In most large urban areas people pay little attention to the constant background noise of ambulance sirens until they actually need an emergency service. Acute medical situations happen at all hours, and citizens have come to rely on well-trained personnel to treat them on site, as well as en route to the hospital. The people who make this service possible save hundreds of lives each year, making a strong case for advanced practice paramedic programs.
In earlier times there were few options for treating victims in the field. Even as recently as the 1960s, only a few locations had actual published lists of the standards and practices required and allowed for emergency personnel, and prior to cell phones some ambulances did not even have mobile 2-way radio. First responders were Red Cross certified, but received little classroom medical training.
During that period auto accidents killed more people than wars, and the need for advanced field treatment specialists with advanced emergency training became obvious. By the 1970s funding was established, and the current network of services had begun to coalesce. The goal was was to respond quickly to a crisis, providing care both at that location and in an ambulance en route to an emergency room.
Today there are two primary categories of personnel working on the front lines. EMT (Emergency Medical Technicians) are the most common, and are considered to the be entry level technicians. Training is comprehensive and extensive, and these individuals are often the first to arrive. Both basic and intermediate EMT personnel can help patients up to a specific point, but cannot inject medications or break skin.
Administering medication via needle is one of those restrictions, and must be performed by a paramedic. Paramedics are not considered doctors, but do receive additional instruction in anatomy, physiology, and cardiology, as well as keeping current on the latest methods of resuscitating and sustaining heart attack victims. They know how to clear air pathways, inject drugs, and connect intravenous solutions.
Many of them got their start as an EMT. While the current system is far ahead of the old in terms of capability, technology, and lives saved, the need for an additional level of expertise has been noted since the beginning. Many consider it to be the most logical next step. When additional instruction was first seriously proposed, however, it was shelved, largely due to bureaucratic and hierarchical concerns.
More education and higher certification levels can prevent many emergencies before they happen. Besides answering crisis calls, these upper-level paramedics would also visit patients in their homes, assist in educating people about their conditions, and helping to monitor the diseases that most often need acute care, such as heart failure, diabetes, and asthma. This practice also frees additional workers for actual emergency response.
Creating these positions not only fills a service gap, but also opens up a career pathway for interested paramedics. Because there has traditionally been no room for advancement, paramedics have increasingly abandoned emergency specialties in favor of actual hospital positions. Retaining the best and brightest field responders not only helps those in need, but also improves the overall system.
In earlier times there were few options for treating victims in the field. Even as recently as the 1960s, only a few locations had actual published lists of the standards and practices required and allowed for emergency personnel, and prior to cell phones some ambulances did not even have mobile 2-way radio. First responders were Red Cross certified, but received little classroom medical training.
During that period auto accidents killed more people than wars, and the need for advanced field treatment specialists with advanced emergency training became obvious. By the 1970s funding was established, and the current network of services had begun to coalesce. The goal was was to respond quickly to a crisis, providing care both at that location and in an ambulance en route to an emergency room.
Today there are two primary categories of personnel working on the front lines. EMT (Emergency Medical Technicians) are the most common, and are considered to the be entry level technicians. Training is comprehensive and extensive, and these individuals are often the first to arrive. Both basic and intermediate EMT personnel can help patients up to a specific point, but cannot inject medications or break skin.
Administering medication via needle is one of those restrictions, and must be performed by a paramedic. Paramedics are not considered doctors, but do receive additional instruction in anatomy, physiology, and cardiology, as well as keeping current on the latest methods of resuscitating and sustaining heart attack victims. They know how to clear air pathways, inject drugs, and connect intravenous solutions.
Many of them got their start as an EMT. While the current system is far ahead of the old in terms of capability, technology, and lives saved, the need for an additional level of expertise has been noted since the beginning. Many consider it to be the most logical next step. When additional instruction was first seriously proposed, however, it was shelved, largely due to bureaucratic and hierarchical concerns.
More education and higher certification levels can prevent many emergencies before they happen. Besides answering crisis calls, these upper-level paramedics would also visit patients in their homes, assist in educating people about their conditions, and helping to monitor the diseases that most often need acute care, such as heart failure, diabetes, and asthma. This practice also frees additional workers for actual emergency response.
Creating these positions not only fills a service gap, but also opens up a career pathway for interested paramedics. Because there has traditionally been no room for advancement, paramedics have increasingly abandoned emergency specialties in favor of actual hospital positions. Retaining the best and brightest field responders not only helps those in need, but also improves the overall system.
About the Author:
Read more about Advanced Practice Paramedic Training Expands Emergency Medical Services.
No comments:
Post a Comment