Learn About Paramedic, Paramedic and EMT Schools, Training, Jobs, and Careers

What is a Paramedic?
Paramedics and emergency medical technicians do the same job at the basic level. The difference is that paramedics by training do the more advanced treatment. The patient may not notice the difference, but it’s there if you look closely.

Like EMTs, paramedics are also first responders to medical emergency. Unlike the emergency medical technician, the paramedic can give drugs orally and intravenously. Both perform the following:

1. Determine priorities for treatment; they have to get to those that need the most urgent care first
2. Determine the nature and severity of injuries
3. Establish treatment procedure
4. Look for pre-existing conditions; the patient could have things like epilepsy, diabetics, allergies
5. Administer emergency treatment, such as CPR and or bleeding stoppage
6. Request for help if additional help is needed
7. Prepare patient for transportation to hospital emergency room, by placing patient on a stretcher and ambulance
8. Communicate with the hospital emergency room physician or nurse
9. Monitor and transport patient to the hospital emergency room
10. Transfer patient to the emergency room
11. Etc.

As we said above, the paramedic will do more advanced things like:

a. Administer drug orally and intravenously
b. Read and interpret electrocardiograms also known as EKGs for short
c. Do endotracheal intubations for patients with airway passage problems
d. Management of the overall emergency medical scene for patients and bystanders
e. Etc.

It is important to know that the paramedic must do the above things under the guidance of emergency room doctor. In fact they are considered part of the hospital emergency medical team.

The paramedic must be calm at all times when performing his or her duties. The last thing you want is somebody that would make already nervous patients more nervous.

How to Become a Paramedic:
Becoming a paramedic requires that you first get a high school diploma or equivalent. You should take classes like physical education, English, computer science, etc.

You will then need to further your education by getting a certificate or associate degree. When you get into a paramedic program, you can expect to take the following classes in a certificate or associate degree program:

a. Paramedic Technology
b. Patient Assessment
c. Human Biology
d. Rescue Techniques and Procedures
e. Haz Mat Knowledge and Awareness
f. CPR
g. Trauma and Stress Analysis
h. Etc.

A paramedic program will last from 12 to 24 months. This will depend on if you are getting a certificate or associate degree. The certificate program will last the 12 months while the associate degree will last 24 months.

After graduation, you must be certified. You must take and pass written and practical examinations administered by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT). Some states give you the option of taking their own certification exam or that given by NREMT.

Paramedic Salary:
Paramedics make very good salary. The average salary is $40,000 per year. We have seen salary as high as $60,000 per year. This depends on your location, education, and level of responsibility. This salary will continue to increase as you gain more experience and years of service.

Paramedic School:
We know an excellent school for paramedic training. The school is George Washington University. You need to check them out. In as little as 12 months, you can be making the above pay. You can request for free no obligation information through this link.

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