In this article, we will summarize and describe the Paramedicine world. If you have ever thought about becoming a paramedic, then this article might confirm your choice for good. You will be able to learn everything you wanted to, related to this job as where they work, how much they are paid or even what is the additional training possible for this career.
A paramedic in Quebec is a man or a woman trained to save some lives. Being a paramedic, you are on the first line of emergency services with firefighters and police officers. You work regularly with them onto some criminal scenes or critical disease that needs from every one of the people on the scene to be as perfect as it is possible to be. Working in this environment is stressful and harsh on the body, but they keep doing it because they love it. The medical knowledge those paramedics have allows them to reduce many aggravations and to stabilize their patient before bringing them to the hospital and explaining the situation to doctors and nurses.
Paramedics are formed to save some lives in a critical situation. In fact, people are not dying at every single corner of the streets or in every two houses. That's why they are so important, they are capable of doing normal medicine to. After talking with their patient of their medical background, previous disease and normal life habits, paramedics can dress a portrait of a problem that affects their health and transmitting the information to the hospital when they arrive. It is like being some sort of a detective but on a medical field. They can also give some treatments to patients that needs it like some epinephrine for anaphylactic allergies or salbutamol to open up the bronchus when a person has some difficulties breathing.
To start up their days, paramedics have to do a security round of their ambulance. They need to make sure that their big yellow truck is fully functional, all the lights are available, sirens to. Plus, they need to verify that the fluids like the oil level or the windshield washer fluid in the truck are on the good level. Then, they make sure that all their medical kits are full and well-placed in the back of the ambulance before heading to the streets. At this point, they might be at a Tim Hortons or something like that waiting for their call. As soon as a call is attributed to the ambulance, they are heading to the address while reading the information related to the call available on their laptop screen. Once they are with the patient, they are using all their medical knowledge and formation to treat the patient as well as possible depending on the disease being identified before driving him or her to the hospital where they will do some extensive testing. After that, they fill a report and are ready for there next call.
Paramedics, especially in the province of Quebec, might work in a very large variation of work environment. Because of the nature with all of his beautiful forest and large bodies of water, or because of the city environment like Montreal or Quebec or Sherbrooke, they will never do the same intervention. If, you are a person that likes bigger action with many people involved you will probably prefer to work in large cities where calls are multiple because of the population density. Otherwise, you might be a person very resourceful that is not scared to be far from the helps and to be the only medical resources with your mate. Paramedics can be at the airport or at the Bell Center to, it is pretty much limitless, as long as there is someone in the needs, they are not so far for you.
The very first steps to become a paramedic in Quebec is to finish your high school. With your diploma of Secondary Education you can inscribe yourself in a Prehospital Emergency Care program in the Cegep of your choice. This program is a technique of 2865 hours in total of which 2205 hours are specific to the Paramedicine world. At the end of your program, you will have to pass the PNIC exam to be officially register as a paramedic and being authorized to work and earn your wage as a paramedic.
In Quebec, there are two types of paramedics. Primary care paramedics are paid $26.43 per hour ($54 787 a year) as soon as they get out of the school. After 12 years with full time weeks, a Primary care paramedic is paid $39.40 per hour ($81 952 a year). Another possibility is to go to the university to do the Advanced care program. After two years of being full time a Primary care paramedic, you can access to this advanced program. After completing it, an Advanced care paramedic is paid $29.35 per hour ($61 048 a year). After 12 years, an Advanced care paramedic is paid $45.70 per hour ($95 056 a year)
They need to stay updated with every one of the protocols. Often, protocols are adapted, changed or removed for many reasons and that is why they cannot just do what they have learned. They need to use their knowledge and all of their tools to adapt themselves to the health and science discoveries. Formations are mandatory by the employer and reading about the newest techniques is important to keep being a good paramedic.
You will probably have to treat some patients that are drugged and unstable psychologically. It could be dangerous for you or the surrounding people. The biggest danger in this job is probably all the poison or harmful aerosol that you cannot see and might infect your own body while you try to help someone. The latest pandemic with the Coranavirus is a great example of something invisible and very damaging for your health if you are not well-protected.
The chances are probably very low. A robot could have the medical knowledge of a paramedic or even a lot more but the human dimension, with empathy and feels is not possible for a robot. A paramedic is trained to help psychologically some patient a bit more like a social worker where a robot will never be able to. Taking care of the population is not just to give medication or to immobilize a broken leg. A big part of the job is to be there for the patient, taking the time to talk with him or her to understand their life situation and help the person to find some solutions or to refer the person to other resources more capable than us depending on the context.
The age of retired paramedic is very variable. Many paramedic after few years on the road will access to some jobs that are more bureaucratic. Probably working for the same company but staying at headquarter and doing some logistics for example. Others might want to share their knowledge in school where they will be teaching the profession and all the pros and cons. There are so many things related to this job that, when you are ready to retire, often it is pretty young because of the physical injuries, you may quit the standard paramedic job only to be at another level still linked to the profession.
Right now, I am in my second year of training in the Prehospital Emergency Care program at Ahuntsic College in Montreal. When I am done, I would love to work either on the north or south shore of Montreal but definitely not the city. This way, I have more chances to work in the nature with its beautiful scenery. Another thing quite interesting is the possibility to be a part of the aeromedical team that could be called everywhere. You don't have the yellow truck anymore but an insane helicopter adapted to transport and save people with a team of medical experts onboard.
Rationale: to inform or educate
Authority: government
Date: still relevant
Accuracy: probably true
Relevance: relevant for this document
Sources: cites sources
Rationale: to inform or educate
Authority: edited reporting
Date: recently published
Accuracy: probably true
Relevance: relevant for this document
Sources: cites sources