paramedic

[par″ah-med´ik]

a person trained to manage the emergency care of sick or injured persons during transport to a hospital, including administration of injections and intravenous fluids, reading of electrocardiograms, and performance of defibrillation and other advanced life-support measures if ordered by a physician. See also emergency medical technician.

par·a·med·ic

(par'ă-med'ik),

A person trained and certified to provide emergency medical care.

Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

paramedic

(păr′ə-mĕd′ĭk)

A person who is trained to give emergency medical treatment or assist medical professionals.

paramedic

As defined in the UK, a senior, and often the first, ambulance service healthcare professional at the scene of an accident or medical emergency. Paramedics may work alone—when deployed in a car, motorbike or bicycle—or with the support of an emergency care assistant or ambulance technician—if in an emergency van—and field triage a patient, resuscitate, provide advanced life support or stabilise him or her using the tools at their disposal, including defibrillators, spinal and traction splints, IV drips, oxygen and drugs.

Entry requirements
The traditional, experience-based route to becoming a paramedic (grandfather system) is no longer open to new entrants. Paramedics now either enter through a student paramedic position with an ambulance service trust, or attend an approved full-time course in paramedic science at a university. Courses are often modular with flexible entry and exit points, depending upon the candidate’s academic qualifications and relevant experience, and last from 2 years (full time) to 5 years (part time). Training comprises both theory and practical clinical experience, including several weeks in various hospital departments. Much of the training of paramedics is carried out under the supervision of senior doctors.

paramedic

A health professional certified to perform advanced life support procedures–eg, intubation, defibrillation and administration of drugs under a physician's direction; paramedics provide urgent care from an emergency vehicle or air service; in contrast, EMTs can only perform basic life-support. Cf EMT, Physicians' assistant, Physician extender.

pre·hos·pi·tal pro·vid·er

(prē-hos'pi-tăl prŏ-vī'dĕr)

One who provides care in case of medical emergency or trauma.
Synonym(s): emergency medical technician, paramedic.

Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012

paramedic

Any health-care worker other than a doctor, nurse, or dentist. The ranks of the paramedics include trained ambulance personnel, first aiders, laboratory technicians, PHYSIOTHERAPISTS, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS, ORTHOPTISTS and RADIOGRAPHERS. See also PROFESSIONS ALLIED TO MEDICINE.

Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005

par·a·med·ic

(par'ă-med'ik)

A person trained and certified to provide emergency care.

Medical Dictionary for the Dental Professions © Farlex 2012

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References in periodicals archive

It follows a change in UK legislation in April 2018 - followed by Welsh amendments this year - which allows advanced paramedics to be trained to prescribe from a formulary of medications.

Paramedics given prescription powers

On the other hand, almost 30pc of sick days taken by paramedics in the East Midlands were because of stress (3.7 days per staff member).

Ambulance staff take thousands of days off with stress

Balochistan protest: Doctors, paramedics boycott wards

Govt asked to accept paramedics' demands

I envisage the hospital-based paramedic as a collaborative role that will add value to the departments in which they will work.

Paramedics--is there a place for them in hospitals?

Moe then threw a punch which grazed the paramedic's face.

Drunk lying in street snoring threatened to slit throat of paramedic who tried to help him; Lyle Moe has been jailed for six months and apologised for his behaviour and said he couldn't remember what had happened because he had been drunk

Paramedics from the Palatine, Rolling Meadows and the Palatine Rural fire departments are to collaborate in their coverage areas to work for Northwest Community's mobile integrated health care pilot, which is designed to improve patient outcomes by reducing preventable hospital visits and readmissions.

Program to link paramedics, patients, house calls

Once they reached the woman, the paramedics saw the South African performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on his friend and when they tried to move him away because he was drunk, the dentist assaulted them.

Drunk dentist beats and curses 2 paramedics at pub

Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, is also in favour, and said: "Increasing the treatments offered by paramedics closer to people's homes is another significant step in transforming emergency care."

Given a prescription from the paramedic

North West Ambulance Service chiefs say they try to send paramedics in every ambulance but cannot always do so - a sign of the huge pressures on the NHS.

Ambulances sent to emergencies without paramedics

"Not all patients require a paramedic or even hospital admission and, in light of the national paramedic shortage, it is even more important to ensure the additional clinical skills of our paramedics are reserved for those patients who need them."

999 call crew data in focus

The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) has launched a new university course in a bid to tackle the shortage of paramedics in the region.

Will this help tackle the chronic shortages of paramedics in the North East? Sunderland University has launched a new course designed to get more people into the North East Ambulance Service; Sunderland University has launched a new course designed to get more people into the North East Ambulance Service

Community paramedicine broadens the role of emergency responders beyond the traditional paramedic training that has existed since the 1970s and that focuses on stabilizing patients as they are transported to hospitals.

Pinch hitting: doctor shortages in rural America have paramedics stepping up to the plate when needed