Emergency driving is emotionally charged, especially for new ambulance operators. With experience, it’s possible to learn better skills for emotional control. These skills can be reinforced through guidance during operation. In this article, we’ll review some effective coping mechanisms to improve your emotional control while driving, even when stress levels are high. Over time, you can build resilience and effective stress management skills and be even more effective at work as a result.<\/p>\n
This phrase helps operators separate emotion from decision-making and maintain professionalism. It’s important to remember that while you may be in an emergency situation, it’s not your emergency. This can help EMS in high-pressure situations remain calm despite the demands of the job.<\/p>\n
Of course, any emergency medical professional wants to arrive quickly. However, when that urgency turns into reckless driving, it delays care and creates additional emergencies. Safe arrival is the foundation of patient care, and your team cannot care for patients if you don’t arrive alive. You are no help to those in the patient compartment if you don’t reach your destination. Unsafe driving puts crews, patients, and the public at risk, and it’s better to arrive a few moments later than not arrive at all.<\/p>\n
Try giving your body physical cues to reduce any physical symptoms of anxiety, like tunnel vision or a racing heart. Controlled breathing is a great stress management technique that can reduce emotional escalation. When you’re looking to emotionally de-escalate yourself and focus on the road, try breathing for specific counts (like in for 4 and out for 4), or simply actively slow down your breathing. Even if your mind is stressed, you can bring your body to a place where physical feelings of anxiety subside.<\/p>\n
Operators should concentrate on vehicle control and traffic conditions. As difficult as it can be, it’s important to stay mindful of the moment you’re in rather than potential outcomes. If you find yourself getting distracted, bring yourself back to the moment of what’s around you, like your lane positioning or vehicle speed. This can mitigate stress and anxiety, and can help your team reach their destination safely.<\/p>\n
When adrenaline is pumping, stress can lead operators to ditch their training and follow their feelings. This is an example of “emotion-focused coping” instead of “problem-focused coping”. When you base your actions on feelings of anxiety, or “emotion-focused coping”, your work becomes inconsistent. Utilize problem-focused coping by falling back on your training in times of stress. Trusting your training, not your feelings, will build your consistency behind the wheel.<\/p>\n
Mental pauses can help operators avoid rushed decisions. This is an element of mindfulness that can benefit you, patients, and your team. Even when time is of the essence, your mind doesn’t have to move as quickly as the situation does. When you find yourself rushing mentally, take things one step at a time. It’s your job to transport everyone safely, and when you stay grounded, you help those in the back of the ambulance do their jobs too.<\/p>\n
Simple positive phrases can help anchor behavior under stress. Positive self-talk can be as simple as “I can do this”, or you can build in other techniques. For example, you could find some simple phrases that mitigate your most common stressors. If you’re trying to focus on your training instead of getting caught up in adrenaline, you might say: “My training prepared me for this.” If you find yourself becoming emotionally flooded with potential outcomes, you might think: “All I need to do is focus on driving safely”. These simple cues can help you regulate your emotions in a crisis.<\/p>\n
Being exposed to traumatic events, even if others are the ones directly experiencing them, can be incredibly stressful. Post-traumatic stress disorder is more prevalent in ambulance personnel than in the general population, and it’s part of your job to maintain your emotional well-being. We’re focusing here on finding ways to offset occupational stress to do your job safely. However, it’s also important to generally ensure that ambulance staff monitor any potential toll on their own mental and physical health, and seek help if things feel overwhelming. These strategies<\/p>\n
can be a step in protecting your mental health, preventing burnout, and generally mitigating the effects of stress.<\/p>\n
Emotional control as an emergency vehicle operator can be developed through discussion, repetition, and strong instructor guidance. Don’t be afraid to discuss how difficult managing stress can be, and remember that your emotional regulation can improve with practice. You can also lean on peer support and find guidance from more experienced instructors in your field. Those around you may also have their own coping techniques for emotional control. When you learn to regulate your emotions, you can protect paramedics, patients, and yourself.<\/p>\n
Contact us today to learn more or schedule a demo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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