A Real Emergency is written by Joanna Sokol, and is about the stories of patients and paramedics in America during the pandemic and recent years. It explores deep thinking about caring for patients and what care actually ends up happening for the majority of patients, the history of ambulances and EMTs, and funny, emotional stories from inside the ambulance. (the passage is Joanna being spoken to by a fellow worker, page 113)<\/p>\n
An old memory comes to mind: sitting in the medical tent at Burning Man, talking to an older guy. An RN or PA, maybe. He says, “Your’e a junkie. your’e always gonna need something more, a heavier hit. In the beginning, your’e going to love being a medic. Driving fast, codes, traumas. Your’e going to love it. But that’s going to wear off. The rush will wear off, and your’e going to need something else, something more. It’s not going to last.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
When I read this, It made me wonder when the “rush” the man is speaking of wears off. After a year? two? a week? a day? and how maybe some feel guilty about quitting even if its for their own good because they miss the rush, the thrill of the first call, and its all they can think about when helping an old lady with her missing dog that she called 911 for. I read in this book that quite a few paramedics actually kill themselves rather then quit because they can’t deal with the PTSD of some of the calls they have gotten, or they feel guilty for bonding patients perhaps. This is important because it highlights the mental struggle after the “Exciting” part wears off, and you are left wondering why you became a paramedic in the first place. then the guilt they face if they quit or handle stress through bad ways like addictions or suicide.<\/p>\n
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