Question:
Is there a mailing list for discussion or support for EMS
stress/burnout? If not, would anyone be interested in participating if
I start one?
Any other ideas for specialised EMS mailing lists?
Answer:
Just out of curiosity, why would someone with a name like "EMT2B" need to
start a discussion on stress and burnout. If you're not an EMT yet how can
you be burnt?
Well, I'm told in class that the average time to burnout is 2.5 years in
the Boston, MA system, so I thought I would check that out. It seems to
me at this point that the protocols are the easy part - dealing with
trying to sleep after SIDS, bad traffic accidents, etc. is the hard part
that nobody talks much about until after a few beers. Some of the older
guys I know who worked FD in the old "load and go" days can't even watch
911 on tv. At least we get the training to be doing something instead
of just watching someone die in transit...
