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What Characteristics Make a Great Paramedic?

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On Confessions of an EMS Newbie, Ron posts his entrance essay for paramedic school, in which he answers the question, “What are the traits and characteristics of a great paramedic?”

One of the traits he lists is likeability, which he sums up thusly:

“A big part of being likeable is the ability to communicate the compassion, sympathy and knowledge I’ve mentioned previously. If you can make people feel good, even when they are in crisis and pain, they are going to like you.”

That’s a big part of it. I know plenty of good paramedics who are very, very skilled. There are some whose skills and knowledge I would rate above my own. When someone’s life is on the line, they’re the ones you want.

Problem is, many of those same medics suck at the everyday, boring runs that comprise 90% of EMS calls. They act as if such runs are beneath them and their superior knowledge and skills, and it shows in their attitude. They’re just not likeable people.

In the movie Patch Adams, Robin Williams tells Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s character, “You know, I forget how young you are, Mitch… that you have to be a prick to get things done… and that you actually think that’s a new idea.”

Some of the most talented people in EMS are like Mitch. You see it in their interaction with patients, to the tee shirts they wear off-duty. You know, the ones that say, “Paid to save your ass, not kiss it.”

But those people are merely good. They’re not great medics. The great medic is the total package. I’ve said it before in a post some years back:

If you can be the island of calm when the feces strike the thermal agitator, and keep your wits about you when everyone else is losing theirs…and then turn right around on the very next call and do nothing more than gently hold a frightened old lady’s hand on the way to the hospital and perhaps coax a smile from her…and realize that BOTH are equally important skills…then THAT is what makes a great medic. Even if they never saved a single life.

So, what in your mind makes a great medic? What traits do they all share? Go to Confessions of an EMS Newbie and tell us what you think.

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Posted by on August 15, 2010 • Filed under: Confessions of an EMS Newbie

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  • http://www.facebook.com/benoit.vaillancourt Benoit Vaillancourt

    The great medic is acting a way the LOL in NAD doesn’t ever no the previous patient was shot and (nearly) killed by Sumdood.

    The great medic, even in the BLS call, try to do a difference; like moving a hip fracture patient without pain.

  • http://thehappymedic.com the Happy Medic

    A great medic knows their place and sucks it up when they have to. Someone who smiles and laughs at the dialysis patient who called 911 at 2 AM for a ride to the ER. A great medic is willing to sweat buckets while their patient shivers under blankets with the heat up.
    A great paramedic knows when to panic, as Kelly says, and when to relax.
    I think it has to do little with a shirt we wear off duty, or our hobbies, or our marital or religious status, or the books we read late into the night, but more about wiping your feet at the front door, introducing yourself with a smile and wearing a collared shirt and looking professional when someone calls, no matter the reason. Even if it is to adjust the volume on the TV. Smile, ask if there is anything else we can do to help, then go home and learn how we can better help that person, rather than them calling 911.
    A great paramedic, or EMT for that matter, knows where work and play diverge and can do both to their full extent.
    Otherwise the will go insane and patients will suffer.

  • http://yourparamedic@twitter.com yourparamedic

    Here is a few pointers on being a
    GREAT medic.
    Be able to communicate don’t talk
    Over or under your pt.
    Act like you car even if you don’t
    Be a devils advocate.
    Don’t EVER show your frustration
    To your pts.
    If they say it hurts belive them.
    If they say there sick belive them.
    Talk to them like a person on the
    Street would not some burnt out
    Jaded street medic because they don’t
    CARE!
    Its ok to give your pain meds
    Remember you are a medic. Not every
    One is a drug seeker. And its not
    Like your carying the toxic waste
    In that narc. Box of yours.
    If you wanted to be treated with
    Redpect give it!
    You may look profesional but, pts.
    Do not know it if you don’t look it
    (Shave, tuck your shirt in, don’t be
    A prick just some examples)
    Know your truck
    Clean your truck
    Know your protocols
    LOVE YOUR JOB! (Or quit)
    Its ok to be mad on the way to
    A scene but, when that door opens
    You are a hero every single time.
    Its ok to hate paper work but, every
    One does not have to know.
    Last but not least
    Calm, comfort, and reasure
    Just my two cents…
    Yourparamedic@twitter.com

  • BoynSea

    AD:

    A touching post. I’ve reached that ‘age’ of my life were I know that my hour of need will come, as surely as it comes for everyone. Sadly, geographical distances dictate that we will never meet.

    I can only hope that I draw someone like you.

    Rock On, Bro.

    BoynSea

  • Emsdemille

    a medic doesnt have to be likable just be good at what does whether its holding a ladys hand or someome has a arm cut off get the damm job done

  • yourparamedic

    this thread is about “GREAT” Medics, not good medic.
    And your right EMSdemille you you don’t have to. Be likeable, and you can still get the job don
    When I am dying I hope my medic is likeable he / she may be the last person I see. Thayts comforting. By the way boynsea
    There are many GREAT medics out there.
    Yourparamedic

  • Sewmouse

    Dear Mr. Kelly Ambulance Driver Guy:

    I would love to know if the juxtaposition of this post with the previous one (you and KB at the not-so-nice range) was planned, or is just a serendipity of irony?

    Having a friend who is a paramedic, and who does tell stories about both the good and bad jobs he goes to, I think I can understand the sentiment on the t-shirt. I guess in the long run, if I had to choose between a more-than-competent a-hole and a just-barely-competent sweetie, I’d probably want the a-hole for the ambulance and the sweetie once I was safely ensconced in a hospital room.

    But it would be nice to get a very competent sweetie!

  • Lrayemt

    I believe having the capacity to be empathetic and compassionate, no matter what the nature of the call, is benificial to both the patient and the medic

  • new medic

    I am a new medic but I was an EMT for a while before getting my EMT-P. There are great medics I work with and some not so great medics. Some of the not so great medics know what they are doing but just dont care. I dont respect that. I ran a phsyc call with the medic I respect the most. He was so awsome with this 21 year old. The guy was upset cause mom and dad were going to start charging him rent and he decieded to say he was going to kill himself. The medic sat with this guy talking with him for a long time and got the kid to realize he needed help. Once we got back in the truck and left the scene he let out this loud yell. He was so frustrated and did not show it to the patient. This medic also spent a lot of time making sure I turned out to be a good medic. He is very good at his skills and a patient advocate. Medics should not do what ever they want cause they are lazy or jost dont feel like doing their job. You should do what is best for the patient. This does include spending sometime at night reading new material and going to class to learn about new things. This also includes going and getting some practice in if you start missing skills.

  • girlpower

    An awsome EMT makes for a great Paramedic..thank you.

  • Urstuck

    A great medic is one that wakes up ready to go to work with a smile on their face. They are willing to teach and help their coworkers and not do it in a fashion that makes them feel inferior. They treat each patient with the same amount of respect and care, no matter what their problem is. The great medic realizes that medicine isn’t always the answer, sometimes all it takes is an ear and a hand.

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