Paramedic

History

Prior to the 1970s, ambulances were staffed with advanced first-aid level responders and were frequently referred to as "ambulance drivers." There was little regulation or standardized training for those staffing these early emergency response vehicles. However, after the release of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's "White Paper" on motor vehicle fatalities, a concentrated effort was undertaken to improve emergency medical care in the prehospital setting.

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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington were early pioneers in prehospital emergency medical training. Pittsburgh's Freedom House paramedics are credited as the first EMT trainees in America. Portland's Leonard Rose, M.D., in cooperation with Buck Ambulance Service, instituted a cardiac training program and began to train other paramedics. In Seattle, the Medic One program at Harborview Medical Center and the University of Washington Medical Center, started by Leonard Cobb, M.D., began training firefighters in CPR in 1970. At the same time, the Los Angeles County Fire Department also began training some of their firefighters in emergency care. This was vividly portrayed in the television show, Emergency! which helped popularize the emergency medical service around the world.

Related Topics:
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Portland, Oregon - Seattle, Washington - Freedom House paramedics - Medic One - Harborview Medical Center - University of Washington - CPR - 1970 - Los Angeles County Fire Department - Emergency!

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The first paramedics began operating in the 1970's with expansion throughout the country since that time.

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A few years later, emergency medical helicopters or MEDEVACs were put into service in the Denver and A.L.E.R.T.Kalispell, Montana areas. It is now routine to have paramedic and nurse staffed EMS helicopters in most major metropolitan areas. The vast majority of these aeromedical services are utilized for critical care air transport (inter-hospital) in addition to emergency medical services (pre-hospital).

Related Topics:
Helicopters - MEDEVAC - Denver - EMS - Critical care

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Critical care transports are usually requested when a medical treatment facility (usually a smaller hospital) does not have the personell, equipment, and/or services to properly treat a patient. The patient is then rapidly transported to another medical treatment facility (usually a large hospital or health system located in close proximity to or within highly populated areas) that has the capability to either definitively treat or to extend or enhance treatment to a higher level. These critical care transports can occur by ground ambulance or aircraft. They are usually the reason why a nurse is needed in addition to a paramedic in the transport team. The nurse usually has experience and may be credentialled in critical care medicine. Recently, paramedics have received critical care medical training both in the initial paramedic certification course as well as continuing education courses such as the Critical Care Emergency Medical Transport Program (CCEMTP).

Related Topics:
Critical care - Medical treatment facility - Critical care medicine - Paramedics - Paramedic

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The employment of paramedics depends on the organizations that operate the ambulances and other emergency vehicles which they are deployed in. Paramedics responding to a typical emergency may work for the local fire department and arrive in a fire truck or an ambulance bearing the department's insignia, work for a private organization such as a private ambulance and medical transport company, or work for a hospital or health care system.

Related Topics:
Fire department - Health care system

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