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Paramedic Facts & Worksheets

A Paramedic is a medical professional who specializes in emergency treatment

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A paramedic is neither a doctor or a nurse. A paramedic is a medical professional who specializes in giving emergency treatment.

See the fact file below for more information on Paramedic or alternatively, you can download our 28-page Paramedic worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

BRIEF HISTORY

  • In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson received the report, which is more known as ‘The White Paper’ about how accidental injuries are actually the leading cause of death in the first half of someone’s lifespan. 
  • According to the report President Johnson received, in 1965 alone, vehicular accidents killed more Americans than when the Vietnam war was taking place.
  • The report presented several recommendations regarding the prevention and management of accidental injuries.
  • As a result, the U.S government decided to establish minimum standards for ambulance training, ambulance equipment, and vehicle design.
  • This report also prompted the birth of a number of Emergency Medical Service (EMS) pilot units which included paramedic-related programs. 
  • The first civilian emergency EMS in the United States which was staffed by paramedics was the Freedom House Ambulance Service

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF A PARAMEDIC

  • A paramedic generally works on a team or with people that deal with and respond to emergency medical situations.
  • Usually, during emergency medical situations, a paramedic works under the guidance of a doctor who is not usually on site. 
  • In general, a paramedic may also make decisions regarding a patient’s medical care and may also provide supervision to the other members of the team with lesser experience and training.
  • Paramedics are different from Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs). Both of them can perform emergency medical care during emergency situations. However, the level of medical care they can perform differs. 
  • EMTs generally can provide the most common type of basic medical care while paramedics are trained to provide advanced or more complicated medical care. For example, EMTs can perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR while paramedics can give more complex care like administering IV lines to patients. 

PARAMEDIC SKILLS

  • A paramedic may have a different skill set with another paramedic which may be due to (1) experience, (2) training, or (3) background. 
  • However, most common paramedic skill set includes:
    • Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) which includes Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), usage of defibrillator, and cardioversion.
    • Patient assessment skills which include acquisition of vital signs, emergency physical examination, and chest auscultation.
  • As a result, the U.S government has decided to establish 
    • Airway management skills which include tracheal intubation, cricothyrotomy, and rapid sequence induction.
    • Intravenous (IV) and intraosseous (IO) incantation.
    • Oxygen administration
    • Fluid resuscitation
    • Spinal injury management
    • Burn management

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

  • To be a paramedic, one must go through paramedic training. 
  • To start with the paramedic training, usually, one has to have a high school diploma or equivalent and a CPR certification.
  • A CPR certification of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation certification is provided to a person who has completed the designated first aid course or training from an authorized organization. Usually, the CPR training includes the understanding of both the theoretical and practical aspects of CPR.
  • In some places, one may need to have their associate’s degree or EMT certification before they can start with their paramedic training.
  • Usually, paramedic training takes around 1,200 hours to 1,800 hours.
  • Once done with the training, any aspiring paramedic must take the examination required by the country or the state or the place where you want to be a recognized as a paramedic.

PARAMEDIC TRAINING

  • In general, paramedic training has three (3) divisions: (1) basic technician, (2) general paramedic or advanced technician, and (3) advanced paramedic. 
  • While both Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) and paramedics go through paramedic training, EMTs generally perform lesser complex medical assistance as compared to paramedics. 
  • For example, during a cardiac arrest, an EMT may perform CPR while a paramedic may administer epinephrine (which is the primary drug to be administered during CPR to reverse cardiac arrest).

CAREER OPTIONS

  • Firefighter paramedics usually go through dangerous situations as they have to help people get out of burning places and then provide medical treatment.
  • Flight paramedics’ work is usually the same as ambulance paramedics, but just a bit more complicated as you are providing medical assistance to moving patients at high altitudes.
  • Shipboard paramedics are paramedics that work onboard ships or are employed by cruise ships.
  • Paramedics may also be part of rescue teams. For example, a paramedic may be part of an ocean rescue operation.

Common Emergencies

  • Traumatic injury pertains to physical injuries that require immediate medical attention. A trauma is described as an injury that is caused by a physical force, an example of it is car accident.
  • A common complaint which usually accounts for up to 10% of emergency visits is abdominal pain. Abdominal pain is usually associated with different symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, fever, and diarrhea. There are several possible causes for abdominal
    pain, which include indigestion and gas pains. 
  • A common condition that is often caused by a non life-threatening condition but can also signify a life-threatening condition is
    syncope. Syncope is the medical term for loss of consciousness or what we know as fainting. This is usually caused by a temporary drop in the flow of blood to the brain.
  • More than 700,000 Americans suffer from this condition every year. This is a condition that happens when the brain does not receive enough blood, or most commonly known as stroke. There are
    two (2) types of stroke:
    • Ischemic stroke or the type of stroke when there is blood clot in the brain which blocks an artery, and
    • Hemorrhagic stroke or the type of stroke when a blood vessel bursts and there is blood moving around the brain.
  • Cardiac rhythmic disturbance which is also known as cardiac arrhythmia is a set of conditions associated to the beat of the heart – irregular, slow, or fast. When the heart rate is too fast, it is called tachycardia. On the other hand, when the heart rate is too slow, it is called bradycardia. 
  • Another condition related to the heart is cardiac arrest. This happens when there is a sudden loss of blood-flow which results to the heart failing to pump effectively. Some signs of cardiac arrest include abnormal breathing and loss of consciousness.
  • One of the major causes of death in the United States is poisoning. Poisoning happens when a person ingests a poison or a substance that can produce harmful effects to the body.

Paramedic Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Paramedics across 28 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching about Paramedics who are medical professionals specializing in giving emergency treatment.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Paramedic Facts
  • First Things First
  • How To Be?
  • Find Them All
  • Let’s Compare!
  • Find Out!
  • Mix ‘N Match
  • My Bag
  • Perform First Aid
  • Unscramble
  • Key Points

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a paramedic do?

A paramedic is someone who works in a team to respond to emergency medical situations like an accident, injury, or illness. Paramedics are usually first responders who stabilize a patient so they can be transported to a hospital or doctor for further treatment.

Can paramedics become doctors?

Yes, a paramedic can train to become a doctor. Although they will need to go through many years of university and medical school to reach this goal, just like any other medical professional.

How do paramedics work?

Paramedics typically respond to an emergency services call. They will be dispatched by the emergency services, not an individual caller. They will attend to the patient by stabilizing them and giving emergency medical treatment like CPR or first-aid until the patient can be transported to a hospital for further treatment.

Can women be paramedics?

Yes! Women and men can be paramedics.

Is being a paramedic dangerous?

The job itself is not necessarily dangerous, but paramedics can find themselves in dangerous situations such as when they are responding to fires, building collapses, or criminal activity.

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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