Duties of Paramedics
Paramedics assist in saving lives by stabilizing and transporting people who have sustained injuries in an accident, or who have critical medical conditions such as heart attack or stroke. In other words, paramedics are usually the first people to respond, and they offer advanced emergency medical care to patients. A 911 operator sends EMTs and paramedics to the area of an emergency. In some severe incidences, such as road accidents, the collapse of building and events of fire, the paramedics work together with the police and fire marshals. After the response, the paramedics examine the communicate their observation on the scene and at the time of transporting to the medics at a hospital. The employment perspective required is expected to be healthy.
The paramedics give a quick response to emergency calls and undertake life-saving procedures both at the scene and while transporting the patients. While conducting this, the paramedics also administer intravenous medications and advanced treatments by offering safe first aid treatment. Paramedics can interpret electrocardiograms and use other complicated equipment in monitoring the hearts function. The paramedics take further action and documents the care offered to the patients. They also keep inventory, replace and clean supplies and equipment after use as part of safety measures and preparedness for the next response. In cases where patients need to be transferred from one medical facility to the other, the paramedics come into action. The transfer helps the patient to get more attention to their cases (Rashid, 2015). Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
One distinctive importance of the paramedics is that they offer prehospital care which emergency medical technicians with the basic, intermediate license are not allowed to do.
Work Environment for Paramedics
The working environment includes ambulances facilities, local government and hospitals, both states, regional and private-owned. The paramedics also work in all types of weather, both indoors and outdoors setups. The demands of the jobs at times can be stressful, strenuous physically and at times involving life-threatening scenarios (Carter, & Thompson, 2015).
The environment is hazardous such that the paramedics can end up being injured or infected. Some combative patients can injure the paramedics. The risks can curb by involving the police in cases where the situation is violent, or the paramedics wearing gloves while working. In some cases, the patients might have a contagious disease, thus calling for the paramedics to decontaminate the interior of the ambulance or the transport means available.
Paramedics Work Schedules
Paramedics are expected to work under pressure and emergencies. It is important to note that emergencies happen any time, thus need for them to be stand-by, which means they work full-time. They should also have extensive knowledge of injuries and treatment options. The emergency cases call require them to work over 40 hours in a week, by being on-call and working irregular hours, including weekends and overnight shifts. There is a particular case where volunteer paramedics are flexible and work with a variable work schedule. For instance, they may work a few days in a week, or some decide to be working on weekends when they are off their regular jobs. Some paramedic works as part-time pilots and driver operating ambulances and planes in supporting the transport system.
Career Outlook and Prospects
According to Statistics collected by U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate of employment for paramedics and healthy emergency professions is expected to grow faster than the average for the same job market through 2028. The reason for the growth is the increasing number of reported cases of age-related health complications such as heart attack and strokes, where the elderly citizens need emergency medical care and support. The growing global population increases the reported cases of emergency. The demand and pressure required in this career may, at times, lead to high stress with the workers having to leave the job, thus creating more placement opportunities. Also, BLS statics show that positions held by EMTs and paramedics are about 262,100 (Ferguson et al., 2019).
Salary Information
A report by the BLS in May 2018 indicated that EMTs and paramedics in the 90th percentile or higher earned $ 58,640 or higher annually. On the other hand, the bottom 10th percentile earned $22,760 or lowered annually. If one seeks to get high payments in this profession, they should look for jobs in state government; facilities support services (such as ambulances) and medical and diagnostic centres.
Educational Requirements for Paramedics
Paramedics have options of choosing between undertaking a training program and getting an associates degree. Completing course and fieldwork is mandatory under this program. It is also compulsory for students to have a valid EMT-Basic license. A trainer who finishes the program must get medical procedure credentials, such as Advanced Cardiac Support Provider, Advanced Life Support Provider and Neonatal Resuscitation Provider. Some of the classes in the associate’s degree are biology, chemistry, sociology, anatomy, psychology and physiology. Though some emergencies facility centre employs separate drivers, most paramedics take a course which requires at least 8 hours of instruction before they can drive an ambulance.
Other requirements of these programs include many hours of supervised experienced in hospitals with careful and detailed inspection by the paramedic team. The curriculum exposes individuals to the real world by practically applying the equipment and procedures learnt in the class and requires about 1,200 hours. Some practical application includes stitching wounds and administering intravenous medications. In the U.S, high school students who wish to pursue a paramedic career must take anatomy and physiology and give priority of becoming certified in CPR. Once they have finished a program, the graduate has an option of taking the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) EMT-Paramedic/Paramedic cognitive and psychomotor exams to acquire the certification.
Licensing Requirements
The standards of licensure vary from one state to the other. In most cases, one is required to have completed an approved program and attained the passing scores on the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) EMT-Paramedic/Paramedic cognitive and psychomotor exams. Also, some states may have their reviews that the applicant must pass. Despite having been licensed, the paramedics should further their knowledge to maintain their eligibility. Additionally, advancing in their career gives them options of joining other related healthcare occupations such as assistant doctors and administration positions in various health care setups.
Since there is high demand for qualified paramedics, those who finish the postsecondary program and pass the NREMT exams and have state licensing requirements are almost guaranteed an immediate placement in their field of specialization.
Important Skills for Paramedics
Paramedics should possess exemplary traits to help them handle emergencies and severely injured patients. They should be physically fit since their jobs demand to bend, lifting and kneeling. Paramedics should also have a compassionate heart, offering emotional support to patients under emergency, especially those with life-threatening cases or mental distress. Working under pressure and teamwork requires interpersonal skills for emergency response. Coordination is essential since time wasted could mean death. Paramedics should possess exemplary speaking skills which help in explaining procedures to the patients.
Interview with a Practicing Paramedic
Me: Kindly describe your typical day at work.
Paramedic: thank you for your question. My days are usually parked. You never know when an emergency will take place. When I am at work, I must stay connected to the 911 emergency toll. At times we go to a remote area, exposed to harsh weather and still survive,
Me: let me cut you short, you have said you work in remote areas? Kindly explain your experience in such cases, how do you manage the challenges…
Paramedic: at times we work in rains and cold weather. Practising in Paramedics requires one to be long-suffering; you must be willing to help patients. I can say the only solution is to love the work and people and not just the pay.
Me: and how do you respond to emergency cases?
Paramedic: at work, the team that we work together is very cooperative. Once a call has been made, we engage the driver and respond immediately.
Me: talking about the driver, have you ever encountered a case where a driver cannot drive while still on duty?
Paramedic: of course, yes, but I have trained as an ambulance driver; therefore, we have always helped each other. At times we work over 24-hours without rest, and in such cases, we help each other.