Paramedic Sophie

01/09/2026

Mandatory in-services without intention, pointless meetings, and checkbox training are quietly destroying morale in EMS.

We don’t hate education — we hate being forced into mandatory wastes of time that don’t make us safer, smarter, or better at our jobs. When leadership fills calendars instead of building meaningful training, it sends a clear message: your time doesn’t matter.

Burnout doesn’t just come from bad calls.
It comes from feeling invisible inside the system that depends on you.

If we want retention, trust, and strong crews, we have to stop performing education for optics and start creating learning that actually respects EMS providers.

01/09/2026

3 Things You’re Doing Wrong Right Now as a Paramedic
(and no one is calling you out on it)

I’ve done every single one…

This isn’t a drag.
It’s a mirror.

Because most of what holds us back in EMS isn’t lack of skill—it’s unchallenged habits.

1️⃣ Confusing “busy” with “good medicine.”
Throwing every intervention at a patient.
Moving fast without thinking.
Believing that if you’re not doing something, you’re failing.

Reality:
Good medicine is intentional, not loud.
Slowing down isn’t being lazy—it means you’re actually thinking.

2️⃣ Treating protocols like rules instead of tools.
“I’m just following the protocol.”
Fear of deviation even when the patient clearly needs something different.
Practicing medicine by checklist instead of assessment.

Reality:
Protocols are meant to support your judgment—not replace it.
If you can’t explain why you followed or deviated from a protocol, that’s the gap… not the decision itself.

3️⃣ Normalizing burnout as a badge of honor.
Joking about being exhausted, numb, or angry.
Wearing misery like proof you’re “real EMS.”
Ignoring the quiet signs that you’re not okay.

Reality:
Suffering is not a prerequisite for competence.
You don’t have to be broken to belong here.
Taking care of yourself doesn’t make you weak—it makes you sustainable.

If this hit a nerve, good.
That’s where growth lives.

Save this.
Share it with someone who needs the reminder.

And if you want more mentorship like this—
comment “MENTOR” and I’ll send you the link to my workbook The Next Shift.

01/08/2026

There is a question I often get asked, you probably do too.
“What do you want in life?”

Without a second thought my answer has always been,
“to be free.”

The answer is heart instict and it fills my chest with… hope?Maybe? Butterflies?

Well I’m not exactly sure and I am not sure what free looks like yet, but I do know that is what I want— I want to be free

01/08/2026

🚑 Reflection Prompt:
let’s learn from each other.

01/08/2026

01/07/2026

‼️SAVE THE DATE‼️ ‼️

The 2026 Southern Regional EMS EXPO is back and bigger than ever! Plus, it’s the earliest opportunity in the New Year to get all the latest updates and education driving EMS and mobile integrated health care. Field, dispatch, billing, leadership, education, and more — we’ve got something for everyone. And, this year’s lineup features many of the powerhouses you’ve come to love. Make plans to join us in Hot Springs Feb 23-25. Complete details and registration coming soon! Stay in touch!

www.aaaintouch.com

01/07/2026

Somewhere along the way, we started treating rest like a reward.
Like something you earn only after you’ve given everything, crossed every limit, ignored every signal.

But rest isn’t quitting.
It isn’t weakness.
And it isn’t something you have to justify with burnout.

Rest is maintenance.
It’s how you stay capable, clear, and human.
It’s choosing to pause before your body or mind forces you to.

You are allowed to stop before you’re empty.
You’re allowed to slow down without falling behind.
You’re allowed to protect your capacity—not just recover it after it’s gone.

Rest.
Relax.
Recover.

Not because you’re exhausted.
But because you matter.

01/07/2026

Conference Schedule for January & February!

🚑 Kentucky Office of Rural Health
🚑 Metro Atlanta EMS Conference
🚑 Arkansas Ambulance Association
🚑 PIERCE Provisions

Grateful and Excited!
See you all there— let’s learn together!

01/06/2026

There are things medic school doesn’t tell you.

Not because they don’t matter
but because they can’t be taught in a classroom.

🚑 You will feel behind after graduation.
You’ll wonder why everyone else seems faster, calmer, more confident.
That feeling doesn’t mean you’re failing.
It means you’re finally seeing how big this job really is.

🚑 Confidence and competence are not the same thing.
A certification doesn’t create confidence—
repetition does.
Reflection does.
Time in the uncomfortable middle does.

🚑 You are not a clinical robot.
You will miss things.
Every good medic has.
What matters is not the miss—it’s what you do next.
Do you learn?
Do you ask?
Do you grow?

🚑 Protocols are the floor, not the ceiling.
They keep patients safe, but they don’t replace judgment.
Learn the why.
Call for help when you need it.
Strong medics don’t work alone—they work connected.

🚑 And fear?
Fear doesn’t mean you’re incapable.
If you’re scared, it usually means you care.
That’s not a weakness.
That’s the raw material of a great clinician.

Medic school teaches medicine.
Experience teaches judgment.
Mentorship teaches resilience.

That’s how you survive.
That’s how you stay kind.
That’s how you last long enough to become the medic someone else needs.

If you’re early in your career and wondering if you’re cut out for this—
you are.

If you want guidance, reflection prompts, and real-world mentorship for the spaces school doesn’t cover, comment MENTOR below and I’ll send you the link to The Next Shift workbook.

You’re not behind.
You’re right on time.

01/06/2026

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Short lessons for the in-between moments of EMS.Growth doesn’t only happen on calls — it happens between shifts.For more EMS mentor content, follow Sophie on...