A Paramedic S Job

Learn about the important job of a paramedic and how they help you when your sick.

Ambulance services and paramedics perform critical roles in contemporary healthcare economies. Trained to work in the field and respond rapidly to emergencies, societies have come to increasingly rely on ambulance services to deliver urgent care. Never has this need been more acute than in recent years given intense social inequality, overstretched and underfunded health systems, and deadly pandemics. Leo McCann offers the first book-length study of the paramedic profession in England. Based on in-depth interviews and ethnographic observation, The Paramedic at Work provides a detailed account of the complex realities of work in this fascinating occupation. Chapters explore the nature of work 'out on the road', the peculiarities of ambulance organizational culture, the intensity of workplace stress and burnout, and the current and future trajectory of paramedic professionalism. The book documents the unique paradoxes experienced by those employed in this line of work. Ambulance staff are trained to handle life-threatening trauma and disease, but most callouts consist of unplanned primary care. Paramedic work features wide autonomy but is also bound into an array of micromanaging performance indicators. Paramedics are trusted and respected in society but the profession is poorly understood and employers can be unsupportive. However, no matter how intense the personal struggles can be, paramedic work also offers rare opportunities for meaningful and socially valued work. This book shows that the role and status of the paramedic is rapidly moving from a manual occupation rooted in first aid and transportation, to a clinical profession of increasing scope, versatility, and social respect.

First responders are typically the first on the scene to aid victims of serious and life-threatening incidents. Whether they are emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics, or search-and-rescue (SAR) personnel, first responders must act quickly and skillfully in a variety of situations, helping people in danger or medical distress. This title gives an overview of this rewarding career, including various jobs within the field and the career training and credentials needed to perform them. Quotes from first responders and dramatic color photographs of many real-life events make this book an exciting resource for anyone interested in this essential career.

A true account of going through UCLA’s famed Daniel Freeman Paramedic Program—and practicing emergency medicine on the streets of Los Angeles. Nine months of tying tourniquets and pushing new medications, of IVs, chest compressions, and defibrillator shocks—that was Kevin Grange’s initiation into emergency medicine when, at age thirty-six, he enrolled in the “Harvard of paramedic schools”: UCLA’s Daniel Freeman Paramedic Program, long considered one of the best and most intense paramedic training programs in the world. Few jobs can match the stress, trauma, and drama that a paramedic calls a typical day at the office, and few educational settings can match the pressure and competitiveness of paramedic school. Blending months of classroom instruction with ER rotations and a grueling field internship with the Los Angeles Fire Department, UCLA’s paramedic program is like a mix of boot camp and med school. It would turn out to be the hardest thing Grange had ever done—but also the most transformational and inspiring. An in-depth look at the trials and tragedies that paramedic students experience daily, Lights and Sirens is ultimately about the best part of humanity—people working together to help save a human life.

Think back to a time when paramedics didn’t exist. When “drivers” simply brought injured patients to the hospital. When the EMS industry was in its infancy. A time before Nancy Caroline. Dr. Caroline’s work transformed EMS and the entire paramedic field. She created the first national standard curriculum for paramedic training in the United States. She also wrote the first paramedic textbook: Emergency Care in the Streets. The impact that Dr. Caroline had on EMS and health care spanned across the U.S. and abroad. From establishing EMS systems to training paramedics, to providing better nourishment and health care for orphans, her work had a profound impact on humanity. Throughout her life, Dr. Caroline brought a sense of excitement, joy, and humor to her work. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is proud to continue Dr. Caroline’s legacy. Her sense of excitement and humor live on in this text, which is dedicated to her. The Sixth Edition honors Dr. Caroline’s work with a clear, fun, understandable writing style for which she was known. Welcome back a familiar training companion to your classroom! Say hello to Sidney Sinus, AV Abe, and a cast of memorable characters and amusing anecdotes. Make learning for your students more fun!

Describes the work that paramedics do in a wide variety of situations, and discusses the origins of the profession, their preparation and training, and why people become paramedics.