So you think you want to be a Paramedic
So you think you want to be a Paramedic. Awesome decision! In this article I’m going to tell you all about what the job is, and then if you still think this is your calling….my next article will give you the inside on how to get into paramedic school.
As a paramedic of 21 years and an adjunct professor at a paramedic program in my home state, I am always looking for people who might have a desire to become paramedics, or who haven’t thought about becoming a paramedic who should! One of the biggest targets for that later group is people going into nursing programs. So many of nursing students enter their 4 year program thinking they are going to live the excitement of the Emergency Room as it is depicted on television.
The reality is shocking and disappointing when they realize that the vast majority of nursing work is documentation, and basic care with very limited actual medical skill performance. In addition, almost every medical procedure a nurse will get to do happen only after the doctor gives them permission. What nurses really want is what paramedics do every day, they just didn’t know it!
Paramedics get to practice medicine in the “wilds” of the street. We provide care in people homes, in their cars, on the side of the road, and in front of crowds. We do it in the dark, in the cold, in the rain. We are what is depicted on television…Sort of. It’s not all car explosions and helicopters falling from the sky. Many of our calls are for chronic medical conditions at nursing homes, or to doctors’ offices to transport sick patients to the hospital. But, while does make up a percentage of our responses, we also get the major incidents like shootings, car accidents, and any other event that you can image might require skilled medical care outside of a hospital.
After being an EMT, a person can apply to Paramedic school (see my next article for the specifics of this process) and after only 1 year of schooling you can become a certified paramedic. Paramedics work under doctors orders similar to nurses, however, Paramedics don’t have the doctor looking over their shoulder and telling them what to do. We use Standing Orders and Protocols that are at our discretion to work within based on our assessment.
Although much of what we do is “routine” emergency responses, we get to see things that most people will never get to see in their lives. Paramedics, and the firefighters that assist them, will see into the lives of each person they assist. We often see things that can be bothersome and grotesque, but we also see things that are inspiring and beautiful. Delivering babies (I’ve delivered 16 in the field) is still an awe inspiring moment, but so is being with a person during their final moments as they pass in the presence of their family, loved and supported.
Being a paramedic has been an exceptionally rewarding experience for me. I have been honored to get to serve in my community as a Paramedic and have been grateful for how I have been treated as a paramedic by my community. This career is immensely rewarding, but it can also be immensely difficult. There is a need for qualified paramedics, so if you feel that this is a job you can do, want to do, and are ready to commit yourself to…than let’s go for it, and read my next article on how to get into paramedic school!!
“This message brought to you by the homeland security professionals of Homeland inSecurity — helping you understand how to get hired and then thrive in the homeland security community.”
To read more from Homeland inSecurity:
