Paramedic

Administer basic or advanced emergency medical care and assess injuries and illnesses. May administer medication intravenously, use equipment such as EKGs, or administer advanced life support to sick or injured individuals.

O*NET reports this occupation under titles such as: Critical Care Paramedic; Firefighter Paramedic; First Responder; Flight Paramedic

Tasks

• Perform emergency cardiac care, such as cardioversion and manual defibrillation.
• Perform emergency invasive intervention before delivering patient to an acute care facility.
• Coordinate work with other emergency medical team members or police or fire department personnel.
• Assess nature and extent of illness or injury to establish and prioritize medical procedures.
• Comfort and reassure patients.
• Administer first aid treatment or life support care to sick or injured persons in prehospital settings.
• Operate equipment, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), external defibrillators, or bag valve mask resuscitators, in advanced life support environments.
• Perform emergency pharmacological interventions.
• Administer drugs, orally or by injection, or perform intravenous procedures.
• Attend training classes to maintain certification licensure, keep abreast of new developments in the field, or maintain existing knowledge.
• Observe, record, and report to physician the patient's condition or injury, the treatment provided, and reactions to drugs or treatment.
• Instruct emergency medical response team about emergency interventions to ensure correct application of procedures.
• Coordinate with treatment center personnel to obtain patients' vital statistics and medical history, to determine the circumstances of the emergency, and to administer emergency treatment.

Knowledge

• Medicine and Dentistry
• English Language
• Customer and Personal Service
• Public Safety and Security
• Biology
• Education and Training
• Psychology
• Mathematics
• Transportation
• Telecommunications
• Law and Government

Skills

• Critical Thinking
• Active Listening
• Reading Comprehension
• Speaking
• Monitoring
• Active Learning

Abilities

• Problem Sensitivity
• Deductive Reasoning
• Inductive Reasoning
• Oral Comprehension
• Oral Expression
• Near Vision
• Speech Recognition
• Information Ordering
• Speech Clarity
• Written Comprehension
• Arm-Hand Steadiness
• Written Expression
• Perceptual Speed
• Selective Attention
• Time Sharing
• Manual Dexterity
• Finger Dexterity
• Auditory Attention
• Speed of Closure
• Flexibility of Closure
• Static Strength
• Extent Flexibility
• Far Vision