Paramedic Job Description

Tap to Read ➤ Arjun Kulkarni

With complete alertness and adaptability to difficult situations being on the top of the list, a paramedic also needs a lot of other skills to be a successful one. He needs to be everything that this high responsibility job demands him to be. Read on for the details.

The job of a paramedic often involves performing life-saving procedures on people in an emergency. So while a paramedic may be less qualified than a full-fledged doctor, their contribution to society is nothing to be sneezed at.

What It Takes To Be a Paramedic

Essentially, a paramedic is one who provides emergency first aid in various situations. He is most often the one who arrives at the scene of emergency and administers the basic lifesaving procedures to the patient.

In a more serious case, he administers emergency medication before taking the patient to the hospital for further medical procedures. Listed here are the places that employ a full-time paramedic.

Hospitals

Paramedics are usually on call in the ambulances of the hospital. Anytime there is a medical emergency around town, then it is the responsibility of the hospital paramedic to be there and help the people out. On the other hand, when a person suddenly falls critically ill, an ambulance and paramedics are called for.

As such, he has to be well versed in first aid techniques, and in the latter case, should be able to administer basic medication that will reduce the pain and physical trouble that the ill person is going through. Unlike an EMT, the paramedic is generally authorized to administer medication to the ill person and should do so with caution.

Flight Paramedic

It is generally recommended that a paramedic must be present in a flight on its journey, as there are chances that one or more passengers may fall ill on the flight on account of flying sickness or otherwise.

In this case, the flight paramedic ought to be at hand to relieve the passenger of his or her health problems. In more severe cases, he may have to ask the pilot to land and ensure that the passenger is safely transported to a hospital where he can be cured.

Firefighter Paramedic

While such a person needs to have a detailed knowledge of the medical field, he also ought to ideally know the job of a firefighter as well.

If a building catches fire, the paramedic ensures that the people in the building get out safely, while the firefighters try and douse the fire. After people are out safely, he ensures that they get proper medical attention and their burns and wounds are properly treated. In more severe cases, of course, he transports the injured people to the hospital.

Salary Range

As paramedics are less qualified than practicing doctors, they earn a significantly lower amount than doctors. A paramedic with entry level experience gets an annual salary of around USD 27,000 to USD 52,000. A paramedic very often administers lifesaving first aid to the patients, and hence, it is a socially responsible and well-respected job.