Summary Report for:
29-2043.00 - Paramedics
Administer basic or advanced emergency medical care and assess injuries and illnesses. May administer medication intravenously, use equipment such as EKGs, or administer advanced life support to sick or injured individuals.
Sample of reported job titles: First Responder, Flight Paramedic, Paramedic
This title represents an occupation for which data collection is currently underway.
Easy ReadTasks | Technology Skills | Tools Used | Detailed Work Activities | Credentials | Wages & Employment | Job Openings | Additional Information
Tasks
- Administer drugs, orally or by injection, or perform intravenous procedures.
- Administer first aid treatment or life support care to sick or injured persons in prehospital settings.
- Assess nature and extent of illness or injury to establish and prioritize medical procedures.
- Attend training classes to maintain certification licensure, keep abreast of new developments in the field, or maintain existing knowledge.
- Comfort and reassure patients.
- Coordinate with treatment center personnel to obtain patients' vital statistics and medical history, to determine the circumstances of the emergency, and to administer emergency treatment.
- Coordinate work with other emergency medical team members or police or fire department personnel.
- Instruct emergency medical response team about emergency interventions, to ensure correct application of procedures.
- Observe, record, and report to physician the patient's condition or injury, the treatment provided, and reactions to drugs or treatment.
- Operate equipment, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), external defibrillators, or bag valve mask resuscitators, in advanced life support environments.
- Perform emergency cardiac care, such as cardioversion and manual defibrillation.
- Perform emergency invasive intervention before delivering patient to an acute care facility.
- Perform emergency pharmacological interventions.
Technology Skills
- Information retrieval or search software — Epocrates; HyperTox; Skyscape Rosen and Barkin's 5-Minute Emergency Medicine Consult; TechOnSoftware HazMatCE Pro (see all 14 examples)
- Medical software — MedDataSolutions Regist*r; MEDITECH software
- Office suite software — Microsoft Office
- Operating system software — Microsoft operating system
- Presentation software — Microsoft PowerPoint
- Spreadsheet software — Microsoft Excel
- Word processing software — Microsoft Word
Hot Technology — a technology requirement frequently included in employer job postings.
Tools Used
- Ambulances
- Analgesic infusion sets or kits — Infusion sets
- Anti shock garments — Medical anti-shock trousers MAST; Pneumatic anti-shock garments PASG
- Artificial airway holders — Endotracheal ET tube holddown devices
- Automated external defibrillators AED or hard paddles — Semiautomated or automatic external defibrillators AED
- Blood collection needle — Venoject needles
- Blood pressure recording units — Blood pressure recorders
- Bullet proof vests — Bulletproof vests
- Butterfly needles — Scalp vein needles
- Cardiac output CO monitoring units or accessories — Portable cardiac monitors
- Cardiac pacemaker generator or cardiac resynchronization therapy pacemaker CRT-P — External pacers
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR protective shields or masks — Pocket masks with one-way valves
- Chest tube kit — Pleural decompression kits
- Desktop computers
- Electrocardiography EKG transmitter or telemetry or accessories — Telemetry units
- Electrocardiography EKG units
- Emergency medical service intravenous IV kit — Intraosseous kits
- Emergency medical services cervical or extrication collars — Emergency medical services cervical collars
- Emergency medical services head immobilizers — Head immobilization devices
- Emergency medical services obstetrics kits — Obstetrical OB kits
- Emergency medical services suction units or accessories — Airway suction units; Battery-powered portable suction units; Fixed-suction equipment
- Emergency medical services tourniquets or clamps — Tourniquets
- Emergency medical services tracheal tube or cricothyrotomy kits — Cricothyrotomy kits
- Emergency medical services triage tags — Triage tags
- Emergency response litters or stretchers or accessories — Multi-level wheeled cots; Stair chairs; Stretchers
- Emergency resuscitator or aspirator kits — Resuscitation devices
- Endotracheal tubes — Endotracheal ET tubes
- Esophageal tubes — Esophageal tracheal airway devices
- Extremity restraints — Limb restraints
- Finger ring removers — Ring cutters
- Flow sensors or regulators or components — Wall-mounted oxygen regulators
- Glass cutters — Center punches/glass hammers
- Glucose monitors or meters — Glucometers
- Hacksaw — Hacksaws
- Hypodermic injection apparatus or accessories — Epi-pens; Preload syringes
- Hypodermic needle — Needles
- Intravenous infusion pumps for general use — Intravenous IV pressure infusers; Intravenous IV pumps
- Intravenous or arterial arm boards — Long arm boards; Short arm boards
- Intravenous or arterial cannulas or accessories — Intravenous IV cannulas
- Intravenous or arterial tubing adapters or connectors or locks or caps or protectors — Saline locks
- Intubation forceps — Adult Magill forceps
- Intubation gauges or guides — Esophageal intubation detection devices
- Intubation stylets — Adult stylets
- Laryngoscopes or accessories — Curved adult blades; Laryngoscopes; Straight adult blades; Straight pediatric blades (see all 5 examples)
- Medical acoustic stethoscope or accessory — Mechanical stethoscopes
- Medical aspiration or irrigation syringes — Bulb syringes
- Medical gas cylinders or related devices — Fixed-oxygen equipment; Portable oxygen equipment
- Medical nasal cannulae — Oxygen nasal cannulae
- Medical oxygen masks or parts — Adult non-rebreather oxygen masks; Child oxygen masks; Infant oxygen masks
- Medical suction cannulas or tubes or accessories — Medical suction catheters; Suction tubing
- Medical syringe without needle — Syringes
- Multiparameter vital sign unit or accessories — Monitors
- Nasopharyngeal tubes — Nasopharyngeal airways
- Nebulizer or accessories — Nebulizers
- Needleless intravenous injection syringe set or injection cannula — Interlink syringe cannulas
- Needleless vial or bag withdrawal cannulas or adapters or decanters — Vial access cannulas
- Non vacuum blood collection tubes or containers — Blood tubes
- Notebook computers
- Orthopedic splint systems — Cardboard splints; Rigid splints; Splints
- Oxygen insufflator or its accessories — Transtracheal jet insufflators
- Patient carbon dioxide detectors — Patient CO2 monitors
- Patient stabilization or fall prevention devices or accessories — Patient restraints
- Peripheral intravenous catheters for general use — Catheters
- Pharyngeal airways or airways kits — Oropharyngeal airways
- Pry bars
- Pulse oximeter units — Oximeters
- Respiratory aspirator products or accessories — Meconium aspirators
- Restraint vests and jackets — Straitjacket
- Resuscitation masks or accessories — Bag valve mask BVM resuscitators; Valve mask resuscitators
- Sledge hammer — Sledgehammers
- Spine boards — Extrication devices; Full-spine immobilization devices; Half-spine immobilization devices; Spinal immobilization equipment
- Surgical scalpels or knives or blades or trephines or accessories — Scalpels
- Torso and belt restraints — Restraint belts
- Traction splint sets — Lower extremity traction devices with ankle hitches; Traction splints
- Two way radios
- Wheel chocks — Chock blocks
Detailed Work Activities
- Treat medical emergencies.
- Administer intravenous medications.
- Administer non-intravenous medications.
- Collaborate with healthcare professionals to plan or provide treatment.
- Implement advanced life support techniques.
- Analyze patient data to determine patient needs or treatment goals.
- Inform medical professionals regarding patient conditions and care.
- Interact with patients to build rapport or provide emotional support.
- Maintain medical or professional knowledge.
- Monitor patient progress or responses to treatments.
- Operate diagnostic or therapeutic medical instruments or equipment.
- Record patient medical histories.
- Teach medical procedures to healthcare personnel.
- Train medical providers.
Find occupations related to multiple detailed work activities
Wages & Employment Trends
Median wage data for Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics.
Employment data for Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics.
Industry data for Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics.
| Median wages (2020) | $17.62 hourly, $36,650 annual |
| State wages | |
| Local wages | |
| Employment (2019) | 265,200 employees |
| Projected growth (2019-2029) | 
Faster than average (5% to 7%)
|
| Projected job openings (2019-2029) | 17,400 |
| State trends | |
| Top industries (2019) | |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2020 wage data
and 2019-2029 employment projections
.
"Projected growth" represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2019-2029). "Projected job openings" represent openings due to growth and replacement.
Sources of Additional Information
All 6 displayedDisclaimer: Sources are listed to provide additional information on related jobs, specialties, and/or industries. Links to non-DOL Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.
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