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.
Not long ago there were few mobile teams available to deal with remote emergencies. As late as the 1960s, only a few states had even established written standards detailing this type of care, and before digital technology many ambulances did not even have mobile radio links. Personnel received standard Red Cross certification, but most had very little actual formal medical instruction.
That was an era when car crash fatalities were more numerous than battlefield casualties, making the need for advanced mobile field medical specialists obvious. Funding was begun during the seventies, leading to the current network structure existing today. The goal was formally described as being a rapid response to any medical crisis, providing care while at the scene, and during any necessary ambulance transport.
Modern services usually include two categories of emergency workers. The most common are EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians), who perform all basic duties, but are considered entry level positions. Even so, their formal training is extensive and comprehensive, specifically designed for those first to arrive on scene. These technicians are allowed to treat patients for basic problems, but cannot administer shots.
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.
The current emergency system is light years ahead of the old, but is still retains the same structure. There is a genuine need for another level of expertise in the field, and extending the training and capabilities of paramedics is considered a logical next step. The concept was actually conceived many years ago, but was dropped for various reasons, including political 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.
This next-level training provides a critical missing link in medical services, and it also creates a much-needed career path for paramedics. Many leave emergency services for non-field hospital work because there is no way progress further in that particular arena. Advanced training not only improves the state of current emergency field medicine, but it also helps to retain the best and brightest workers.
Not long ago there were few mobile teams available to deal with remote emergencies. As late as the 1960s, only a few states had even established written standards detailing this type of care, and before digital technology many ambulances did not even have mobile radio links. Personnel received standard Red Cross certification, but most had very little actual formal medical instruction.
That was an era when car crash fatalities were more numerous than battlefield casualties, making the need for advanced mobile field medical specialists obvious. Funding was begun during the seventies, leading to the current network structure existing today. The goal was formally described as being a rapid response to any medical crisis, providing care while at the scene, and during any necessary ambulance transport.
Modern services usually include two categories of emergency workers. The most common are EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians), who perform all basic duties, but are considered entry level positions. Even so, their formal training is extensive and comprehensive, specifically designed for those first to arrive on scene. These technicians are allowed to treat patients for basic problems, but cannot administer shots.
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.
The current emergency system is light years ahead of the old, but is still retains the same structure. There is a genuine need for another level of expertise in the field, and extending the training and capabilities of paramedics is considered a logical next step. The concept was actually conceived many years ago, but was dropped for various reasons, including political 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.
This next-level training provides a critical missing link in medical services, and it also creates a much-needed career path for paramedics. Many leave emergency services for non-field hospital work because there is no way progress further in that particular arena. Advanced training not only improves the state of current emergency field medicine, but it also helps to retain the best and brightest workers.
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