What is a Paramedic
December 26th, 2005A Paramedic is an emergency medical worker with advanced training. In many systems, they are the decision makers of an emergency medical run.
Training may vary from one state to another, but usually includes advanced airway techniques, pharmacology, advanced cardiology, and advanced care of traumatic injuries.
An emergency worker cannot say they have seen it all. The truth is, you never see it all, and just when you think you might have, someone will surprise you. However, I have seen my share of good and bad in the emergency medical field. Does the good outweigh the bad? Only an EMS worker can identify with me, when I say “sometimes.”
The life of an emergency medical worker is a very busy and thankless job. It involves very long hours, constant training, very little pay, and usually no reward. It involves doing and seeing things that people just shouldn’t have to see, but I guess someone has got to do it. The stress levels range from sheer boredom to such high demand that you think you just could not possibly take anymore.
Your best friends are your co-workers, and those same people are usually your family as well. You sometimes spend days at a time with them, and share some of the most precious and the most horrific moments with them. Your co-workers are your team mates, your critics, and sometimes your shoulder to cry on. They are your buddies that you spend Christmas and Thanksgiving with, and they your brothers and sisters.
Despite everything bad about EMS life, we come back for more. It is an addiction that can only be experienced while kneeling over a mangled body that is still alive, while cars are whizzing by you, and snow and ice rain down on your head.
Until you have finally had enough.
