Transfer EMS v. Bordem and fighting burn out along the way

October 6, 2005

Anyone here tired of working for a " transfer service " . I would just

like to blow a little bit of frustration out of my system... I'm

tired of doing facility - facility trips. I pick up a person at the

hospital and take them to either A) Nursing Home Their Home or

C) An LTAC facility. I get tired of doing this over and over and

over. I sit and spend my days waiting for MOT's, PCS forms, and face

sheets. I'm constantly asked " Why do you need to know that? " When

I'm trying to obtain a pt. history from a nurse, on a pt who's going

home. I'm fed up with never having the opprotunity to even try

and " think on my own " . No one I ever transport is still ill, if

anything they just have some decubitus ulcer on the sacral region or

they are on O2. I try and " entertain myself " if you will, by reading

pt's lab results from when the were admitted v. when they were

discharged, and try and learn as much as I can from that. I read

H & P's and try and learn as much as I possilby can from each and

every pt. I love EMS but everyday seems so mundane. I'm not in this

job for the lights and sirens. I'm not in it to make the front page

of the news. However, I would just for a moment, like the

opprotunity to be presented with a pt. who actualy needs some sort

of acute intervention. (i.e. IV, O2, Backboarding) I know that some

people reading this are going to say " Quit complaining " and to them

I say " I'm sorry, and I probaly should. " I have been doing this for

almost 3 years and going from a 911 provider to an strict

interfacility service, has been a complete 180. I think it has to do

with who I used to work for, and the fact that I would take pt's to

get their toenails cut at the podiatrist drop them off, go back, get

another one, and take them, pick up the first, ect. ect. ect. By the

time it was all said and done I'd have 6 PCR's to do, in less than

an hour and a half. (And that really did happen) I don't know if I'm

burned out or just fed up. I still love the job, and the people, but

I am always finding myself upset for the same, laborious situations

I keep getting into. Doing the same calls over and over and over

again. I've done everything I can to stay ahead of the EMS curve, I

take PALS, ACLS, BTLS, ect. I despretley want out of this routine

job, but have problems finding somewhere else to go. So I ask this

of my EMS colleagues... what advice do you have to me? And have any

of you ever had this same problem? Thank You

-Txbasic

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