress

Now we’re getting to the real beef. Here you are on duty in a university stadium in front of 20,000 spectators. It’s a decisive homecoming game to see who will go on to the playoffs. Not only did you get in for free. Not only do you have a close-up view from the sidelines. Not only are you getting to rub shoulders with some nationally famous players. You are actually getting paid to do it. What a great day.

Suddenly, one team drives their famous and beloved coach into cardiac arrest with their lousy play. Now all 39,999 eyes (one fan has an eye patch) are looking at you and your partner. No pressure, right?

Not enough stress? The “Golden Hour” rule doesn’t exactly help your stress level. The Golden Hour is the time from when an incident happened to when you get the patient to a treatment facility. It starts before you even get there. The goal is for you to assess the patient(s), stabilize with the appropriate pre-hospital care, and safely deliver to the hospital within an hour to get the best outcome.

Many of the situations you will face as an EMT will carry some stress depending on the severity of the patient’s condition and the environment. Is the patient going downhill in front of you? Is the family freaking out? Does the patient weigh more than your ambulance? Is there a blizzard outside? You need to be able to handle these situations without allowing them to stress you out too much. Your employer or the hospital might offer de-stress therapy. You don’t want to take the stress home to your family. They don’t really want you to either.