Have you ever dreamed of becoming a paramedic? Then, this article is for you! By the end of your reading you will learn what paramedics do, what a typical day at work is like, how yourself can become a paramedic, how much money you can expect to make as a paramedic, what are the dangers of being a paramedic and when you can expect to retire.
Being a paramedic is very challenging and difficult, but it can be very rewarding when you see your patient starting to feel better because of your care.
Paramedics go to a patient’s house or accident scene to provide medical attention to injured people or people who suffered sudden illness. They do so by using advanced medical equipment like a monitor which can watch vital signs and give defibrillation to patients in need. Paramedics are trained to react in case the patient suffers complex medical complications like a heart attack, a stroke or even cardiac arrest. They can administer a variety of medications that can help maintain a patient alive until he arrives in a hospital. In case of a traumatic injury they can proceed to spinal immobilization, control hemorrhage, etc.
A typical day for a paramedic starts with a walk around of their ambulance they make sure all the lights and sirens are working properly, that they don’t have a flat tire or missing lug nut on a wheel and by checking engine oil level, windshield washer level, etc. When this is done they make sure all the mandatory equipment is in the truck because if, even one vial of medication is missing they are not conformed to take the road. Once everything is checked, they go on the radio a tell the dispatcher they are ready to take calls. Now the fun begins. As a paramedic, you never where the day is going to take you and this is why you need to be able to adapt quickly to changing situations. Your first intervention of the day may be a simple ingrown nail, or it may be a child birth and in the afternoon you may be called to the scene of a cardiac arrest or, if you’re lucky you might take a road trip to Quebec City to transfer a patient to a hospital there.
In Quebec, paramedics work for private owned companies except for the paramedics from Montreal and Laval which work for Urgences Santé a public owned company. They usually work from stations where they can eat, sleep and live for their 8,10 or 12 hour shifts. They are sometimes asked to go wait at a service point which are central points in cities from where they can quickly respond anywhere in the city. These service points are usually gas stations or restaurants like Tim Hortons or McDonald’s. So, next time you see an ambulance parked at a restaurant for hours do not think the paramedics are being lazy and are wasting time. They were asked to wait there. In more rural places paramedic may work 24 to 48 hours shifts where they have lived in the station for 2 days straight! Sometimes if they live close enough to the station they are able to take the ambulance home to wait there!
To become a paramedic you need to apply to a Cegep that offers the Paramedic care program like Ahuntsic College or John Abbott College and pass the physical tests which include running and muscular strength exercises. The course lasts 3 years or around 2750 hours of class where you will learn about the human anatomy and physiology, psychology, health problems, etc. After you’ve completed the course, you will need to pass the national exam to be on the national paramedic register. From now on you will be able to be a paramedic anywhere in Canada
The base salary for a new paramedic in 2024 is $26,34 an hour and the max salary is $39,40 an hour after 12 years of service. Paramedics can expect evening, night and weekend bonuses and work on a 7/14 schedule which means they work 7 days out of a 14 day period.
Fresh out of college paramedics are what’s known as “Primary care paramedics”. After 3 years of work they can go to university for 2 years to become an Advanced Care Paramedic. Advanced Care paramedics can perform various actions like installing intravenous and intraosseous lines, tracheostomy, Electric Cardioversion, etc.
Paramedics can suffer stressed related injuries like burnouts or post-traumatic stress disease because they are exposed to a lot of stressful and traumatic events throughout their career. A paramedic can also suffer musculoskeletal injuries from lifting heavy weights. Sometimes injuries occurs when helping aggressive patient that end up attacking them. This is why paramedics work along police officers during psychiatric calls.
The chances paramedics are replaced by robots in the near future are zero. Because paramedics are highly trained professional that need a level of adaption and compassion that cannot be achieved by a robot
Paramedics usually retire after 10 to 12 years of service to occupy top or middle administrative jobs in the company they work for. They sometimes go back to school to pursue a new career
I am currently in my third year of Paramedic care and have one year to go. My goal would be to become an Advanced care paramedic in the future. I hope this article was instructive and that you learned a lot about what it is like to be a paramedic
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