What is a Paramedic?
Many people have asked this question and others have formulated their own opinion. The technical definition is: An Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) who is able to provide Advance Life Support (ALS) and transportation to the sick and injured. This is a precise but not easily understood definition. A paramedic is a healthcare provider that offers, in an emergency, many of the services that an Emergency Department (ED) in a hospital provides. A paramedic ambulance is like a mini ED on wheels. Paramedics can administer medications for different types of medical emergencies, such as high blood pressure, seizures, or heart attacks. They can also perform advanced medical procedures, like inserting intravenous (IV) catheters to administer medications, inserting a tube into a patient’s lung so he can breathe, or sending electricity through a patient’s heart to reset it. Before any of these procedures can be performed, a complete assessment of the patient has to be done.
