About This Career

Administers basic or advanced emergency medical care and assesses injuries and illnesses. May administer medication intravenously, use equipment such as EKGs, or administer advanced life support to sick or injured individuals.

This career is part of the Health Science cluster Therapeutic Services pathway.

A person in this career:

• Administers drugs, orally or by injection, or performs intravenous procedures.
• Administers first aid treatment or life support care to sick or injured persons in prehospital settings.
• Assesses nature and extent of illness or injury to establish and prioritize medical procedures.
• Attends training classes to maintain certification licensure, keep abreast of new developments in the field, or maintain existing knowledge.
• Comforts and reassures patients.
• Coordinates with treatment center personnel to obtain patients' vital statistics and medical history, to determine the circumstances of the emergency, and to administer emergency treatment.
• Coordinates work with other emergency medical team members or police or fire department personnel.
• Instructs emergency medical response team about emergency interventions to ensure correct application of procedures.
• Observes, records, and reports to physician the patient's condition or injury, the treatment provided, and reactions to drugs or treatment.
• Operates equipment, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), external defibrillators, or bag valve mask resuscitators, in advanced life support environments.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
• Work in this occupation involves bending or twisting your body more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Requires getting into awkward positions
• Exposed to disease and infections more than once a month through work such as patient care, laboratory work, and sanitation control
• Conditions are very hot (above 90 F) or very cold (under 32 F)
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting
• Work in this occupation requires being outside most of the time

Work Hours and Travel

• Overtime work
• Rotating shift work
• Weekend work