I worked my penultimate shift at IFT on Sunday. It was a little strange. The normally well ordered station was in disarray. It was obvious that some of the rigs had not been washed in several days, there were half packed boxes of supplies stacked haphazardly in the lobby and a general feeling of disorganization and despair was palpable in the station.
Sunday was slow and for the most part, unremarkable. I did my calls, got some study time in, finished my paperwork and then at the end of the shift, because I still care a little bit and have some pride in the way we look; I washed my truck and did a full rig audit to make sure it was ready for the next crew.
Then, I shut the lights off in the bay and went home.
We all move on to new and exciting things.
I take the paramedic entrance exam this afternoon. Tomorrow afternoon I’ll interview for a seasonal EMS job and I assume that orientation is still set for the second week of May at OAC, even though I haven’t heard back from them in a couple of days.
I’ll let you know how it all goes. I’m excited for the change.
Good luck with the exam. That said, you will be fine – I don’t think luck will even be necessary.
I’m kind of in a strange position, and considering your circumstances, you will probably find this amusing. The folks I work most of my Per Diem shifts for (my previous full-time employer) want me to go back to work for them full-time. I know why; they are hurting for Paramedics and there are 5 full-time shift rotations open right now. Personally, I think that’s funny. My wife, however, doesn’t think so; she likes the schedule I have as we get to spend time together (2 24 hour shifts), and if I were to go back my schedule would be all over the place. Plus, they’d really have to make it worth my while, and I don’t think they can…
Thanks Walt. I’m actually more nervous about this than I thought I would be.
I’m glad to hear you’re well on the road to recovery. My wife read some of your blog posts and we talked about what we would do if I got hurt on the job. Your posts sparked some good conversations.
It seems like there is a shortage of medics everywhere, except here. (Maybe I should move back to NH and go work for Rock!) And you know how I feel about the 24s. I think that schedule and my lifestyle are a good match. My wife looked at the sample schedule I printed for her and she was pretty excited about the long stretch of off days.