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Careers in the Health Professions

Want to know more about careers in the health professions? Check out this guide for resources and interviews with active practitioners!

Paramedicine Quote

“I didn’t become an EMT to get a front-row seat to other people’s tragedies. I did it because I knew the world was bleeding and so was I, and somewhere inside I knew the only way to stop my own bleeding was to learn how to stop someone else’s.”
― Daniel José Older

About Paramedicine

What is EMS?

EMS stands for emergency medical services. EMS practitioners provide prehospital emergency medical care. People call EMS when they have had an accident or are experiencing a medical emergency, including heart attack, difficulty breathing, a fall or accident, drowning, cardiac arrest, stroke, drug overdose or acute illness. EMS may provide both basic and advanced medical care at the scene of an emergency and en route to a hospital.

Who Provides EMS?

When a person becomes ill or injured and dials 911, the call is answered by an EMS dispatcher, who is trained to obtain key information from the caller about the location and type of emergency. The dispatcher also may give the caller patient care instructions while sending emergency responders to the scene of the emergency.

These responders include:

  • Emergency Medical Responders
  • Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs)
  • Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians
  • Paramedics

What Skills Does an EMT Perform?

EMTs can perform CPR, artificial ventilations, oxygen administration, basic airway management, defibrillation using an AED, spinal immobilization, monitoring of vital signs and bandaging/splinting. They also may administer nitroglycerin, glucose, epinephrine and albuterol in special circumstances.

What Skills Does a Paramedic Perform?

A paramedic has extensive training in patient assessment and participates in a variety of clinical experiences during training. He or she can perform all of the skills performed by an EMT, plus advanced airway management such as endotracheal intubation, electrocardiographs (ECGs), insertion of intravenous lines, administration of numerous emergency medications, and assessment of ECG tracings and defibrillation. 

From the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians

Discover More at the Creighton University Libraries: Paramedicine

Recommended Articles & Resources

Cash RE, Powell JR, Peters GA, Goldberg SA, Panchal AR, Camargo CA Jr. Trends in demographic and employment characteristics of US emergency medical technicians and paramedics, 2011-2019. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open. 2022 Jul 7;3(4):e12776. doi: 10.1002/emp2.12776. PMID: 35832199; PMCID: PMC9262352. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9262352/

Crowe RP, Bentley MA, Levine R. The Longitudinal Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Attributes and Demographics Study (LEADS): The First 10 Years and a Look at Public Perception of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016 Dec;31(S1):S1-S6. doi: 10.1017/S1049023X16001047. Epub 2016 Nov 24. PMID: 27881204. 

https://creighton.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CRU_INST/55ql43/cdi_openaire_primary_doi_74fbff98155db5e80ba5a7e3733b5387

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