Car accidents, heart attacks, poisonings, fires, unscheduled childbirths, cave-ins, and natural disasters—when people experience such traumas, they need help fast! This is where paramedics come in. It’s their job to rush to the scene of emergencies, provide immediate medical care, and get the patient to the hospital.
In many provinces, paramedics are called emergency medical technicians (EMTs). In these areas, only the most highly trained people within the profession are given the title “paramedic.”
Time is of the essence in this job. Fast and effective treatment saves lives and lessens the seriousness of many people’s injuries. When paramedics arrive at the scene, their first job is to figure out what kind of injury the patient has and how serious it is. At the same time, they must try to determine if the patient has any pre-existing medical conditions such as epilepsy or diabetes.
Working quickly, they give the patient whatever care and treatment they can, until they reach the hospital. This could mean anything from assisting the patient’s breathing to bandaging wounds. In some cases, they talk to doctors over the radio, who tell them what to do. Once they get to the hospital, paramedics brief emergency staff on the patient’s situation and medical history, and help with pre-admittance treatment.
The kind of patient care and treatment a paramedic provides depends on his or her level of training. EMTs with only basic training—often called emergency medical attendants or emergency medical responders—can administer first aid and perform basic procedures. These basic procedures may include opening airways, giving oxygen, immobilizing fractures, and bandaging wounds.
Intermediate level paramedics perform more advanced procedures. They can take blood and use defibrillators to give life-saving shocks to a stopped heart. In addition to doing all of the above, the most highly trained paramedics do even more complicated medical procedures.
After gaining some experience, a paramedic can become a supervisor, operations manager, administrative director, or executive director of emergency services. Some become paramedic instructors, firefighters, dispatchers, or police officers, while others move into sales or marketing of emergency medical equipment. Finally, some paramedics decide to return to school and become registered nurses, physicians, or other health care workers.
NOC Code: 3234