Ambulance Attendants and Other Paramedical Occupations

This unit group includes workers who administer pre-hospital emergency medical care to patients and transport them to hospitals or other medical facilities for further medical care. They are employed by private ambulance services, hospitals, fire departments, government departments and agencies, manufacturing firms, mining companies and other private sector establishments.

Example Titles

advanced care paramedic
ambulance attendant
critical care paramedic
emergency medical attendant (EMA)
emergency medical care assistant
emergency medical responder
emergency medical technician (EMT)
emergency medical technician, paramedic (EMT - P)
emergency medical technologist, paramedic
paramedic
primary care paramedic
supervisor, ambulance services



Main duties

Workers in this unit group perform some or all of the following duties:

• Assess extent of injuries or illness of trauma victims, patients with respiratory disease and stress, overdose and poisoning victims, industrial accident victims and other ill or injured individuals to determine emergency medical treatment
• Administer pre-hospital emergency care, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), oxygen, bandaging and splinting, to patients
• Establish and maintain intravenous treatment (IV), apply adjunctive equipment for ventilation and circulation complications, administer medications and provide other advanced emergency treatment to patients
• Transport patients by air, land or water to hospital or other medical facility for further medical care
• Document and record nature of injuries and treatment provided
• Assist hospital personnel with provision of medical treatment, if necessary
• Maintain ambulances and emergency care equipment and supplies
• May train and supervise other workers in this unit group
• May assist with triage of emergency patients.

Employment requirements

• Completion of a college, hospital-based or other recognized program in emergency medical technology ranging from two to twenty-four months or courses in emergency health care
  and
  Supervised practical training are required.
• Licensure according to type and length of training by a regulatory body may be required
• Those operating emergency vehicles require an appropriate class of license.