What is it about Emergency Medical Services (EMS) that attracts so many smart people to physically demanding, dangerous and often thankless jobs?
Why do so many people want to do what we do?
We agree it’s not the money, right?
So what is it?
Why do so many in EMS stay for lifetime careers, and even more try to “break in” to the field every day?
Most seasoned professionals know one or more co-workers who left for greener pastures and eventually came back to EMS careers.
Why is that? What causes the drug-like effect EMS has on so many of us?
Here’s the Flight Safety Network top five reasons EMS sticks:
Sense of Belonging
You know the feeling when you put on your favorite pair of blue jeans? You know, the broken-in pair that fits just right.
Well for many, EMS is like that feeling. EMS feels right. EMS fits.
EMS careers create a deep sense of belonging to something good, something bigger than yourself. After awhile, you just know it’s where you’re meant to be.
Lifestyle
Saying EMS is just a job, is like saying a Lamborghini is just a car. Clearly, there’s more to it.
EMS is more than a job. It’s a way of life.
The EMS schedule is a prime example.
Pilots and flight crew joke about what it would be like to work a “5 & 2,” meaning a five-day work week with weekends off. You know, like the rest of the world does.
Most pilots work the classic EMS “7 & 7.” Seven 12-hour day shifts followed by seven days off, followed by seven 12-hour night shifts. Or some hybrid version of a 7 & 7.
Medical crew schedules are even more varied. Again, it’s more than a job, it’s a lifestyle.
Goodwill Karma
Do you know what happens when you hang out with good people who do good things?
You probably guessed it. You become one of those good people. You get stuck in a positive spiral. And it’s a great place to be.
Doing good is addicting. Good always comes back to you 10, 20 or 100-fold.
Experienced EMS know exactly what I’m talking about. But it is something you need to experience to fully understand.
Prestige
Okay. Before you send us to the nice place where everyone wears white suits and speaks very softly hear us out.
We know Flight Safety Network (FSN) people do not think of their work as prestigious. Why? Because they’re in the trenches making it happen day in and day out.
But saving lives is special work.
When other people realize saving lives is what you do for a living, they think of you differently. It doesn’t matter if you think it or not.
FSN people are some of the humblest people we know. They never describe themselves as lifesavers. They always reduce life-saving miracles to “just doing their job” or something similar.
Well, you can fool the fans but you can’t fool the players. We know the truth because we see FSN people do it every day.
FSN people are lifesavers. And other people put them on a pedestal because of what they do. Like it or not, that’s prestige.
Crew Glue
Crew glue holds Flight Safety Network together. It’s the bond you share with co-workers. And it’s the bond we all share together.
EMS really is one big extended family. We’re proud Flight Safety Network is about EMS looking out for EMS. And we’re glad to be part of it.
The truth is…….
Lifesaving is stressful work. It brings out the best and worst in people.
Crew glue is what holds it all together. It sticks.
Crew glue keeps us all coming back for more.
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Clear skies & tailwinds,
Fly-write
