Essay On Paramedics

Paramedics

In an emergency, when someone needs medical help, paramedics are the first response team that will provide them with assistance until they can make it to a hospital. Paramedics are a person’s first point of contact before they can see a doctor. Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and Paramedics are the first responders who attend to victims of accidents, disasters, or any other type of emergency.

Job Description A paramedic is a well-trained emergency medical technician tasked with responding to emergencies and provide immediate medical care to stabilize a sick or injured person (Paramedics, 2017). Paramedics provide pre-hospital care which include: Patient assessments, administration of medications, providing first aid, performing

Initially, a paramedic must become certified as an EMT-B which is the most basic level of emergency medical technician training (EMS1 Staff, 2016). The completion of this certification takes about six months of course work and 120-150 hours of training. Upon completion of certification, a paramedic must then take the state certification test to be certified to practice within that state. At that point, the person is not a paramedic yet, but an EMT.

After the completion of all required EMT certifications, a person must then register in a paramedic program. Most community colleges have two-year degree programs in paramedic training (EMS1 Staff, 2016). This paramedic training program consists of a combination of classroom and clinical training at hospitals, ambulance companies, and fire departments. Some community colleges in Virginia that offer a paramedic training program include, Northern Virginia, Thomas Nelson, Tidewater, and Patrick Henry (EMT & Paramedic, 2016). Paramedics are required to take anatomy and physiology either through the course program or as a prerequisite. Once the degree program has been completed, the final step to become a paramedic is to take the paramedic state licensing exam in order to be certified to practice in their state (EMS1 Staff, 2016). Once all these requirements have been completed, the person has now become a

As of 2016, there were about 248,000 paramedics employed nationally (Bureau of Labor, 2017). In Virginia specifically, there were about 5,110 paramedics employed as of May 2016 (Bureau of Labor, 2017). The number of job openings for paramedics is expected to grow about 15% from 2016-2026, and this projection is larger than average (Bureau of Labor, 2017). This is due to the constant need of paramedics when emergencies such as crashes, acts of violence, and natural disasters occur. The average salary of a paramedic is about $32,670 per year and about $15.71 per hour (Bureau of Labor, 2017). In Virginia specifically, the average pay for a paramedic is about $33,310 per year, which is slightly higher than the national average salary (Bureau of Labor, 2017). However, Washington state has the highest paid paramedics, with a salary of about $65,320 per year (Bureau of Labor,