The emergency medical services (EMS) system in the United States is made up of a group of professionals who provide health care and treatment to patients in a medical emergency situation.
These doctors, nurses, and other trained professionals work together to provide what is known as pre-hospital care. Pre-hospital care refers to the care provided before a patient reaches a hospital or other medical facility.
Paramedics are one of the major groups that make up the EMS system. Paramedics are trained and certified professionals that primarily assess and treat patients in an emergency situation using drugs and bandaging techniques, as well as transporting the patient to the hospital or other medical facility.
The term paramedic comes from combining the Greek words páramos, meaning shepherd or shepherd of the soul, and daktos, meaning a cutter. This name was given because their primary role is to first assess the patient’s condition (or if they have one) and then treat them by administering medications or performing treatments. They also transport them to the appropriate place for further care.
Experience
Experience is a big factor in being a good paramedic. The more experience you have as a paramedic, the better you will be at your job.
Paramedics work in a field where life and death are constant challenges. The more times you encounter these situations, the more familiar you will become with them.
You will also become more comfortable making decisions and acting on them due to your increased experience. This comfort level is important as it can save someone’s life.
As you grow in your career as a paramedic, you will be assigned different responsibilities and duties. Some of these duties include conducting physical assessments, providing medical treatment, performing advanced lifesaving procedures, and administering certain medications. All of these depend on the level of experience that you have acquired.
Skill
As an EMT, your skills are what separate you from other first responders. The more skilled you are as an EMT, the better you will be at providing care to patients in a variety of situations.
A large part of your skills as an EMT is knowing what to do in various situations. For example, you would know how to manage certain breathing problems or cardiac issues due to your training and education.
Other parts of your skill set come from practice and experience. Practicing skills such as bandaging or performing certain medical interventions helps you be more skilled at them, making you more helpful to patients.
As an EMT, you are always looking for ways to improve your skill set and become more knowledgeable about medicine and caring for patients. Associations such as the National EMS Association offer opportunities for further education and certification in new areas of medicine and care.
Compassion
Compassion is one of the most important qualities an EMT can have. You will be working with people at their worst moments, and sometimes, that is when people open up about how they are feeling.
You will hear things about people’s health habits, their relationships with others, and what scares them. All of this information is valuable as it could help you treat them or give you an idea of what may be wrong with them.
Compassionate EMTs also tend to have higher morale and get better cooperation from patients. This helps the patient feel more comfortable and relaxed which can help with their treatment.
As an EMT, you will be required to take a course in Compassion Fatigue Prevention which teaches you how to keep your compassion levels high while dealing with so many patients.
Communication
Communication is an integral part of being an Emt. You will be required to communicate with many different people, in many different ways.
You will have to communicate with patients and witnesses at the scene of the incident. You will have to communicate with other community members, such as the fleeing victim or witnesses.
You will have to communicate with supervisors and other emergency personnel at the scene and during transport. You will have to communicate medical information and events to physicians at the hospital or clinic.
As an Emt, you will be required to keep your cool under pressure. You will be confronted with many different situations that can raise your emotional level. You must be able to control this emotion so that you can provide quality care to your patient.
Your ability to communicate effectively will help improve patient care and reduce additional stress on the patient.
Organization
Paramedics and EMTs must be well-organized. You must be able to find your supplies quickly and use them efficiently. You need to know the proper procedures for treating patients.
Healthcare providers are constantly updating their knowledge base on best practices. The AHA provides updates on best practices for health care providers, including paramedics and EMTs.
Regularly attending meetings, listening to lectures, and reading articles on new developments in emergency care is a requirement as an EMT. This keeps you up-to-date on the latest organization of emergency care.
As an EMT, you will also have a supervisor who monitors your performance. If you are failing to meet organizational standards, they will discuss it with you to help you improve. This is done in order to keep you safely providing emergency care.
Leadership
The ability to lead is a strong part of being an effective EMT. As an EMT, you will be given a team of other EMTs and/or paramedics to take care of the patient care component while you provide the leadership.
You are the one who will be directing the transport to the hospital, telling the driver where to go and what to do while providing medical direction over the radio.
You are also responsible for keeping your team calm and ensuring your patient receives the best care possible. This includes keeping yourself calm so you can think clearly and take action when needed.
The ability to lead is a quality that can only be developed through experience. As you gain more experience as an EMT, you will learn how to better lead your team and take control of situations.
Safety
As an EMT, safety is one of the most important standards to follow. Safety applies to you, to the patient, and to other providers at the scene.
For you, safety means not putting yourself in harm’s way. You should not take risks that could put you or the patient in danger.
For the patient, safety means making sure they are not exposed to any dangers while being treated. For example, if they have a firearm or a knife on them, you should notify them of this before treating them so that they do not hurt themselves or you.
When other providers arrive at the scene, safety applies to their care as well. You should make sure to coordinate your care with theirs so that neither of you are putting each other or the patient in danger.
Safety is a fundamental principle of emergency care, and as an EMT, you will be expected to uphold this standard.
Reliability
As an EMT, you must be able to rely on yourself and your partner. You must be able to rely on your skills and knowledge, and you must be able to rely on yourself to handle situations with a clear head.
Emts are required to have a working understanding of the concepts of emergency care. You are also expected to have a certain level of skill and ability in performing those care procedures.
The reason for this is because emergencies can happen at any time and place. There is no guarantee that you will have access to other medical providers or resources in order to provide appropriate care.
Thus, the standards of emergency care are partially based on the fact that you must be able to provide some level of competent care even when under stress or facing difficult circumstances.
As an EMT, you must always maintain a clear head and spirit in order to provide the best possible care.
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