The Midlife Medic: The Road Less Traveled

The concept of a “midlife crisis” conjures up images of red sports cars and spectacular misadventures, but often the crisis is an internal one.

Writing a column from an older perspective can be challenging. I have to acknowledge what is different between today and 20 years ago. Education, experience, confidence—as a provider I am in a completely new place than when I first started in EMS. Professionally? I was in the same place. The same. Exact. Place. I had plateaued, and my options for further advancement were nil within my agency. Working in a small geographic region can be difficult like that. Growth opportunities can be limited. I was unhappy and no longer able to effect change. I had been that way for a long time. You see, friends, that was my crisis.

We stay in relationships that are no longer good for us for many reasons, but frequently it comes down to fear. Fear of change, fear of the unknown. It feels so much easier to simply stay where you are. Perhaps you hang on to the hope that if you try just a little harder or be patient just a bit longer, circumstances will improve. But what if they don’t? It is said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, yet expecting a different result. Are you insane or just afraid? How much of your professional life and personal history do you commit to a situation, a place or a person that no longer gives you anything back? When you recognize that the circumstance will not change, the only thing left to change is you. That is what a midlife crisis is.

As a profession we are evolving, and with growth comes opportunity. You love the work, but maybe you don’t love where you’re doing it anymore, or perhaps those avenues for professional advancement don’t exist. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist anywhere. You’ve decided you’re in EMS for the long haul, and by “willing to go the distance” you mean you’re willing to travel. Consider these steps to prepare for when an opportunity arises—because eventually it will.

Make yourself marketable

It sounds cliché or corporate, but it’s the truth. EMS is a minimal-competency profession. This means the highest and lowest grades both wear the same patch. From that patch you have nowhere to go but up. Invest in your education. We are moving toward a degree-driven profession; get ahead of the curve and work on that if you haven’t already. Take classes at reputable facilities, network with instructors and coordinators, attend conferences and diversify yourself.

Do your homework

Read the magazines, the classified sections, and network. Check the salary surveys for the region. Contact the department; see what the potential for growth and longevity is. Tuition, pension, opportunities for advancement? Check the cost of living and housing and compare it to the hourly wage. Be realistic!

Save up

Relocating is expensive. When I told people I was serious about moving, my chief flight nurse said to me, “Sell everything and buy when you get there.” She had relocated to the U.S. from New Zealand and then a couple of times since, so she was the voice of experience. We sold off as much as we could, donated and tossed a bunch more, and still ended up with a loaded 26-foot U-Haul and storage facility we had to go back and empty. If you asked me now, I would say, “Sell everything and buy when you get there.” Actually I would say, “Burn everything.” (It was a long move.)

Have a Plan B and Plan C

What will you do if your job or housing falls through? What do the alternative employment opportunities look like? We moved to Alaska expecting to sell our house relatively quickly. It took six months, and I was paying for two households on one paycheck. Our small cushion evaporated quickly, and we struggled.

Be social media-savvy

If you are going to the trouble of moving to another part of the country (and it’s not because of the witness protection program), then don’t do anything to sabotage those chances. Agencies take big chances when they hire people from out of state; they’ll want the surest bets they can find. If they are media-savvy at all (and most are), they are going to find every reckless, misspelled snarky comment you put on any EMS group trying to be “funny.” Consider a LinkedIn profile for reference and keep it current.

Take the chance

How I ended up in Alaska from New Jersey was not a straight line. A good friend called me and said, “I came across this job posting and look, it’s in Alaska, but I really think it’s a good fit for you.” I thought he was nuts, but I looked anyway. That job did not work out. In doing our research on the area, though, we found the department I now work for. A week after I applied, I was on a plane flying toward my then-unknown future. I was terrified, but I did it anyway.

As Mr. Frost famously said, I took the road less traveled, and that made all the difference.

To all of my readers, thank you for a wonderful year. See you in 2017.

Tracey Loscar, NRP, FP-C, is a battalion chief for Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Borough EMS in Wasilla, Alaska. She spent the last 27 years as a paramedic, educator and supervisor in Newark, NJ, and is a member of EMS World’s editorial advisory board. Contact her at taloscar@gmail.com or www.taloscar.com.