postr/StutterOctober 20, 2024

EMS & Fire // Stuttering

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Content

EMS & Fire // Stuttering 28M moderate/mild stutter categorized by heavy prolonged blocks. I work for a major metropolitan fire department in a major northern US city. I’ve been running medical/fire calls for about three years now. Emergency services are very communication oriented and communication is vital to our job performance. That being said, for my career (3 years) I’ve managed to grit my teeth and just deal with the stuttering while on scene, during radio transmissions, hospital reports, dept hazing, etc. Mentally it’s getting to a point where I’m questioning if I can keep doing this job while being a stutterer. The worries about if/or how badly I’ll stutter on a medical call compounded with the regular stress the medical may bring is mentally crushing me. We’re expected to walk on scene and be somebody’s Superman. Thing is Superman doesn’t stutter. The looks I get from patients, nurses, doctors, other crew members feels flat out embarrassing and shameful. Although I know for a fact my stutter has never lead to anyone being in worse condition or dead it most definitely makes my job harder in terms of my mental health. I guess I’m posting all this here to vent but to also look for any advice someone may be kind enough to share. Note - I got into this career field for a lot of reasons but mainly because I never believed someone who stutters could do this and really all I wanna do is try and inspire someone who felt as shitty as I once did.

Themes

Anticipation & AvoidanceCauses & VariabilityEmotional ExperienceSchool & WorkSpeech & Stuttering

Subthemes

Hiding & ConcealmentStress & Fight/FlightAnxiety & Social JudgmentEmployment & CareerBlocks & StoppagesPhysical Tension

Codes (3)

repeating_oneselfemotional_stateperceived_judgment