We hear all the time about the nurse or doctor and the first responders in an emergency being police and firefighters. The news reports tell us about the soldiers fighting for our freedom overseas. There is one profession that is not as familiar to us and the work these people do is just as important in today’s world, the medic.

They are out there, as many of you are aware, saving lives and are referred to by many names: EMT, AEMT (Advance Emergency Medical Technician), or Paramedic.

Though we know what they do, the majority of us are unfamiliar with their challenging lifestyle. Depending on which sector they have chosen to work in they may endure shifts as long as 12 or 24 hours. As with many first responders, they never know what type of situation they will be called to and when they arrive on the scene what they may encounter ranges from bizarre to a war zone to delivering a baby.

Due to such unknowns, studies show those in this field 10.5% of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and 15% of the experienced paramedics had PTSD.* Of course, there are many contributing factors that determine the degree to which each individual person may suffer from PTSD, including the size of the town or city in which they are working, where they grew up, how long they have been on the job and what profession they were in prior to becoming a medic.

Do I Really Want to Date A Medic?

Though every relationship has its unique circumstances to overcome, for those women (myself included) whom have chose to begin dating or enter into a romantic relationship with someone in this profession, it quickly becomes apparent just how challenging such a relationship can be. Dealing with long hours, awful schedules (including late night or early morning hours), little quality sleep and consistent (not to mention constant) training is something many women have trouble becoming accustom.

The key to maintaining a relationship with a medic is to determine if: A) you are independent enough to not need a guy to be around all the time (or when you want him to be) and B) if the relationship is something you want to put your time and energy into in order to do whatever it takes to maintain the relationship.

If the answer to either of the above was not a resounding yes, then I would recommend reconsidering if this is the right relationship for you.

Now, please do not misunderstand, as this relationship can be one of the most rewarding that you will ever experience. What I am saying is that though every situation is unique, as in my particular situation, you may not get to see each other a lot (and forget about holidays), he may work crappy hours and you may have to entertain yourself many days and evenings. Adding to the challenge is the infamous day job that most of us have, which makes it even more difficult to see him.

Not every medic will have the same schedule and depending on the guy and where he may be working each situation will vary. However, I am giving you an idea of what you might expect, things to look for and what to ask him about.

For those of you who may be thinking about dating a medic, just getting into one of these rewarding relationships or who have already committed to giving him your heart I congratulate you. Though maintaining this relationship is challenging, I am here to tell you that it can not only be a good relationship but an epic one.

As you now understand what it takes to be in such a relationship, if you would like to learn more get your free guide here.

* Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health eJournal. 1997;2(5)