Accountability and Liberty
Personal accountability is one of the most integral attributes that a first responder must have. By practicing personal accountability a first responder enters the world of professionalism. Professionalism is not about how much money you make or being paid. It has everything to do with personal conduct and nothing to do with a paycheck. But what exactly is personal accountability? Personal accountability is being willing to take complete responsibility for the actions and decisions you make. It's about taking ownership for your mistakes and a willingness to bring those mistakes forward. Personal accountability must be practiced daily, on every call and every shift. Accountability by default will lead to personal growth because it becomes a personal investment. Don't shy away from accountability, embrace it. This is extremely important for two immediate reasons. First, your ability to act and make decisions is directly related to your personal accountability for those actions and decisions. Personal accountability creates a liberty to act. Secondly, personal accountability creates trust within your team and your medical direction. Your team will immediately recognize that you are not making decisions that you won't hold yourself to, as will the medical direction. A true professional and good decision maker starts with the attribute of personal accountability.