If
you want to see a real life superhero, call a paramedic. No, don't do
that, unless you are in a life-threatening medical emergency. Instead,
let's hear from some paramedics about the nuts-and-bolts of their
stressful but rewarding jobs. For examples, do you know the difference
between a paramedic and an EMT?
1. THEY ARE NOT JUST “AMBULANCE DRIVERS.”
Paramedics
are skilled medical professionals who have undergone many hours of
rigorous training—far more than your average emergency medical
technician (EMT). “A lot of people call us ambulance drivers,” says
Nick, a critical care paramedic in New York. “It aggravates us because
driving is such a small part of the job. Emergency medicine is what
we’re doing.” Medical tasks paramedics regularly carry out include
administering medication, starting IVs, intubating unconscious patients
to help them breathe, intraosseous (bone) injections, reading
electrocardiograms (EKGs), needle chest decompression (sticking a needle
into
8. THE TRAINING IS VERY TOUGH.
Becoming an
entry-level EMT (or EMT-B, for Basic) requires between 120 and 150 hours
of schooling, but acquiring the skills to become a paramedic requires
many more—typically around 1200 to 1800 additional hours. Like a lot of
medical training, it is rigorous and the hours long. Nick refers to his
own training as “just grueling ... It’s basically a straight year where
you’re not going to see your friends, you’re not going to see your
family.” Not everyone makes it through on their first try. And,
unfortunately, if you drop out, you have to start all over again.
Learn
12 other things about the paramedic profession at mental_floss.
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