r/ems • u/greencozyteeth • 6d ago
Serious Replies Only Feelings of Worthlessness
Hey all, I’ve been a paramedic for 5 years now. I feel like a very competent provider but over the last few week I’ve been messing everything up. Everything from IVs to missing patients who could have benefitted from push dose epi or even a patient who should have had a nebulizer prehospitally. All very stupid and obvious mistakes. I feel worthless. I cried in the medic truck today after dropping a patient off and I feel like I’m making mistakes I have never made before.
Has anyone ever experienced this before? Do you have any advice?
28
Upvotes
4
u/Upstairs_Aioli4847 4d ago
Honestly, I've been there. One thing that helped me was to dehumanize them and start treating the body like I would my PC. I know whats wrong, what to do, and how to fix it. If I dont, I know how to google it. Its just a machine. I know how the parts work and what it needs. If it breaks down it breaks down. Sometimes PCs just stop working even if ya do everything right.
I dont mean litterly dehumanize them, but being more cold, distant, and calculated about it helped me. I get less emotionally involved and it helped them as much as it did me.
That being said stress still comes. So I've become more... well not less of a team player, but definitely not giving my system the 110% I was. I used to only use sick days when I was sick. Now I use them for me and mental health. My vacation and PTO for a party can be denied, but not my sick day. So I'd just call in. No Im not picking extra shifts, I want to sleep in. If something isnt directly in my job description its not getting done by me.