What Does a Paramedic Do?

When you call 911 or your local emergency number, an ambulance shows up with medically trained personnel. But have you ever considered what those personnel can actually do for you? Have you ever asked, "What does a paramedic do?" The answer is, paramedics can do almost everything an emergency-room (ER) doctor or nurse can do, but in a small, moving box with wheels.

Misconceptions

• Know that a paramedic is not an emergency medical technician (EMT). An EMT undergoes just a few months of minimal training and cannot start IVs, give drugs, perform invasive procedures, insert breathing tubes or do the other advanced medical treatments that a paramedic can do. Paramedics undergo up to two years of training depending on the state they practice in---almost as much as a nurse. A paramedic does many things that a nurse is not allowed to do without a doctor's direct supervision.

Why the Confusion?

• Understand that the confusion between EMTs and paramedics in the public's mind comes about due to certain state Emergency Medical Services (EMS) systems and the way they classify their paramedics, calling them EMT-Ps or EMT-3s instead of paramedics. To add to the confusion, some states have EMTs that can perform a handful of advanced procedures before the paramedics arrive. They're usually called EMT-2s or EMT-Is (intermediates).

Considerations

• Know that just as titles for paramedics differ depending on what state they work in, their duties can differ as well. Some state and local EMS systems give paramedics full leeway in their jobs, letting them make nearly every medical decision without real-time medical oversight. Other systems more strictly control what paramedics are allowed to do and want them to ask permission by phone or radio ahead of time for even the smallest medical intervention. The second kind of system is a rarity these days, as paramedic training has advanced to the point where paramedics can operate fairly freely within standard operating procedures written ahead of time by ER doctors.

Paramedic Procedures

• Realize that paramedics can do just about anything an ER doctor or nurse can do within reason and within their pre-established standard operating procedures. This includes starting an IV, giving fluids, administering medications, defibrillating (shocking) the heart, performing a surgical airway, inserting a breathing tube, decompressing a collapsed lung, and other minor and major first-aid procedures. What a paramedic actually does is limited somewhat by what medications and equipment can be safely stored on a moving ambulance.

Other Considerations

• Understand that some paramedics are also firefighters, and that affects what they do in their jobs. While many ambulance services are based out of hospitals, private companies or county health departments, many others are part of local fire departments. At these fire departments, paramedics often wear two hats, working on the ambulance one day and the fire engine the next.