‘You don’t know everything there is to know about EMS’

In this week's episode of Inside EMS, Cohosts Chris Cebollero and Kelly Grayson share their messages on professionalism, career development and asking questions with the graduating classes of EMTs.

Memorable quotes from this episode

• “You don’t know everything there is to know about EMS – so you need to be able to ask the question why.”
• “EMS is a very egotistical business – it’s the egotism that prevents us from asking why”
• “You have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable … you have to challenge yourself; you have to reach.”
• “We train people to be decisive in their actions and their throughs and to think fast – what we don’t always teach them is that the wisdom of EMS has to come with some years behind you and you have to develop some introspection.”
• “People are using [EMS] to get to the fire department, people are using it to get to medical school, people are using It to get to nursing, and that’s great – but don’t waste your time while you’re here …. That has to start with professional development.”

Together, they discuss:

• Choosing your hard
• How to guide and motivate the next generation of EMS provider
• How EMT classes graduate two kinds of people (and why it’s a good sign if you’re terrified)
• Looking ahead and developing the goals you need to advance as an EMS leader
• Learning from your mistakes
• The value of teachable moments
• An exercise in assessing your skills mastery
• Is EMS a career or a stepping stone?

Additional resources on career mastery and growth

• Achieving EMS mastery
• How to maximize clinical expertise through everyday experiences
• Cultivate a ‘beginner’s mind’ for ongoing growth
• 5 ingredients for psychomotor mastery