A paramedic must be someone who can accept the challenge and responsibility entailed in the position. A paramedic provides pre-hospital care. They usually work for fire departments, private ambulance services, police departments or hospitals. Incidents as varied as automobile accidents, heart attacks, drownings, childbirth, and gunshot wounds all require immediate medical attention from paramedics who provide care and transport for sick or injured people to appropriate medical facilities.
Formal training and certification are required by state law. A paramedic must be able to make accurate independent judgment. A paramedic must have excellent judgment and be able to prioritize decisions and act quickly. They must be self disciplined and be able to develop patient rapport. They also must utilize communication unique to diverse multicultural groups and ages of patients. A paramedic needs to function independently at optimum level in a non-structured and rapidly changing environment.
A paramedic is responsible for each drug administered, for using correct precautions and techniques, and for observing and documenting the effects of the drugs administered. A paramedic must be capable of providing advanced life support emergency medical services to patients. Aptitudes required for work of this nature are good physical stamina, endurance, and body condition. Motor coordination is necessary because they must sometimes work over uneven terrain. At the medical facility, paramedics help transfer patients to the emergency department and then report their observations and actions to emergency room staff.
The most rewarding aspect of the job involves helping people in their time of crisis. However, job stress is common because work hours are irregular and because workers often must treat patients in life-or-death situations. Most paid, professional paramedics work in metropolitan areas. To maintain certification, paramedics must re-...