Great Attitudes Lead to Great Things

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October 31, 2011

Resource: Subject Matter Experts Industry: EMS, Fire, Public Safety
Tags: EMS, Fire

Blog by Tim Holman
Chief, German Township Fire & EMS

There are many books and studies that say attitude is the most important element of an individuals success. This is especially true for those of us in the emergency medical services. It doesn’t matter how skilled an EMS provider might be, if they have a bad attitude, the care they deliver will suffer.

Ask yourself a question, would you want to be treated by a surgeon that has a bad attitude? Of course not.

Some may argue it doesn’t matter what type of attitude a person has, as long as they are skilled nothing else matters. But consider the fact that negative feelings determine our outlook on situations.

If a surgeon responds to a severe trauma victim with a negative attitude, should they be looking at the victim with an optimistic or a pessimistic view? Don’t fool yourself into thinking it doesn’t matter. It does matter and it matters a great deal.

Negative thinking, spawned by negative attitudes, leads to negative behaviors. The EMS providers’ behavior at an emergency scene is first impacted by the attitude, then the behavior. The behavior is the type of care he/she delivers to the patient.

Have you ever heard someone say, “he is a great paramedic, but he has a bad attitude?” The truth is there is no way a paramedic can be great if they have a bad attitude. The bad attitude cancels out the skills the individual may possess.

Great paramedics have great attitudes to go along with great skill. Most EMS systems will tell you the majority of complaints from patients have to do with the EMS providers’ attitude and seldom with patient care.

Every day EMS providers have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. No, it is not pleasant to be called out at 2 a.m. for a patient who has been sick for three days. Drunks, overdoses and uncooperative patients are difficult. But if they are approached with a positive attitude, the interaction will go much smoother for both the patient and the EMT.

Remember in EMT class when they told all of us we would have these types of patients? Well, we chose to be EMTs anyway. Now we have a responsibility to be the best EMTs we can. The only way to do that is to perfect our skills and our attitudes.

Don’t let negative people around you determine your attitude. Attitude is a choice. Choose a good one. It means you look at each patient and ask yourself, how can I make things better for this person? Do I really care? Great EMTs care. They care about the patient, the community in which they serve, their co-workers and the organization in which they work, and their attitude reflects it.

As an EMT you are a role model. You are there to serve your community, provide the best care possible for the sick and injured, and meet adversity with a positive outlook. You have a responsibility to reflect confidence and compassion. You are a problem solver and people listen to you because you have a positive attitude.

Recently an EMT transported an elderly patient to the hospital. He said the patient appeared frightened and lonely. She had no family and was being admitted for treatment and tests. The EMT went down to the gift shop, purchased some flowers and took them back to the patient. The woman smiled for the first time during the transport and thanked the EMT repeatedly. His attitude made a difference for this patient. Sometimes the best treatment doesnt come from needles and medication. Sometimes the best treatment comes from a caring attitude. Great attitudes always lead to great things!

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