If you want to learn more about being a paramedic, I think you may be interested in this article. Our profession is quite new; people often think of us as ambulance driver. In reality, we now possess lots of tools and knowledge to treat injuries of many kinds. In this article, you will learn more about the ins and outs of being a paramedic!
It is a stressful job. You have to be ready to face any situation at any moment. We see things like illness, poverty, situations like rape or conjugal violence. You have to have cold blood, and manage your stress well.
We have a big range of knowledge, going from trauma training, cardiac arrest, giving medications like nitro and salbutamol, and other medical emergencies like treating hypoglycemic people or those in prophylactic shock.
Normally, the shifts are either 8,10 or 12 hours and you can work day or night. The first thing we do is inspect the truck and make sure all our equipment is there. Then, we go to a location given by the dispatch to be in standby for when there is a call. When there is a call, we will either go with the sirens and lights or not, depending on the gravity of the situation. We then treat the patient, bring him to the hospital, write our report, and then take another call or go to another standby.
There are a lot of companies in Quebec, because we have a big territory to cover. Almost all ambulance companies are private, except for Urgence Santé which is public. A lot of them are a coop, which means you are an active member of the company and have more say than a public one. A lot of people want to work at Urgence Santé because it's the one who covers Laval and Montreal, so there is a lot of action.
To be a paramedic in Quebec, you have to do a DEC at a cegep which gives this particular program. You will have to undergo more than 2000 hours of training. You will then have to pass the National Exam, which is call the PNIC. Once you have succeeded at the PNIC, you can start working wherever you'd like.
The starting salary is $23,63 with a maximum of $35,32 per hour. The average is $27,13$.
As our career is constantly changing, we have a lot of annual formation to keep us updated on the new protocols and changes. You can also become an advanced care paramedic by going to university. You will be able to do even more medical acts and will be call on more critical call.
The dangers of being a paramedic are wide. First of all, you can get injured pretty easily if you don't pay attention to your movements. For example, lifting a 200 pounds man is not easy if you are 5 foot 1 or weigh 100 pounds yourself. There are also risks of developing mental illnesses like PTSD, because certain calls can be traumatic. There are other risks more related to the situation, like a car crash or shooting because we don't have as many protections as police officer let's say.
I don't think we are going to be replaced anytime soon, since a big part of our job is caring for others, something robots can't really do or experienced.
The average age to retire is 62 years old, which is quite old for the physical job that we do. I will be able to say that I saved lots of lives, even if I'm scared not to be able to have a family along the way since we work long hours.
I will have completed my DEC in a year, which seems so close now. I hope to be able to work in this field by the time I am 22, which sometimes scares me because I will still be very young to have a important job. I hope this article helped you learn more about this career and have enjoyed it.
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