Nature of the Work

People's lives often depend on the quick reaction and competent care of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics. Incidents as varied as automobile accidents, heart attacks, slips and falls, childbirth, and gunshot wounds all require immediate medical attention. EMTs and paramedics provide this vital service as they care for and transport the sick or injured to a medical facility. In an emergency, EMTs and paramedics are typically dispatched by a 911 operator to the scene, where they often work with police and fire fighters. (Police and detectives and firefighting occupations are discussed elsewhere in the Handbook.) Once they arrive, EMTs and paramedics assess the nature of the patient's condition while trying to determine whether the patient has any pre-existing medical conditions. Following medical protocols and guidelines, they provide appropriate emergency care and, when necessary, transport the patient. Some paramedics are trained to treat patients with minor injuries on the scene of an accident or they may treat them at their home without transporting them to a medical facility. Emergency treatment is carried out under the medical direction of physicians. EMTs and paramedics may use special equipment, such as backboards, to immobilize patients before placing them on stretchers and securing them in the ambulance for transport to a medical facility. These workers generally work in teams. During the transport of a patient, one EMT or paramedic drives while the other monitors the patient's vital signs and gives additional care as needed. Some paramedics work as part of a helicopter's flight crew to transport critically ill or injured patients to hospital trauma centers. At the medical facility, EMTs and paramedics help transfer patients to the emergency department, report their observations and actions to emergency department staff, and may provide additional emergency treatment. After each run, EMTs and paramedics replace used supplies and check equipment. If a transported patient had a contagious disease, EMTs and paramedics decontaminate the interior of the ambulance and report cases to the proper authorities. EMTs and paramedics also provide transportation for patients from one medical facility to another, particularly if they work for private ambulance services. Patients often need to be transferred to a hospital that specializes in their injury or illness or to a nursing home. Beyond these general duties, the specific responsibilities of EMTs and paramedics depend on their level of qualification and training. The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) certifies emergency medical service providers at five levels: First Responder; EMT-Basic; EMT-Intermediate, which has two levels called 1985 and 1999; and Paramedic. Some States, however, have their own certification programs and use distinct names and titles. The EMT-Basic represents the first component of the emergency medical technician system. An EMT trained at this level is prepared to care for patients at the scene of an accident and while transporting patients by ambulance to the hospital under medical direction. The EMT-Basic has the emergency skills to assess a patient's condition and manage respiratory, cardiac, and trauma emergencies. The EMT-Intermediate has more advanced training. However, the specific tasks that those certified at this level are allowed to perform varies greatly from State to State. EMT-Paramedics provide the most extensive pre-hospital care. In addition to carrying out the procedures of the other levels, paramedics may administer drugs orally and intravenously, interpret electrocardiograms (EKGs), perform endotracheal intubations, and use monitors and other complex equipment. However, like EMT-Intermediate, what paramedics are permitted to do varies by State. Work environment. EMTs and paramedics work both indoors and out, in all types of weather. They are required to do considerable kneeling, bending, and heavy lifting. These workers risk noise-induced hearing loss from sirens and back injuries from lifting patients. In addition, EMTs and paramedics may be exposed to diseases such as hepatitis-B and AIDS, as well as violence from mentally unstable patients. The work is not only physically strenuous but can be stressful, sometimes involving life-or-death situations and suffering patients. Nonetheless, many people find the work exciting and challenging and enjoy the opportunity to help others. EMTs and paramedics employed by fire departments work about 50 hours a week. Those employed by hospitals frequently work between 45 and 60 hours a week, and those in private ambulance services, between 45 and 50 hours. Some of these workers, especially those in police and fire departments, are on call for extended periods. Because emergency services function 24 hours a day, EMTs and paramedics have irregular working hours. For the source and more detailed information concerning this subject, click on the related links section (U.S. Department of Labor) indicated below.

In order to motivate yourself, you have to have some kind of reward at the end. Evidently, wanting to get into the university isn't enough to motivate you.

Try something more concrete - every time you do your homework, put some money into a jar - at the end of the 4 months, buy something you really want. Or get your parents to agree to match whatever you save up by doing that, and get something really nice.

Avoiding Work

People procrastinate because they don't want to do something. This is a normal feeling, but avoiding things that must be done will only cause you more stress. The whole time you are avoiding the work and doing other things, you are worrying because you know you should be doing the work. Plus, when the work doesn't get done, you get a negative consequence like a bad grade, punishment, or no paycheck if you avoid something you get paid to do! Check out the Related Questions to find other ways to get back on track with your work.

As a current university student myself I've come across and in fact asked this question myself many times - don't stress. The typical answer to such a question (especially found here, on the internet) would be: "get off facebook/internet/phone/bed/your lazy ass!" - sound about right? However this is not only a constructive answer that does not help the one who asks the question, it doesn't simply "happen"! Why?

It's easy! Humans are creatures of habit - yea, yea, cliche right? well it wouldn't be said if it wasn't true - put simply, if you don't have great study habits currently you can't expect to see them overnight - just like you can't expect to run a marathon tomorrow if you don't have the endurance built up yet!

So where do you start?

A great way would be to write a list of things you "like" to do (aka. things you currently spend your time doing - facebook/hanging out with friends (anything to NOT get to the work!) - but also a list of the things you "need/should" be doing (NOTE that I say need/should not "have" to - I'll explain why soon.

Time management is the next step! Students are always amazed at other students who "somehow have all the time in the world" to play piano, go to soccer games, go out for drinks and still manage to get good grades - think about the things you are doing? Do you really have time? I know that in my first year of university I did NOT use my time wisely - I would sit around on the computer or watching movies in my common room and then when I had a paper or assignement I would be bombarded with work! In that case I hated my work, which made me procrastinate even more the next time!

Now that you have your list of "activities" say, that you like to do and should be doing - simple everyday things we all do, sit down and make a plan for yourself. Manage your time wisely!

For example, if you have an assignment due in two weeks that is worth a lot of your grade, don't say to yourself "I'll do it ALL next Sunday." Spread your work out so that you can slowly get things done and polished before the due date. That way you're building your work and accomplishing your goals slowly, but surely! The reason for writing things you "like" down, is so that you can still work, but enjoy your time as well!

For example, write down Monday - dinner at 5pm, free time until 6:30pm - study from 6:30pm to 9:00pm - free time after 9:00pm. Now that you have specificaly set aside that hour and a half (before 6:30) for "free time" you can do whatever you like - facebook, go out with a friend, even lye on your bed "vegging" staring at the wall. In that case you set aside the time, and aren't "wasting" it. The once 6:30 roles around you will know that you are going to need to sit down and do your work! And it's even more rewarding to know that, okay I'll stop at nine! Now, you may be saying to yourself, well I can't get all of my work done in 3 hours, for example. But the key is to organize yourself everyday. Time management is one of the most important things and I can't stress just how crucial - for students. Perhaps you may be rolling your eyes if you are in highschool - but believe me you want to set your good work habits pre-university/college.

Now that we've stressed Time Management, the next important step is Motivation!

We all know this is REALLY hard - finding motivation for something, especially if it may be something you don't particularily enjoy is hard - we've all been there. But it needs to be done, right? Right. So remind yourself, I need to do this!

The reason I say need, and not "have" to do this, is a key aspect of motivation. If you associate "have to" with something like schoolwork for example - yes it can work that you will find yourself "finishing it" in the end. However, this does not always work for most people - in fact many will abstain from their work simply because they know they have to do it, but don't want to.

You can get motivated by having goals, and by putting meaning to whatever it is you're doing - always keep yourself grounded:

I need to do my homework so:

• that I can get a good mark, so
• that I can get that scholarship/get into a good school/graduate so
• that I can get a good job/career so
• that I can choose my own path one day so
• that I can sustain myself so
• that I can be satisfied with myself so
• that others will be satisfied with me so
• that I can be happy and able to do all of the other things I want to like:

To sum it up - it is easy to say "just do it!", but let's face it no one ever lost a hundred pounds, or got an undergraduate degree via three little words. Action takes a lot more. Realize your strengths and your weaknesses - praise yourself on the things you do best, and try to work out a plan to fix up the things you are unhappy with (this can be anything you're not satisfied with). Manage your time, and motivate yourself - try to find some kind of pleasure in what you are doing - even if it's "well if I get this done now, I can do this later!" Keep yourself busy doing something, anything, the less you do the more uncapable you will feel of getting other things accomplished! Have goals for yourself, and give yourself time - it's important to realize that making new habits and breaking old ones does NOT happen overnight - ask anyone who has ever tried to quit smoking! You can do it. It does not mean you will, but the choice is yours and yours only. Start!

If you're not used to doing things just because you have to, it helps to set a time limit and have no distractions. At first, you might say, "I'll do homework for 20 minutes, and then I can get up and get a drink." Then you can say, "I'll get my homework done, and then I can do what I want for the rest of the night." Some nights, you'll have enough homework that you'll have to say, "I'll get this done, and TOMORROW night I can do what I want."

It takes practice and perseverance. The reward is that you understand the material better, do better on tests, and get better grades. Also, the more you practice doing homework, the faster you'll get at it. It also feels really great when you accomplish something that's hard for you to do.