In most urban areas, citizens pay little attention to the background din of sirens until they need help personally. Emergencies occur at any hour, and people feel more secure knowing that trained medical technicians will arrive quickly, administer aid, and provide safe transport to the hospital. The technicians providing this service not only save lives, but also illustrate the need for advanced practice paramedic training and services.
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.
Today there are two primary categories of personnel working on the front lines. EMT (Emergency Medical Technicians) are the most common, and are considered to the be entry level technicians. Training is comprehensive and extensive, and these individuals are often the first to arrive. Both basic and intermediate EMT personnel can help patients up to a specific point, but cannot inject medications or break skin.
An actual paramedic performs similar functions, but without as many restrictions. They are not considered doctors, but have been formally trained in anatomy, physiology, and cardiology, and are knowledgeable in the latest techniques for resuscitating and saving the lives of people having heart attacks. They routinely administer intravenous solutions, know how to clear air pathways, and can inject medications.
Although the current system is technologically advanced, it still retains the same internal administrative structure. Because there is a realistic need for additional field expertise, increasing the training levels is considered logical and necessary by many planners. This is not really a new idea, but one originally shelved due to concerns over departmental hierarchy and management politics.
This additional level of training actually helps prevent emergencies. Besides performing standard crisis work, these paramedics are also able to more readily make home visits that involve patient education and monitoring, helping to control serious conditions that often lead to a crisis, such as asthma, diabetes, or heart failure. This not only helps prevent emergencies from developing, but also frees personnel to treat other life-threatening occurrences.
Additional training would help fill the gaps that currently exist in emergency services, and opens the door for job advancement. Many valuable paramedics have abandoned field care in favor of in-hospital positions because they want to further their medical careers. Making these improvements will not only help patients, but will also help keep the most talented workers where they are crucially needed.
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.
Today there are two primary categories of personnel working on the front lines. EMT (Emergency Medical Technicians) are the most common, and are considered to the be entry level technicians. Training is comprehensive and extensive, and these individuals are often the first to arrive. Both basic and intermediate EMT personnel can help patients up to a specific point, but cannot inject medications or break skin.
An actual paramedic performs similar functions, but without as many restrictions. They are not considered doctors, but have been formally trained in anatomy, physiology, and cardiology, and are knowledgeable in the latest techniques for resuscitating and saving the lives of people having heart attacks. They routinely administer intravenous solutions, know how to clear air pathways, and can inject medications.
Although the current system is technologically advanced, it still retains the same internal administrative structure. Because there is a realistic need for additional field expertise, increasing the training levels is considered logical and necessary by many planners. This is not really a new idea, but one originally shelved due to concerns over departmental hierarchy and management politics.
This additional level of training actually helps prevent emergencies. Besides performing standard crisis work, these paramedics are also able to more readily make home visits that involve patient education and monitoring, helping to control serious conditions that often lead to a crisis, such as asthma, diabetes, or heart failure. This not only helps prevent emergencies from developing, but also frees personnel to treat other life-threatening occurrences.
Additional training would help fill the gaps that currently exist in emergency services, and opens the door for job advancement. Many valuable paramedics have abandoned field care in favor of in-hospital positions because they want to further their medical careers. Making these improvements will not only help patients, but will also help keep the most talented workers where they are crucially needed.
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