MOBILITY- getting there is half the job.

A paramedic must also be ready to overcome whatever obstacle may come between the patient and the medic. Whether it is snowy roads, treacherous trials, swift moving rivers, or high volume traffic. All these things must be considered when responded to the patient.

In the job we have vehicles that can operate in most all driving situations. These vehicles have been specifically made to strict guidelines and can be very costly. All paramedics are special trained on the maneuverability and operation of these vehicles so that they are safe on our highways.

You also must consider how will we get to the patient once we arrive on a scene. A hiker injured half way down a rocked face mountain will require special rappelling techniques to get to him/her and then special techniques must be used to immobilize and treat life threatening injuries while hanging more than 100 feet in the air.

On every call paramedics encounter new obstacles and must overcome them with the safety and the well being of themselves and the patient at hand.

EDUCATION- is the backbone of his/her career

A paramedic must initially complete a certificate program, a two-year college program, or a four-college program. These programs differ in hours but not in the importance of material.

Upon completion of these courses the paramedic candidate must pass a grilling test administered by the state of North Carolina and pass local medical boards consisting of doctors, nurses, and peers. After the paramedic has completed his/ her test and boards the medic is ready to be trained by veterans in the field. This will consist of attending to every patient that may need medical attention over the next 6- 9 months. Now he/ she is ready for the road and will most likely operate with a paramedic partner.

Most Emergency Medical Services that serve at the paramedic level carry no less than 20 different medications. These units also carry equipment that can detect true heart attacks and provide you with electrical shock if your heart stops. Obviously more equipment is carried and used daily but they are to numerous to list. It is monthly inservice classes that keep the paramedic up to speed on new medical procedures and review of old procedures. The paramedic must attend 24 hours yearly to keep their North Carolina certification valid.

DETERMINATION- is the key to a paramedic’s success.

The paramedic must be determined to overcome those obstacles already discussed. Never will you hear a paramedic returning from a call say "We could not get to the patient so we did not treat him/her."

A paramedic will never feel as though he/she has learned all there is to know about the job. He/she will always show determination to learn that one skill or one medication better than anyone will.

Ultimately the patient and his/her family will gain from this determination.

INITIATIVE- no one is going to do it for you.

As a paramedic you must show self- initiative in your patient care. Often times a paramedic is the first to arrive on the scene and realizes that it is up to him/ her if that patient’s condition improves or worsens. The paramedic is the medical authority at that particular time. To show self-initiative without hesitation is imperative for a positive patient outcome.

As a paramedic’s career continues he/ she will be called upon to work on many projects to help improve the EMS system. Maybe they will be asked to write a paper such as this one or design a computer program to use for record keeping and billing of insurance. The paramedic must use the same initiative in this area as he/ she does in their patient care.

COMPASSION- you must understand your patients and their families.

A paramedic meets people in the worst of times. It is this reason that before a paramedic can treat the patient he/she must first try to understand the patient and comfort them. An elderly woman having chest pain will sometimes be more worried about her cats or calling her family. This is when a paramedic realizes that before he/ she can get accurate information about the patient’s illness they need to insure the patient that all will be fine and stress her need for immediate medical care.

In the death of a loved one the families are most often left traumatized. In some cases the time that the patient has been pulse-less is to great to receive any benefit from advanced cardiac life support and a doctor at the receiving hospital will give orders to discontinue any attempts at CPR. This is the toughest part of the job. Telling a wife that her husband for 50 years is dead will never be easy. The paramedic may then offer to call the funeral home of choice, a pastor, and/or family members.

All situations are different and it is up to the paramedic to address needs both emotionally and physically.