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Mantooth discusses overcoming EMS career burnout

All EMS providers have an ingrained spark or enthusiasm for patient care; find and rekindle that with a peer or mentor

Randolph Mantooth, famous for his portrayal of firefighter/paramedic Johnny Gage on the television show Emergency! is a decades-long advocate for EMTs and paramedics as an actor, writer and speaker. In this Paramedic Chief video Mantooth discusses a loss of enthusiasm for the profession after a few years in the service. He comments on the importance of sharing those feelings of burnout with a peer or mentor.

Memorable quote from Mantooth

“If and when that day comes, they can’t just bottle it up [stress] and think they are the only ones that are feeling burnout.”

Questions about burnout

As you listen to Mantooth ask these questions about your own level of burnout:

1. When you are feeling frustration with patient care how do you work through those feelings of disillusionment?

2. What sparked your passion for a career in EMS?

3. If you have overcome a period of burnout, how did you work through it?

We welcome your response in the comments. Share what you have experienced and learned about overcoming burnout during your career in EMS.

Greg Friese, MS, NRP, is the Lexipol Editorial Director, leading the efforts of the editorial team on Police1, FireRescue1, Corrections1 and EMS1. Greg served as the EMS1 editor-in-chief for five years. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s degree from the University of Idaho. He is an educator, author, national registry paramedic since 2005, and a long-distance runner. Greg was a 2010 recipient of the EMS 10 Award for innovation. He is also a three-time Jesse H. Neal award winner, the most prestigious award in specialized journalism, and the 2018 and 2020 Eddie Award winner for best Column/Blog. Connect with Greg on LinkedIn.