What are the Different Paramedic Jobs?

A number of jobs are available to people who are qualified as paramedics, depending on their level of qualification. People who are interested in paramedic jobs can work in a range of settings, from a fast-paced ambulance service to a research facility where paramedics provide medical care to test subjects. Although paramedics are often associated with emergency response, many paramedic jobs actually involve non-emergency situations.

One of the most classic paramedic jobs is in emergency medical transport. Paramedics staff ambulances, helicopters, boats, and other types of transport which respond to emergencies and transport patients. In these types of paramedic jobs, the paramedics provide pre-hospital interventions which can save the patient's life or radically improve the patient's prognosis. Paramedics can also staff fire trucks and rescue vans used by fire stations, providing emergency medical response at the scene of fires.

Tactical paramedics work with law enforcement and the military, providing immediate medical care in the field. People interested in these types of paramedic jobs need to be able to work well under pressure, and to quickly assess situations for danger level. Working as a tactical paramedic, someone may provide care to members of his or her team as well as bystanders at a scene or people who are injured in the course of an engagement; tactical paramedics need to be able to care for criminals or the enemy as well as their coworkers and people injured in accidents and emergency situations.

Other paramedic jobs can be found in the hospital environment. Paramedics may staff an emergency room, providing immediate care and treatment for incoming patients. They can work with registered nurses and doctors, processing incoming patients, triaging them, and performing medical interventions. Paramedics can also work in blood labs, or staff a company or corporation, providing basic medical care on site for people who are injured. Clinics may also utilize paramedics for staffing, along with nurses and physician assistants who reduce the workload on physicians.

People who are interested in careers as paramedics should look at the level of certification required for different paramedic jobs to make sure that they achieve the desired educational objectives for the paramedic positions they are interested in. Generally, the higher the certification, the more employable a paramedic is, as he or she can provide more interventions and services. People can also opt to start work at a low certification level, and continue education to achieve higher certifications over time.