Paramedic AF

Join EMS 2.0 on Discord!  https://discord.gg/zvcJSvkd2Q Essentials of building a bright future for EMS: Train your replacements Focus on what is effective, not who is right Protect success, not feeling As an industry, we need to focus inward on retention to be able to project outward to a brighter future.

Recorded: 07/04/2024 Aired: 07/04/2024 Join EMS 2.0 on Discord!  https://discord.gg/zvcJSvkd2Q Article: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/04/opinion/sunday/how-to-tell-a-mother-her-child-is-dead.html Intro: Housekeeping Rules on Discord Reading: How To Tell A Mother Her Child Is Dead, by Naomi Rosenberg, MD. Death is an every-day event for emergency services. It is something we know as intimately as...

Join EMS 2.0 on Discord! https://discord.gg/zvcJSvkd2Q Despite the wild and crazy ups and downs of a career in public service, it's always the little things that stick with us the most. Learning to embrace those little moments is part of maintaining a healthy career in emergency services as a whole.

Every agency has a goal for how you think, act, and feel. This is what drives their culture. Good, bad, or otherwise. Is this indoctrination normal?

"Change" is a dirty word in the world of public service. Why is that?

You are not responsible for every person's opinion of you. But you are responsible for what kind of reputation you feed. If it's broken, only you can fix it.

Recorded: 06/19/2024 Aired: 06/23/2024 Rigorous accountability is neither cute, sexy, nor pithy. Emergency Medicine is not the place to half-ass or excuse accountability. We MUST be held to a high standard, that is both clear and consistent. Operationally, clinically, and personally. _______________________ Our core values: Clinical discipline Personal wellness Authentic leadership Rigorous accoun...

"Understand: if boldness is not natural, neither is timidity. It is an acquired habit, picked up out of a desire to avoid conflict. If timidity has taken hold of you, then, root it out. Your fears of the consequences of a bold action are way out of proportion to reality, and in fact the consequences of timidity are worse. Your value is lowered and you create a self-fulfilling cycle of doubt and di...

You've all heard the expression "We eat our young." Is that really serving us in emergency services? Are we maybe doing ourselves a dis-service with that mindset? What about having engaged mentors instead? Michelle brings the fire in this latest Linda, Linda! Enjoy!

While we bitch and moan about how awful the public is, we often treat each other the same way. We are like crabs. Just one of us on our own can be a free thinker that can easily escape the ruts we are stuck in. But when in a herd, anyone who tries to escape is pulled back down by the others.

Recorded: 06/13/2024 Aired: 06/16/2024 Happy Father's Day! Today's episode is all about fathers, and some of the particular challenges that fathers face while working in the EMS industry. Dan and Michelle, as usual, put forth some controversial assertions, but also give encouragement and affirmation to all of the fathers out there giving their all. Enjoy the show! And be sure to share with your fr...

Cleanliness, truck check-offs, uniforms... All are part of taking pride in our job. But it's also the three things we become the most complacent on. If we don't want to be treated like the "red-headed stepchild" of healthcare, we need to stop acting like these things don't matter.

We are locked in a never-ending struggle between admin and field staff. Neither side feels heard, yet each blames the other for not meeting their needs/wants. And just like in a Mexican stand off, no one can pull the trigger without it cascading to the deaths of everyone involved. It's a no-win situation until we change how we address disconnects.

"Stolen Valor" is a specific military term that refers to someone impersonating a service member, rank, or branch of which they are not a part. The people that do this are looking for attention, and to benefit from the situation in some way. While it is not strictly illegal to do this in Fire/EMS, the same drive for attention and personal gain pushes people to try to pretend they are something tha...

Recorded: 06/05/2024 Aired: 06/09/2024 Personal Wellness is a touchy subject. But one that we often ignore to our own detriment. The interconnectedness of our personal wellbeing and professional existence does not allow for us to have an imbalance.  Prepare for a deep, transparent, vulnerable conversation between Dan and Michelle. You will LOVE IT! _______________________ Our core values: Clinical...

To err is human... Yup, we've all heard it. But what does it really mean? In emergency services, you will always make mistakes. In every aspect of your job.  Owning it makes you a better person, a better provider, and more respected by others.

Listen, Lindas!  Paragods have always existed in EMS, but we've noticed a significant uptick in the last few years. The on-the-nose arrogance and entitlement of these archetypal individuals does nothing but cause problems in the emergency services community. It causes division between shifts, services, and different disciplines in the public service community.  Buckle up for a hard-hitting, gloves...

People who start drama are like Llamas: they spit at you when they feel (or imagine feeling) threatened by you.  Everyone finds Llamas interesting. But no one respects them. They only find them interesting because they look goofy and spit sometimes. There's nothing about the Llama that is actually intimidating or powerful.  The same is true for those who thrive on drama.  Don't be a Drama Llama.

Recorded: 06/02/2024 Aired: 06/02/2024 While Elon Musk prepares a way forward for all of humanity to thrive amongst the stars, Dan delivers a heart-to-heart explanation of what creating a sustainable future for EMS. We don't just want EMS to survive, we want it to THRIVE! If you have any questions, feel free to message us!!! _______________________ Our core values: Clinical discipline Personal wel...

Developing self-empathy, providing legitimate positive affirmations, and managing self-narratives are skills that are undervalued in our industry. This is not a "cut-and-dry" kind of profession. It's dynamic, with big personalities, and a whole lot of gray areas. Managing your internal voice as well as how you treat others when shit gets rough is something we can't talk about enough.

You know those conversations you just can't seem to get out of? This episode is about those. :)   (Note: We apologize for the unpredictable static that occasionally pops up. from roughly 11min to 13 min there is intermittent static that we can't fix. But we tried to clean up the audio as much as we could so you can still hear everything just fine!)

You just need to listen to it. :) No, really, go listen to it. Hand your feelings a tissue. And go live better when you're done listening. :)

Recorded: 5/24/2024 Aired: 5/26/2024 Closing out EMS Week 2024, Dan and Michelle revisit the topic of Authentic Leadership, but with a twist. Get ready for lots of laughs, verbal strokes, and unfiltered truth!  _______________________ Our core values: Clinical discipline Personal wellness Authentic leadership Rigorous accountability Our vision is:  the creation of a culture of healthy, educated, a...

Mental health is complex. And especially in public service, mental health is a gaping hole that we only explore the top tier that we can see, and too often we overlook those who are suffering on the bottom that don't seem to have a way up. Our glorification of constant stress, lack of sleep, and mediocre personal lives, are actually far more dangerous in the long run than most of us imagine.

We all have bad days. When shit just doesn't feel right, go right, or sit right. When you're alone with the dark corners of your mind. And it's ok. You'll be ok. This too shall pass. And we will carry on.