Career of a paramedic

There are many qualifications needed in order to become a paramedic at the bottom you can see that there is a list of them and an explanation of how each one is done and why it's needed.

As you can see from above there is list all the qualifications in steps and what qualification is needed after the other until you become a paramedic. The four GCSE's are needed to get into ambulance and care assistant qualification the amount of time it takes to get four GCSE's depends on how you progress at school and how well you do at your subjects it should take about 2 years. It is needed so that you are ready to move on to a different course and qualification. The ambulance care assistant qualification is an emergency service that deals with important cases. An ambulance care assistant teams up with a paramedic in a vehicle that is fully equipped with everything and anything the paramedic needs. They deal with minor injuries to more serious injuries such as road accidents and crashes involving patients, the course last for about 2 or 3 weeks they learn things such as moving and handling techniques so that when they are handling an injured patient they do not harm the patient's life further, another thing they learn is first aid, basic patient skills and safe driving skills this is important because a paramedic needs to know how they should use first aid kits and when they need to use them also they need to know how to drive vehicles safely so that they do not harm their lives or any other peoples, for example when they are driving fast to a accident scene they need to make sure that they are aware of the pedestrians and the roads. After you are qualified as an ambulance care assistant you move on to become an ambulance technician, they are member of the accident and emergency crew who work with paramedic; they also give patients the full care they need. After completing this qualification there is a written and practical exam that test you on your knowledge of what it takes to become a paramedic and what you have learnt. After the exam if you have passed it you move on to finally becoming a paramedic.

A paramedic must have the following personal qualities:

Remaining calm: For a paramedic to remain calm is very important this is because paramedics often get involved into difficult and stressful situations involving injured patients on their daily job routine. For example there is a road accident and a paramedic arrives there and because of so much going on around him he needs to remain calm to deal with the problem as quick as possible.

Responsible: A paramedic must always be responsible for every action he takes this is because they often give drugs and medication to their patients and must not make their patients life at more risk, an example is when a paramedic gives a wrong type of medication to a patient this could have bad side effects to the patient and may cause death which then has an impact on the paramedic.

Caring: A paramedic needs to have care for their patients this is because accidents often include major road accidents, so paramedics need to be cautious as sometimes patients go through a hard stage of pain. For example someone who has been involved in a road accident a paramedic needs to take care of the patient in a way that it he/she will not cause more pain to the patient.

Understanding: Paramedics need to be understanding and clear this is because patients can go through hard time during accidents, so that the patient can feel free to say anything they want. And example would be a patient trying to express something to the paramedic when being treating for the injuries.

Kind: A paramedic needs to be kind as an injured patient is more likely to need allot of help that may be important. This will also make the patient that is injured feel more comfortable. And example is an injured patient that needs help with lifting up to get into an ambulance van, so the paramedic needs to be kind when lifting up the patient not shouting at them.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/210/509720337_6652d6aabf.jpg Date: 9/11/09 Time: 20:25(left picture)

http://s.bebo.com/app-image/7926518840/5411656627/PROFILE/i.quizzaz.com/img/q/u/08/06/04/paramedic.jpg Date: 9/11/09 Time: 20:28(right picture)

There are many different workplaces for a paramedic. They work in more than just a hospital or a surgery centre. Paramedics have other workplaces such as working on the street this is because many injuries and accidents often occur on roads and streets.

''Many paramedics work in NHS ambulance service trusts across the UK. Including evenings and weekends, going out in all weathers at all hours of the night or day. They work closely with doctors and nurses in hospital accident and emergency departments, briefing them as they hand their patient over to their care''

When a paramedic hands their patient over to the hospital for further care they pass on information so that they know what has happened during the accident. They give information such as medication or drugs that the patient was given. This is so that the doctors know what the patient has taken before they go onto further treatment. Another type of Information that may be passed on is vital signs.

(Information used from website: http://www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4U/index.cfm?pid=51&catalogueContentID=358 )

Paramedics also work in rapid response units to deal with medical emergencies this may include travelling in a car or an air unit, the workplace is fitted with everything the paramedic may need it also is safe for any emergency purposes. This makes it easier for the paramedics who work and also making it safer and stress free.

http://www.massfiretrucks.com/North_Adams_Ambulance_Unit_4.jpg Date: 11/11/09 Time: 20:50(picture on left)

http://www.babyboomersguide.co.nz/site/babyboomers/images/739183.jpg Date: 11/11/09 Time: 20:51(picture on right)

Some of the procedures that can be performed in this workplace are:

Responding to 999 calls: In this procedure paramedics answer emergency calls and evaluate which patients need attention first by following the triage rule, for example a person with a broken leg and another person with a cut, the person with the broken leg will be treated first because his injury is more severe than the person with the cut.

Going to the scene: heading to the scene as quickly and safely as possible to treat and the help the patient in need without endangering the patient's life further this would mean the paramedics need to be safe and at the same time fast when going to an accident scene to maximize safety for both the paramedics and the patient.

ABC procedures: making sure the injured patient is breathing by tilting back the chin and looking for obstructions then checking the circulation. This is important to get the patient back in shape or breathing normally.

''When a paramedic arrives at a scene they check for hazards so that they can work safely without endangering the patient's life further''.

''They have a system called triage which means deciding which patient needs attention first straight away'', an example would be someone who has been hit by a car to someone who has fallen of their bike. The person that has been hit by a car would be treated first because there condition is more serious. Patients with breathing or circulatory problems are treated first the paramedics then follow the ''ABC procedure of first aid''.

''A is for airways they make sure the airways are open by tilting back the chin and looking for any obstructions''. Then the paramedic would check for breathing that would be rule B they give mouth to mouth ventilation if it is needed. Then comes C which is for circulation, if the person has no heartbeat they give CPR, if there is still no heart beat the paramedics would give the patient oxygen and take them off to the hospital as soon as possible. They sometimes have to use tubes to keep the airways open.

Patients who are treated next are people of ''major trauma such as broken limbs or large wounds''

. Someone that is losing allot of blood will need to be treated quickly to staunch the flow. ''Someone with a head injury might have dilated pupils or blood in the whites of their eyes. Or their walking or speech may be affected''. (Information used from textbook).

''The patients with broken bones need to be treated straight away. A broken femur can be dangerous. The muscles in the thigh are so strong they tend to push the bone up into the abdomen. That when you need traction''. (Information used from textbook).

(Some of the information above was used from OCR Additional Applied science life care textbook it has been indicated in quote

Taking blood pressure

Usually a paramedic would take a patient's blood pressure in order to know how well the patient is doing. When a paramedic takes a patient's blood pressure he/she looks at two types of number. One of the numbers is called the systolic blood pressure it is the largest number when someone's blood pressure is taken. The other number is the diastolic blood pressure this is the smaller number when someone's blood pressure is taken. A blood pressure would be measured by a sphygmomanometer. A normal blood pressure would be 120/80 mm Hg. 120 is the systolic blood pressure and 80 is the diastolic blood pressure. The reason why a paramedic would want to take a patient's blood pressure is to see how well the patient is doing. A high blood pressure could mean an increased risk of stroke or heart attack whereas a low blood pressure would indicate below normal blood pressure and could lead to some symptoms such as dizziness and fainting.

Measuring pulse rate

Cardiac monitor: this is used when a patient has a severe cardiac or heart complaint for example a patient's heart that has stopped during an accident this is the kind of equipment that a paramedic would use.

Collapsible wheelchair: this is to move patients out of confined places such as road accidents or other places for example if a patient cannot move a paramedic would use this kind of equipment.

Medical kits: to treat a patient with various types of reasons such as cuts or wounds this will help the patient recover sometimes or stop the bleeding.

Stretches and boards: to move patients and for different purposes.

Oxygen: to treat patients suffering from breathing/respiratory problems.

Blood pressure cuff: measure and record patient's blood pressure. An example of when this equipment would be used is when someone has had an accident and their blood pressure needs to be checked.

Spinal collars: head, neck and spinal injuries to keep the patient still to prevent further injury. Example would be patient who has cracked their neck during an accident.

Airways management set: keep patients airways clear and open. And example would be a patient who has had a cardiac arrest.

(The pictures above were used from a website which I have listed above and were all taken at this time and date: http://www.ambulance.vic.gov.au/Paramedics/Our-Equipment.html Date: 11/11/09 Time: 16:45)