By EMS1 Staff
Paramedics are a special breed. There are many thoughts only you will understand, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
We’ve all experienced the tones dropping before a shift change and have thought to ourselves, “Really?” And you haven’t been in EMS long enough if you don’t yell “Clear right!” when you’re driving off-duty.
Our Facebook fans kept the humor going and provided 20 more thoughts only you – a paramedic – will understand.
Did we miss yours? Be sure to let us know by sending an email to editor@ems1.com.
- “You are confident that if you stare at the monitor display long enough then it will change to something you recognize and know how to treat.” – Perry Bailey
- “While the call is being dispatched, you automatically head to the bathroom.” – Stan Slaughter
- “Having spaghetti after the GSW and not even blinking an eye. Just pass the sauce.” –William E Harris Jr.
- “Whenever you’re backing up in your POV, you use only the side mirrors, even though you have a rear view mirror on the windshield. And wondering why your backup alarm isn’t working while you’re looking for the switch to turn on your strobe lights.” – Sandy Otto Bryant
- “Constantly noticing signs and symptoms of illness/disease in random people out in the public while not on duty.” – Christina Miller
- “You don’t always need one of the gadgets/tools you carry on you daily, but when you do, you probably forgot it. And, not feeling stupid until you try to put the stair chair back up.” – Evan Foshee
- “Walk by construction site, instead of wonder what they are building, where do I cut the rebar to get impaled worker into ambulance and to hospital?” – Pam Morrell
- “You can leave $20 on the table at station and be confident it will still be there next week. Leave chocolate cake on the same table and it will disappear when your back is turned.” – Kirsten Keightley
- “Working a difficult call, to no avail, and not have anyone that understands why you are quiet or needing to go somewhere to cry in private.” – Steve Clark
- “4 a.m. rule: When you get calls all night and if you’re awake after 4 a.m., time to get breakfast because you’re going to be awake for shift change hours later.” – Jesse Martinez
- “Family members don’t think death is as humorous as us.” – Rudolph Cunningham
- “You’ve thought about rolling down a window in the middle of January while driving because you’re on your third transfer and it’s 4 a.m.” – Patrick Greife
- “Wondering if the glove can hold the contents of your bladder. Worse, knowing that it can. Even worse, knowing that it can’t.” – Daniel Katzenstein
- “Walking around Wal-Mart and you look at random people’s arms and think to yourself, ‘I could get a 14 in that one.’” – Derwin Jeffcoat
- “You get a sudden adrenaline rush when you’re visiting your kids’ school and the class bells go off that sound very close to your station tones.” – David Langton
- “You know you’ve worked EMS long enough that when you are home you answer your phone by saying your rig number.” – Chris Martz
- “No calls all shift until 15 minutes before shift change and the whole county calls.” –David P. Walker
- “When the new guy says the ‘Q word’ and everybody at the station throws something at him.” – Harold Jorschumb
- “You sleep in the recliner because your bed is 20 feet further in the station.” – Jack Homen
- “Visiting a friend and thinking about how hard it would be to get a cot or stair chair into the back bedroom because there’s not a clear path.” – Anne Harrison
This article, originally published in October 2017, has been updated.
