15 habits paramedics can’t shake

There are habits EMTs and paramedics pick that are hard to shake even when off the clock or after retirement.

Don’t see a habit you have? Add it in the comments!

1. “I leave enough space at a red light to be able to pull out and around if needed.” — Josh Sharpe

2. “Pulling the shopping cart behind me like I’m at the front of the stretcher.” — Tim O’Connor

3. “When someone else is driving and making a turn I always yell ‘clear right!'” — Lisa Bogowith Schaeffer

4. “I always consider coughing a foreign body obstruction and prepare to do the Heimlich.” — Tamatha Arendall

5. “Where’s the closest hospital and how long of a response time am I looking at if something was to happen right now?” — Rene Rogers

6. “I catch myself watching people when I’m in a crowded room; always looking for signs of someone in distress.” — Scott Lisman

7. “I always back into a parking space so I’m in response mode.” — Phil Murphy

8. “When meeting a new person I start taking a sample history as part of getting to know them.” — Alex Lisa Brown

9. “I use my wife as a backer, and honk twice when backing.” — Justin Martinets

10. “Passing large open fields thinking ‘good place for an LZ'” — Sherry Lynn

11. “If I get a ‘maple syrup’ odor out of context, I look for the diabetic. When I hear a harsh cough in a restaurant all conversation stops until I locate them and await evidence of a clear airway. The guy nodding off in church or at the movies better show rise and fall or chest expansion or I’m tapping on his shoulder.” — Guido Jannetti

12. “Driving private car with friends and shout ‘bump ahead.'” — Timothy Lynn O’Ceallaigh

13. “Still can’t make myself use the ‘Q’ word. After many years on a truck I have removed it from my vocabulary.” — Eddie Battros

14. “Always checking to see if ‘my scene is safe.'” — Angela N Grace

15. “When I go to my doctor for a routine physical, I start with ’47 y/o male patient presenting with…'” — Bill Butler

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