How To Deal With A Job That You Hate?

[Isilwen]

I used to love being an EMT, I have been one now for over nineteen years. However, this company that I have been with for over four years has sapped that out of me. From the long hours to now my life is affected because my supervisor and his girlfriend (they work the same shifts together) are going to school and so that means my schedule has to be changed weekly. The schooling will be for a year. Then there are the extremely long hours as mentioned in my previous thread. The dispatching is horrible. There is no common sense applied when dispatching runs.

Here is an example of that. We work out of a satellite base that is 90 minutes from the main base. We were down there and told we could go back to our base. We had run a couple of calls to help them out down in their area. We get back and no sooner than five minutes after we do so, they say we have to go back down that way to a hospital which is an hour and ten minutes from us, and then take the patient two hours and twenty minutes away to a facility. That facility was an hour and ten minutes from our base. We weren't going to get back to our base till about three hours after our off time. I asked if the unit that was getting off later could do it as they were getting off three hours after we were or the overnight crew, both of which originated down there in that area out of the main base. was told no on both counts. That was a sixteen-hour day. Had to be back the next day with no change to our start time. Got less than five hours of sleep.

Could the other trucks have been busy? Sure. Could this run have been held off till the overnight crew wasn't busy? Yep! It was coming off the floor of a hospital and to be honest, they were in the safest spot for them.

I know that most will say find another job. The only thing I can do is this. It is the only skill that I have. All companies are like this around here as I have friends in other companies and they all report the same thing. I know that there are hospital positions that accept EMTs, but all you are doing there is CNA-type stuff and not anything EMT-related.

Plus, I do have seniority here and for the most part, my weekends are free which I need as I get my young children on the weekends. If I had to work weekends, I may as well not get them and that is not fair to me or to them. Going to another job, I may not get my weekends free.

How can I just deal with the job that I have now? I don't want to leave it, I just need to know how to cope so that I don't get sick fretting about going in the next day or fretting on a Sunday all day and having that rob my precious time with kids.

Called out sick today because I did exactly that and the bathroom has become my permanent home today.

 

[Albion]

I am not sure if you are saying that the supervisor is deliberately making your work schedule unbearable. Or not.

If not, then my only suggestion is to suffer through it until his year of schooling ends and things will presumably get better. You cannot relocate, I understand, and you've already explained why the idea of seeking a different but similar job in the medical field isn't feasible. So aside from seeking employment in some totally unrelated field, what other course of action is there?

 

[thecolorsblend]

.

 

[Dave L]

The Israelites complained about the providence of God and ended up forfeiting the land promises and spending 40 years in a wilderness journey that could have taken 11 days. Only two of the originals inherited the land promises.

Always thank God for his provision. Never complain.

 

[Isilwen]

So, it might be that you could relocate to an area with a better medical community. Hospitals, private companies and other things are all options, at least around here.

Otherwise, if you intend to stay where you are now then you might need to move to a different field.

That's the problem, I cannot relocate either. I am not supposed to move more than fifty miles from my children and all the aforementioned other companies are within that 50-mile range anyway. I would have to move out of state and that is simply not feasible.

I also do not have skills for anything else. I have always been an EMT.

 

[Isilwen]

So aside from seeking employment in some totally unrelated field, what other course of action is there?

I am simply not sure. That is why I am asking for advice on how to just deal with it.

 

[Isilwen]

The Israelites complained about the providence of God and ended up forfeiting the land promises and spending 40 years in a wilderness journey that could have taken 11 days. Only two of the originals inherited the land promises.

Always thank God for his provision. Never complain.

Not at all helpful!

 

[Albion]

I am simply not sure. That is why I am asking for advice on how to just deal with it.

Right. And if I wasn't clear enough about my advice as I ticked off the various options you have....

my advice is to endure the current scheduling until the supervisor's year of schooling is done and things presumably change.

The only exception to that would be, in my view, if the supervisor is indeed deliberately making your life as miserable or inconvenient as possible, in which case there wouldn't a good reason to think things would change after his year of schooling ends. If that is the situation you face, learn to live with the current schedule or change jobs.

 

[Isilwen]

learn to live with the current schedule

This is what I am asking for advice on basically. I am not the type of person that can just brush it off to the side. It will gnaw and gnaw at me.

I don't know how to just live with it and remain mentally and physically healthy.

 

[Paul4JC]

Keep casting your burden to the Lord, again and again. God will see you through.

[Psa 55:22 NKJV] Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

[1Pe 5:7 NIV] 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

[Psa 73:26 NIV] 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

[1Jo 3:19 NIV] 19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence:

Some sort of weekly fasting for breakthrough? Even missing something you usually have, (a different type of fast), but God knows your heart.

Are there other EMT companies you could apply too, even if they pay a little less?

Lord help Isilwen out of these most difficult circumstances that are just overwhelming at times. When there is no way out otherwise, we look to you to graciously show him and open new doors, and give the faith to go through. According to your good will. In Jesus name, Amen.

 

[Albion]

This is what I am asking for advice on basically. I am not the type of person that can just brush it off to the side. It will gnaw and gnaw at me.

I don't know how to just live with it and remain mentally and physically healthy.

Ah. You mean that you can't stand it...even if you have no viable alternatives. Yes, that's understandable. Still, what choice do you have? You can quit and get a lower-paying job locally. You can abandon your kids and move, which I know you rule out. So there aren't a lot of alternatives to enduring the scheduling problem if you are convinced that it will gnaw and gnaw at you unbearably, even if it's for only a year.

Other than that, I suppose someone could recommend meditation or something else that takes your mind off the problem, but my advice was only about the work options that were presented in your original post and which I thought was all that you were asking about.

 

[RaymondG]

Right now, it seems that you are good have finding bad and negatives in many situations.....And you know people who find negatives in their own situations which, in turns, makes you think it bad and negative to try and change your situation as well.

There comes a point in life when one must consider......if everything I see is dark and shady....everywhere I go......Maybe I forgot to take my shades off.

It seems simple, to me, that the only way to deal with the job you hate....is to start to love it.......unless hate is something you desire to do or feel that you cannot stop.

Converse will people who love their job, and try find things about your own job that you love and focus on that.....May I provide a scripture on this christian forum?

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

And I speak from experience, for I too, use you hate a job and those in it......until I removed the hate from within me......

 

[Gentle Lamb]

This sounds like a tough situation. Physical exhaustion from work is no joke. Taking off was the right thing to do, sorry to hear that the worry made you so sick. Someone suggested casting your burden on the Lord, I suggest the same. As long as you are awake you can be praying. Communicate with your Heavenly Father as you are working. Tell Him that the situation is difficult and ask Him for the strength to get through each shift. Also pray that He will begin to rearrange things concerning management so that the situation can be more favorable for you as well as for your coworkers who are also undoubtedly just as worn out as you are. Try to take the day off as often as you can when you feel the stress is taking too much of a toll on your health. And give thanks to God as often as you can even for the little things. He inhabits the praises of His people. Thanksgiving draws the spirit of God nearer to you and as He draws nearer to you and you rest in Him, it will help to ease the heavy burden of this situation of your tired shoulders. Remember that His burden is light and His yoke is easy. My job is also quite stressful. I have been trying unsuccessfully to leave my field for some time. Most recently, my job closed for two weeks because of a few covid cases. I wasn't expecting the two week closure but it has been a necessary reprieve and I am resting and recuperating from the stress of my daily duties. (The covid cases are recovered or recovering also by God's grace, no hospitalizations). That's just an example of how God can move in your favor when you pray and cast your burdens on Him. So start with God, cast your burdens on Him, let Him strengthen you, and let Him move on your behalf. Hope that helps.

 

[mama2one]

seek a career counsellor

they know opportunities avail. in area and/or companies who provide job training, pay for schooling, etc