- Display the logo somewhere on my blog
- Link back to the blog who nominated me
- List seven things about myself
- Nominate up to 15 other bloggers for the award and provide links to their blogs
- Notify these bloggers that they have been nominated and of the awards requirements
I hope you don’t mind, but I am changing the rules a little bit.
Congratulations on the new job. I was told that you were maybe feeling a little down on yourself with your training. When you find out that you’ve been hired to do something you love, your first thought is one of happiness. Then it sinks in: “What do I do now?” First and foremost, you would not have been hired if somebody didn’t believe in you, and felt that you were the best person to do the job.
Here are the 2 most important pieces of advice I can give. First, have an outlet. You’re going to be sending cops, firefighters and EMT’s to some pretty horrible things. The people who need that help will be talking to you on the phone. People like me will be responding. We’re seeing firsthand what you’re hearing. You’re human and it will affect you. Have somebody away from the job who will let you de-compress when you need to.
Second, someday, you will have the experience of your job, and the confidence that goes with it. You may begin to see calls as “routine.” The best way for me to say this is, what may be routine to you may be the worst day of the other person’s life. I always keep this in mind when I respond to a call.
We’re all here to do a job, to make a difference, no matter how small. I’m sure you’ll do a great job, Sara.
We literally choose the impact we have on someone’s life. We may never even understand that impact, but it is there regardless.
No matter what we do in our day-to-day job, it matters how we treat people – the tone in our voice, the words we say and the decisions we make. In my case, it might really be the worst day of that person’s life. Can I make it better? Probably not. Can I make it worse? Yes. I can be rude or short or inpatient or not thinking. I remember vividly the police officer who called me to tell me Mom had been found in the park. I don’t know his name or number or anything, but I remember his words even better than I do some of my last conversations with her. He was kind, compassionate and patient. He came to the hospital too and talked to me and my family. I still couldn’t tell you who he was, but that he cared enough to be there. I want to make that kind of impression on someone too in their time of need.