In a previous post, we had discussed some of the biggest challenges you might face while training to become a medical flight paramedic. But once you become one, what other challenges lie ahead for you? The obvious challenges would be dealing with a multitude of patients with a variety of issues day in and day out. This doesn’t need further elaboration because it’s what you knew when you signed up for the job. Find out some other huge challenges you could face while working as an air ambulance paramedic.
Personal Life Maintenance and Other Challenges for Medical Flight Paramedics
Some of the biggest challenges you will face during your time as an air ambulance paramedic are:
- Maintaining/managing healthy relationships – Working as a paramedic – whether it’s for air or ground ambulances – can take an emotional toll on you. This means you might often lack the ability to satisfy some of the basic emotional needs of your partner. Of course there may be a handful of paramedics who can effortlessly maintain a healthy work-life balance and remain in a healthy relationship. However, you might be in for a nasty surprise if you walk into the job thinking that you will be able to put in the same effort into your relationship as you had done before. You might struggle with missed family events and the occasional broken promise as a result of your hectic and unpredictable schedule. This is where you need to learn to be accepting of your faults and avoid being defensive even if your partner tries to talk it out with you.
- Maintaining a normal routine – Another big challenge for medical flight paramedics is being able to maintain a normal routine. Shift changes and work habits can get in the way of maintaining your routine and you might even find yourself waking up in the middle of the night during week-offs or holidays.
