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What are the pros and cons to becoming a paramedic?
I would love to become a paramedic, but i've heard from a lot of people that it's not that great of a job. There's often trauma involved, and it is at random hours of the day. Apparently it consumes your schedule. I would love to become one, as I said before, but I don't know if it is worth it. Any thoughts?
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Doc’s Answer
Emmalee paramedic shift hours in the United States vary, but they often involve longer shifts than a typical office job. Paramedics may work 12-hour, 18-hour, or 24-hour shifts, while most paramedic positions are full-time (40 hours or more per week), they rarely follow the standard 8-hour workday. Rotating shifts are common, with paramedics working a set number of shifts (e.g., 2 days, 2 nights, 4 days off) followed by a period of days off. Some agencies use a 24-hour shift pattern, where paramedics work a full 24 hours and are then on call for the next 24 hours. Many paramedic shifts include an on-call component, meaning they are available to respond to calls even when not actively on duty. This may involve being paid overtime rates if called in while on-call. Your specific shift schedule can depend on the agency's call volume, the type of service (fire department.or private ambulance), and the specific role within the service. Shift start times can vary widely, ranging from early morning hours (e.g., 5 am) to evenings or even nighttime shifts.
➕ PROS OF BEING A PARAMEDIC
Here are some primary benefits you may enjoy in a career as a paramedic:
❤️🩹 HELPING PEOPLE — One of the major benefits of being a paramedic is that you get to help people in need. You use your skills and knowledge to save lives in a crisis, which can offer job satisfaction and enhance your community. This job satisfaction can motivate you to keep working hard, ensuring patients always receive the best care and compassion.
🩺 ENHANCED MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE —
Although paramedics don't go to medical school, they have foundational medical knowledge to keep patients stable until they arrive at the hospital. Paramedics may see a variety of injuries and medical issues when responding to emergency calls. If you're addressing these issues, you can enhance your medical knowledge every day, helping you become an expert in your field. This can also help you develop important soft skills, like critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
👍 GOOD JOB PROSPECTS — Communities always need paramedics, so you are likely to have ample opportunities throughout your career. According to Canada Job Bank, job prospects for paramedics are good or very good in all the provinces except British Columbia, where job prospects are moderate. Job prospects for paramedics are undetermined in the three territories, but you can consider contacting local hospitals and fire departments to explore whether there are any opportunities or job vacancies.
➖ CONS OF BEING A PARAMEDIC
It is essential to be aware of the potential disadvantages of being a paramedic to make well-informed career decisions. Some of the most common drawbacks include:
🧠 MENTAL BURDEN — First responders frequently confront depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The mental burden is an all-too-common occurrence in the health industry. If you're presently employed as an EMT and wish to advance to be a paramedic, be aware that improving your mental health and your overall well-being is an important part of the journey.
Sleep deprivation
⏰ LONG HOURS — For example, you may work a 48-hour shift and then take a 24-hour break. You stay awake for the entire 48-hour period during the shifts because sleeping on duty is often intolerable. Many studies show that people need about eight hours of sleep every day, and sleep deprivation has profound consequences on your mood, focus and overall physical health. Correct the situation by requesting your employer to provide enough time off or vacation days so that you may rest adequately.
🤬 EMOTIONAL PATIENTS — Paramedics encounter all types of people, often at challenging times. In such circumstances, patients and their families may communicate with you unpleasantly or disrespectfully. Other people may cry or scream around you. A viable solution entails listening respectfully, establishing common ground rules and openly discussing the issues with people you encounter.
☠️ HUGE RESPONSIBILITIES — Being in charge of another person's life is one of the most significant benefits of being a paramedic, but it can also be a drawback. As with nearly all other professionals, paramedics are liable for the consequences of their decisions. As such, your duty has an additional weight since you are in charge of human lives. Although you may make errors, it's important to protect patients' lives by paying attention to all situational factors.
🤕 JOB-RELATED INJURIES — As a result of the constant bending, hauling and kneeling, you risk developing a job-related injury or illness. Sometimes, you may also encounter a patient with an infectious disease, or you may come into contact with blood or excrement. Wearing gloves and masks and washing your hands frequently may offer sufficient protection.
➕ PROS OF BEING A PARAMEDIC
Here are some primary benefits you may enjoy in a career as a paramedic:
❤️🩹 HELPING PEOPLE — One of the major benefits of being a paramedic is that you get to help people in need. You use your skills and knowledge to save lives in a crisis, which can offer job satisfaction and enhance your community. This job satisfaction can motivate you to keep working hard, ensuring patients always receive the best care and compassion.
🩺 ENHANCED MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE —
Although paramedics don't go to medical school, they have foundational medical knowledge to keep patients stable until they arrive at the hospital. Paramedics may see a variety of injuries and medical issues when responding to emergency calls. If you're addressing these issues, you can enhance your medical knowledge every day, helping you become an expert in your field. This can also help you develop important soft skills, like critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
👍 GOOD JOB PROSPECTS — Communities always need paramedics, so you are likely to have ample opportunities throughout your career. According to Canada Job Bank, job prospects for paramedics are good or very good in all the provinces except British Columbia, where job prospects are moderate. Job prospects for paramedics are undetermined in the three territories, but you can consider contacting local hospitals and fire departments to explore whether there are any opportunities or job vacancies.
➖ CONS OF BEING A PARAMEDIC
It is essential to be aware of the potential disadvantages of being a paramedic to make well-informed career decisions. Some of the most common drawbacks include:
🧠 MENTAL BURDEN — First responders frequently confront depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The mental burden is an all-too-common occurrence in the health industry. If you're presently employed as an EMT and wish to advance to be a paramedic, be aware that improving your mental health and your overall well-being is an important part of the journey.
Sleep deprivation
⏰ LONG HOURS — For example, you may work a 48-hour shift and then take a 24-hour break. You stay awake for the entire 48-hour period during the shifts because sleeping on duty is often intolerable. Many studies show that people need about eight hours of sleep every day, and sleep deprivation has profound consequences on your mood, focus and overall physical health. Correct the situation by requesting your employer to provide enough time off or vacation days so that you may rest adequately.
🤬 EMOTIONAL PATIENTS — Paramedics encounter all types of people, often at challenging times. In such circumstances, patients and their families may communicate with you unpleasantly or disrespectfully. Other people may cry or scream around you. A viable solution entails listening respectfully, establishing common ground rules and openly discussing the issues with people you encounter.
☠️ HUGE RESPONSIBILITIES — Being in charge of another person's life is one of the most significant benefits of being a paramedic, but it can also be a drawback. As with nearly all other professionals, paramedics are liable for the consequences of their decisions. As such, your duty has an additional weight since you are in charge of human lives. Although you may make errors, it's important to protect patients' lives by paying attention to all situational factors.
🤕 JOB-RELATED INJURIES — As a result of the constant bending, hauling and kneeling, you risk developing a job-related injury or illness. Sometimes, you may also encounter a patient with an infectious disease, or you may come into contact with blood or excrement. Wearing gloves and masks and washing your hands frequently may offer sufficient protection.
Thanks so much!! I'll consider all those things!!
Emmalee
Updated
Zachary’s Answer
So I've been a paramedic for about three and a half years now in the United States. I see that you're in Canada, so EMS in Canada works a little bit differently than it does in the United States, and arguably is actually better than it is in the United States. There are some overlapping similarities, so I can give you my perspective from working in the States, but understand that some of these things will be better or potentially worse in Canada.
A big driver of paramedic satisfaction is the company that you work for, and there is a vast difference in the companies that are out there. Here in the states, we have several large for-profit EMS agencies that are not very good and are pretty terrible to work for. We also have many smaller not-for-profit or private for-profit companies that are also not very good to work for. On the flip side, we have some very large governmental agencies that are very good to work for, very progressive, take care of their employees, and pay their employees well. From what I understand, in Canada, most of the agencies are government-operated, and they seem to be paid a lot better, and the educational requirements seem to be much more difficult, which, in my opinion, is actually a good thing.
This is not a job for the shy or timid. The job can be very demanding, sometimes it can be very traumatic, and it can be very demoralizing at times. But the job can also be extremely rewarding and extremely fulfilling. Perspective is I love this job but I haven't found a company that I like yet. And that is the unfortunate reality in the United States in EMS that many of us face. Paramedics don't go to nursing school or get out of the field because they don't like being a paramedic they do it because the companies that we work for are just complete junk.
The positives of the job are I have almost complete freedom to do my job. have to ask for permission, I don't have someone watching over my back for the most part, and I am allowed to use my critical thinking skills to appropriately treat my patients. A small example is in the United States we consider a normal blood sugar to be between 80 and 120 (imperial blended with metric measurement system). Most of our hospitals have orders where, if the patient's blood sugar is outside of that range, the nursing staff can treat it appropriately. As a paramedic I don't need their blood sugar to be outside that range. If I believe that the patient is suffering from symptoms of low blood sugar and their blood sugar is 81, I can treat it. I don't have to ask permission, and I won't get in trouble for treating it. Being a paramedic, in my opinion, and I've been in the workforce for about 16 years now, is one of the most freeing jobs I've ever worked. I can't think of another job where I've been treated more like an adult my entire life. Most jobs treat you like a child, but as a paramedic, you're treated like an adult, and you're expected to act that way. This job can be as good or as bad as you make it if you're willing to put the time in and increase your knowledge; you can increase your practice, be a much better paramedic, and be a whole lot more effective. When I know something is wrong and I have the knowledge and the tools to treat it I'm allowed to treat it I don't have to ask for permission. The exception is I have to call for orders whenever I'm considering intubating a child but that's the only thing I have to ask permission for. In my state, we are allowed to give blood in the field, we are allowed to give many medications that in the hospital can only be given in the ER and ICUs. We are allowed to do a lot of procedures that nurses could never dream of. I am also allowed a level of autonomy that a nurse would never be allowed.
I get to make a huge difference in patients' lives. A large part of my job in the States has become resource management, not patient care. The healthcare system in the States is pretty atrocious. Unfortunately, you guys don't have to experience that as much in Canada. But I spend a vast majority of my calls simply helping patients understand the US healthcare system and how to get help for the conditions that they have, and how to find ways to pay for their medication and resources in the community that can help them. It actually makes the job very rewarding and very fulfilling but it's not what I was taught in college that I was going to be running around saving lives with people constantly having traumatic events and all those kind of things.
All the positives above do come with some pretty significant downsides sometimes. If I make a decision based on critical thinking that may be bending the rules a little bit, I have to be right because if I'm wrong, I'll get in trouble. This is where the education comes in, where you take time outside of work to learn about things, improve your practice, and refine your knowledge, so that when you do bend the rules a little bit, you're right. We work in situations that are ever evolving and changing, and are sometimes very demanding on your senses and skills. We don't get to work in an air-conditioned building with security standing right next to us, with lights, clean floors, and a controlled environment. Everything we do is rooted in chaos. The job can sometimes be dangerous, although significantly less dangerous than firefighting or being a police officer. There is still some danger involved in this job that you will not experience in most hospitals.
Again, this is my personal experience from working in the States. Canada is very different. The EMS system in Canada seems to function at least a little bit better than it does in the States, with higher education levels and better pay. But ultimately, the patient care perspective is the same.
Check out Master Your Medics on Social Media, they are based in Canada and could give you a better perspective and possible knowledge.
A big driver of paramedic satisfaction is the company that you work for, and there is a vast difference in the companies that are out there. Here in the states, we have several large for-profit EMS agencies that are not very good and are pretty terrible to work for. We also have many smaller not-for-profit or private for-profit companies that are also not very good to work for. On the flip side, we have some very large governmental agencies that are very good to work for, very progressive, take care of their employees, and pay their employees well. From what I understand, in Canada, most of the agencies are government-operated, and they seem to be paid a lot better, and the educational requirements seem to be much more difficult, which, in my opinion, is actually a good thing.
This is not a job for the shy or timid. The job can be very demanding, sometimes it can be very traumatic, and it can be very demoralizing at times. But the job can also be extremely rewarding and extremely fulfilling. Perspective is I love this job but I haven't found a company that I like yet. And that is the unfortunate reality in the United States in EMS that many of us face. Paramedics don't go to nursing school or get out of the field because they don't like being a paramedic they do it because the companies that we work for are just complete junk.
The positives of the job are I have almost complete freedom to do my job. have to ask for permission, I don't have someone watching over my back for the most part, and I am allowed to use my critical thinking skills to appropriately treat my patients. A small example is in the United States we consider a normal blood sugar to be between 80 and 120 (imperial blended with metric measurement system). Most of our hospitals have orders where, if the patient's blood sugar is outside of that range, the nursing staff can treat it appropriately. As a paramedic I don't need their blood sugar to be outside that range. If I believe that the patient is suffering from symptoms of low blood sugar and their blood sugar is 81, I can treat it. I don't have to ask permission, and I won't get in trouble for treating it. Being a paramedic, in my opinion, and I've been in the workforce for about 16 years now, is one of the most freeing jobs I've ever worked. I can't think of another job where I've been treated more like an adult my entire life. Most jobs treat you like a child, but as a paramedic, you're treated like an adult, and you're expected to act that way. This job can be as good or as bad as you make it if you're willing to put the time in and increase your knowledge; you can increase your practice, be a much better paramedic, and be a whole lot more effective. When I know something is wrong and I have the knowledge and the tools to treat it I'm allowed to treat it I don't have to ask for permission. The exception is I have to call for orders whenever I'm considering intubating a child but that's the only thing I have to ask permission for. In my state, we are allowed to give blood in the field, we are allowed to give many medications that in the hospital can only be given in the ER and ICUs. We are allowed to do a lot of procedures that nurses could never dream of. I am also allowed a level of autonomy that a nurse would never be allowed.
I get to make a huge difference in patients' lives. A large part of my job in the States has become resource management, not patient care. The healthcare system in the States is pretty atrocious. Unfortunately, you guys don't have to experience that as much in Canada. But I spend a vast majority of my calls simply helping patients understand the US healthcare system and how to get help for the conditions that they have, and how to find ways to pay for their medication and resources in the community that can help them. It actually makes the job very rewarding and very fulfilling but it's not what I was taught in college that I was going to be running around saving lives with people constantly having traumatic events and all those kind of things.
All the positives above do come with some pretty significant downsides sometimes. If I make a decision based on critical thinking that may be bending the rules a little bit, I have to be right because if I'm wrong, I'll get in trouble. This is where the education comes in, where you take time outside of work to learn about things, improve your practice, and refine your knowledge, so that when you do bend the rules a little bit, you're right. We work in situations that are ever evolving and changing, and are sometimes very demanding on your senses and skills. We don't get to work in an air-conditioned building with security standing right next to us, with lights, clean floors, and a controlled environment. Everything we do is rooted in chaos. The job can sometimes be dangerous, although significantly less dangerous than firefighting or being a police officer. There is still some danger involved in this job that you will not experience in most hospitals.
Again, this is my personal experience from working in the States. Canada is very different. The EMS system in Canada seems to function at least a little bit better than it does in the States, with higher education levels and better pay. But ultimately, the patient care perspective is the same.
Zachary recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Karin’s Answer
Hi Emmalee,
On the positive side you have a job where you really help people and make a difference in their lives. There comes a certain "excitement" with rushing out to rescue people that would be attractive for people who want a fast-paced job that requires physical activity.
I think you nailed it with your concerns about the level of trauma you would witness and the odd hours. You would need to find a way to balance and decompress when you are not on the job. And the job would put a serious damper in your social life. I am curious, what attracted you to a career as a paramedic over other medical careers like e.g. nursing or physician assistant?
I hope this helps! All the best in your quest to find the best medical career for yourself!
KP
https://ca.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/schooling-to-be-paramedic
https://www.ottawaparamedics.ca/curriculum/
On the positive side you have a job where you really help people and make a difference in their lives. There comes a certain "excitement" with rushing out to rescue people that would be attractive for people who want a fast-paced job that requires physical activity.
I think you nailed it with your concerns about the level of trauma you would witness and the odd hours. You would need to find a way to balance and decompress when you are not on the job. And the job would put a serious damper in your social life. I am curious, what attracted you to a career as a paramedic over other medical careers like e.g. nursing or physician assistant?
I hope this helps! All the best in your quest to find the best medical career for yourself!
KP
Karin recommends the following next steps:
Thanks! In answer to your question, I was looking into the job possibilities of medical care in college. Any other suggestions?
Emmalee
I think nursing is a great career because you can start with a 2-year degree and go up to a PhD and nurse practitioner. And there are so many specialties too. Or the more technical careers, sonography and other imaging techniques.
Karin P.