Today I am joined by Steven. Steven is currently a licensed paramedic with Harris County Emergency Corps, a 911 EMS agency in Houston, Texas, his native home. With 15 years in healthcare, he lives by his fraternity’s motto of providing service without expectation. After his time as a Hospital Corpsman in the Navy, Steven went on to obtain undergraduate degrees in EMS, his master’s degree in healthcare administration and is currently working towards completing his doctorate. With a goal of creating health policies that helps everyone, Steven hopes to one day work alongside congressional leaders where his talents and abilities can really be helpful to those in the EMS field. His hobbies include research, bowling, mentoring, and traveling. Along with being a lifelong learner, Steven has also been known to pass along his knowledge with his passion for teaching in the field of EMS. 

Steven and I are diving in to the expectations and surprises of entering front line work. We also touch on working as a member of the BIPOC community (check out his awesome article about being a black paramedic below!), the highs and lows of the work, and investing in making a difference in the future of the profession. Check out some of the highlights:

• Navy Corpsman, Paramedic, PhD student looking to impact policy and change the world
• Changing the world by rising the ranks, and exerting influence from a position of authority for good rather than evil/neutral – yep, we talk about Brené Brown and “Dare to Lead” (go back and check out S1E19 -S1E27 to hear all about the series we covered on the topic of changing Front Line Work from the inside out!)
• The difference between expectations entering the work (TV made me think…) vs the reality (turns out it’s not all trauma!) and community care.
• Being from the BIPOC community - working to build diversity in the profession and facing challenges in being seen.
• The joy of teaching and growing the profession. Being a gatekeeper and supporting next generations in being a better version of the profession. The benefits to the teacher of teaching – being made better by the experience of teaching.
• The big wins and the regrets.
• The tools to stay sustainable – heads up, the answer is THERAPY! …And self-care (shocking, right!?!).
• Top advice: Take some time off. Think about yourself, allow yourself to matter, you are a limited resource, do things that keep you ok.
• Beating the Breaking Point Indicators Checklist & Triage Guide – click here to grab it! Use it over and over, try it monthly-quarterly to help assess risks for burnout and catch it before it gets too big.
• Yes, we talk more about Brené Brown, because she’s worth it and her work is GOLD.

Episode Challenge:

Reflect on where you’re at and what you might need by using our free Beating the Breaking Point Indicators Checklist & Triage Guide. Signing up for this resource is also how you can jump on our email list where we’ll send you reminders up new podcast episodes and bonus resources.

Additional Resources:

Check out Steven’s article, “My Experience as a Black Paramedic” here.

Learn more about the Beating the Breaking Point Resilience Series & Survival Guide – a complete program that offers a step by step road map to build a plan for sustainability and wellness, designed just for First Responders & Front Line Workers and the challenges you face.

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