Paramedics Research Paper

On the average day, a paramedic has to deal with several life or death situations. What they do can be the deciding factor of whether someone lives or dies. But, no one would guess that paramedics are put in almost just as much danger as the people they help. Everyday paramedics work with the risk of being violently assaulted. It’s very common for EMTs and paramedics to be attacked while trying to help people in dire circumstances. Whether it’s a patient refusing help, or a family member of the patient, there is no telling who or when a paramedic can be attacked. There is an overwhelming problem in this country with paramedics being violently attacked, putting not only their lives at risk, but also the lives and welfare of their patients,

Paramedics and EMTs (emergency medical technicians) are the first to arrive on the scene of emergency. Once they reach the person in need, they give basic medical treatment, such as dressing a wound, CPR, and much more medical procedures. Another main part of their job is to transport injured or sick people to the hospital. They transport people with ambulances, which has become an icon of paramedics. But the most important aspect of a paramedic’s job, is saving people’s lives. It is a paramedic’s responsibility to ensure the patients safety, and stop their health status to decline further. This includes keeping patients from bleeding out, keeping patients breathing, and even keeping peoples heart beating. In all of these situations, a paramedic holds the life of the patient in their hands. They are solely responsible for whether people live or die before making it to the hospital for more specific medical

The vast majority of these assaults are cases of intoxication, whether it be drugs or alcohol. For example, the occasion where the EMS workers were threatened with a pitchfork, the man was under the influence of pain pills and anti-depressants. The second most common reason is simply the refusal of help. Like the example of the man threatening the paramedics for helping his father, some people just don’t want others help. Whether they don’t trust the EMS workers, or if they don’t think they need their help, some people will do anything to not receive care. Now, a very uncommon, yet horrendous, reason is anti-government attacks. This is a tiny fraction of the reasons for assaults, but it does in fact happen. People who hate and want to destroy the government have targeted out government workers and facilities, which includes paramedics. This can be seen in the incident when two people baited and violently attacked an off duty paramedic. But, no matter what the reason, no one can ever truly defend or justify themselves for attacking men and women trying to help