Burnout. When some hear this word, they might think of a tire screeching against concrete while smoke flies everywhere. In this case, the squealing tire is replaced by tired and exhausted prehospital workers. The emergency world interprets the term "burnout" as a first responder who is no longer heard from. They no longer experience excitement during their calls. Many of them have night terrors throughout the night that keep them awake. A direct consequence of this is feeling exhausted for prolonged periods. Primarily paramedics and EMTs (emergency medical technicians) experience burnout. The amount and type of calls you make add up over time. The once adrenaline-filled calls turn into a tedious journey to the hospital and back. Eventually, he'll take them down slowly, one turn at a time. With so many countless traumatic calls and events, anyone could understand why most of these emergency responders lose contact. Add in the long days, loss of sleep, and nightmares, and burnout is inevitable. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayOne of the world's great killers is stress. In an ambulance, stress is not a foreign sensation. This career has many stressors that can affect a person. Age is an overlooked aspect in these careers. Practicing paramedics have a wide variety of ages. For example, there are doctors in their twenties or younger. Scientists have discovered that the human brain does not fully develop until the age of twenty-five (Backberg). That said, these underdeveloped twenty-somethings are making traumatic, sometimes deadly calls. The human brain is not made to see that kind of blood, let alone an underdeveloped one. In addition to being immature, the majority of the public does not trust an EMS worker under the age of twenty-five. Most believe they are not fully mature or intelligent enough to handle responsibilities. Many times this leads the young paramedic to feel desperate. Sometimes, when they try to help, they don't believe in their knowledge or abilities. That said, even older paramedics have their problems. On the other side of age, is where most of these burnout doctors are. Because they have raced and seen many fatal outcomes throughout their careers, they are more at risk. Another significant form of stress comes from traumatic calls. Most bloody calls are the result of car accidents, falls, suicides or fights. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, “There were 37,133 people killed in motor vehicle crashes on U.S. roads in 2017…” (1). This is an average of 102 deaths per day from car accidents. Most of the time, though, these calls aren't the worst. Usually, the ones that hit closest to home are the calls that have the greatest impact. “Close to Home,” or EMS providers connecting patients to their families. There may be days when the paramedic or EMT may need to make a call where the patient reminds them of their loved ones. Occasionally, these calls result in the death of children or infants. As you might assume, no one likes working with babies or toddlers. Especially when they have children of their own or the outcome is fatal. One of the ugliest/worst feelings in the world is responding at the scene to a dead on arrival (DOA) person. These calls can take a toll on your mental health. These patients can die by decapitation, suicide, or gunshotinfections. These calls are pretty horrendous and the worst part is that the emergency operator cannot help. All classes, time spent performing clinical activities, and calls made in the past do not affect the outcome of these situations. These calls are sometimes burned into their brains. Every time they close their eyes, they see that image painted on the back of their eyelids. Have you ever watched the program and found something extraordinary? The first feeling that comes to mind is anger at the manager for scheduling more work than usual. Well, for EMS providers, this is not uncommon. On average, a regular work week consists of seventy-two hours or more. Depending on the company, this is usually three twenty-four hour shifts. Other companies may have employees who work forty-eight or even seventy-two hours at a time. This means the crew can make calls all day and all night. It doesn't matter the time, if the ambulance is ready, then they have to take it. This may not let the crews on duty sleep. Especially if they have to make a late night transfer. Transfers take a patient from one hospital to another medical facility. Sometimes these transfers can take two to four hours one way, meaning four to six hours are taken away from precious sleep. As everyone knows, sleep is sometimes more precious than gold. In addition to working incredibly long hours, these EMS providers must work in all weather conditions. Whether it's bitter cold or sweltering heat, whenever a car is stuck in the ditch at three in the morning, the ambulance must respond (Fleshner). Another consideration is when the roads become covered in ice. These ambulances are expected to respond in no more than ten minutes. If the EMT tries to hurry, it could cause an accident. There are many occasions when local ambulance providers hold events. Many of these events may include races, special Olympics, or county fairs. During the entire event, the crew must always be ready. Events like the Polar Plunge, which occur in the winter, require these paramedics to be exposed to the cold. The crew must stay out and be ready for what may happen. One of the complaints of most paramedics and EMTs is their pay. Most of them believe they deserve a more adequate salary for what they do. On average, for example, Chicago paramedics earn an annual salary of $40,788 (CASA). While nurses can go to school for the same amount of time and earn much more. Many times this leads to friction between hospital and pre-hospital workers. Another common problem is that the highest degree most paramedics can earn is an associate's degree. With a higher rank, paramedics could get a pay raise. So the question persists: “Why should students study to become a paramedic when they could spend the same amount of time in school as a nurse and earn less?” All of this usually leads EMS workers to change their specialization to nursing. A natural effect of making late night calls and seeing the results of these patients is nightmares. Seeing flashes of wrecked cars in dreams or patients dying in the arms of a paramedic. These are images that can be seen by prehospital workers. Most of the time the dreams they have about their job are not pleasant ones. As long as they get enough sleep to dream. Jim Fleshner, an experienced paramedic, explains it a little further: "So basically, after doing allthese horrible calls and having run a lot of calls, it gets to you. You start having trouble sleeping because sometimes you see patients who have died. This can lead to worse problems if not handled properly.”. The “worst problem” Jim talks about is post-traumatic stress disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder. PTSD is very common, not only in the medical field but in many careers. From experiencing terrible events over and over again and if stress is not managed well, this stress disorder will knock on the door. The worst thing is that no matter what the provider tries, there is no way to completely relieve this stress. Inevitably, there will always be bad calls that shake them. As mentioned above, it's the calls that hit close to home that hit the hardest. These are the ones who ruin people's jobs. The career expectancy for a paramedic is only five years (Elias). Why so short? These doctors cannot handle the minimal sleep and trauma calls that are thrown at them at every shift. Most of them follow therapy regularly. This could help relieve extra stress. Especially if these paramedics work in larger cities, where the likelihood of traumatic calls increases. As mentioned, all this stress leads to nightmares. These nightmares lead to minimal sleep. Minimal sleep leads to tiredness. All this is a domino effect that causes the last piece to fall into burnout. The scariest part of not getting adequate sleep, aside from the health concerns, is the level of care provided. If the EMS provider is sleep deprived and “off,” services may not be adequate. This means that the paramedic or EMT could cause further unintentional harm to the patient. Another point is that the doctor may think that the call makes no sense. Seeing many calls where the patient is faking their pain or blowing it out of proportion, the doctor feels a sense of disbelief from his patients. This could also lead to less empathy received by the paramedic. This is not fair to the patient, whatever their case. Loss of energy can lead to a drop in work level. Long shifts start to take a toll on the body and the brain says “enough”. Eventually, the feeling of not wanting to go to work begins to creep in. The thought of working a twenty-four or forty-eight hour shift begins to drive the paramedic crazy, making him want to stay home or work fewer shifts per week. The effect of not working shifts results in lower pay; which leads to less happiness and more stress. When an average worker thinks about their job, the first thing that comes to mind is money. Money is part of every career, but happiness is what sustains the job. If these paramedics can't enjoy their job or be happy with it, it's game over for them. They don't have a huge payroll to keep them at bay, so they have to have a good feel for their job. Throughout the article, the causes of burnout have been explained. The main question still remains unanswered: "How do you prevent burnout?". Well, there are many ways these young paramedics can avoid settling in this no man's land. The best way to fight it is to accept it. There is no way to prepare for what will be seen. The paramedic must recognize this and address it as soon as the problem arises. No matter how hard they try, they cannot prevent traumatic injuries, children from suffering, or patients from taking their own lives. This is the bitter truth that all EMS workers have to deal with. Knowing this and pursuing a career with this mindset can.