Paramedic

Job Description

Job Description

Position Summary : Under the supervision of the Operations Captain, the Paramedic provides advanced life support emergency care to sick and injured patients. The employee in this position responds to 911 calls, renders medical assistance and transports patients to the proper medical facility. This position is distinguishable from an EMT in that the position requires further initial education, additional specialized training, greater responsibility for patient care/outcome, and greater amount of annual continuing education.

Examples of Work (Essential Functions):

• Assists patients, family members, and others confidentially and with concern and empathy;
• Delivers advanced life support (ALS) care including medication administration, narcotic administration, ECG application/interpretation, invasive procedures, IV/IO, intubation, advanced airway care, thoracostomy, ventilator management, and various other pre- hospital critical care procedures;
• Inspects and documents controlled substances daily or as directed;
• Maintains a thorough knowledge of departmental medical guidelines, operational protocols, as well as city and county geography, mapping and routing;
• Operates all two-way radio communication equipment and troubleshoots problems;
• Operates emergency vehicles safely and professionally;
• Operates, and can troubleshoot, all pre-hospital medical care equipment;
• Performs daily vehicle, equipment, and station inventory/maintenance ;
• Readies all medical equipment for use each day, and following each response, restocks all equipment and supplies, as well as troubleshoot equipment problems and reports needed maintenance to EMS administrators;
• Acts as a servant to the public, assists citizens in need, and communicates with all citizens, patients, family members, government employees, fellow emergency responders, and health care providers in a calm, courteous and respectful manner;
• Responds to 911 calls and provides emergency medical treatment and transport;
• Uses department computers and accurately completes all patient care reports, billing reports and incident reports by the end of each shift;
• Maintains professional development and continuing education as required;
• Performs other duties as deemed necessary or as required.

Examples of Work (Marginal Functions):

• None.

Certificate, License : Valid driver's license. Certified Paramedic, Kansas. Hazardous Material Awareness Certificate. Bloodborne pathogens Certificate, Emergency Vehicle Operations Certificate, HIPAA Certificate.

Required Education and/or Experience: Two years related experience, High School Diploma or G.E.D.; or Associate’s degree; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Employee is expected to have acquired the necessary information and skills to perform the job reasonably well after six months in the position. EMS and emergency care experience. 30 hours of annual training.

Preferred Education and/or Experience : Three years related experience, High School Diploma or G.E.D.; or Associate’s degree and one year experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Abilities, Knowledge, Skills:

• Ability to adapt and react to rapidly changing conditions and situations appropriately and able to cope with high stress high impact working conditions;
• Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry;
• Ability to be naturally self-motivated and a self-starter;
• Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume;
• Ability to convey and receive detailed or important verbal instructions to and from other workers and the general public;
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions;
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public;
• Ability to express or exchange ideas by means of verbal communication;
• Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables;
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations;
• Ability to reliably and predictably carry out duties;
• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals;
• Knowledge in paramedics;
• Knowledge of county and city mapping must be maintained;
• Knowledge of emergency medical care and ambulance procedures;
• Knowledge of emergency vehicle operation and radio operations is required;
• Knowledge of math, including medical/infusion rate calculations as well as medical documentation;
• Skill in math, including medical/medication calculations as well as medical documentation;
• Skill in operating a computer;
• Skill in oral and written communication.

Problem Solving : Problem solving exists in this position due to working with limited supervision while providing emergency medical care. The Paramedic must be able to adapt to different situations and change.

Decision Making : Decision making exist in this position dealing with the formation of field impressions regarding medical condition and the ability to treat appropriately while reacting to changing critical conditions and/or environments.

Accountability : Employee is accountable and responsible for his/her vehicle, station, knowledge, patient care, required reports, patient confidentiality, equipment and supplies including controlled medications and narcotics. Paramedics are also accountable for medical care under physician direction and in accordance with specific state statutes. The Paramedic does not have budgetary control of the department.

Supervision : Limited supervision is provided to this employee, but some decisions are reviewed by the immediate supervisor and administration. Medical care is carefully reviewed by the Department Medical Quality Assurance Officer. The Paramedic must be able to work in a variety of environments and elements and exercise the ability to make life- saving decisions without direct supervision. The Paramedic does not have budgetary control of the department.

Personal Relationships : Continual contact with other emergency agencies and public is occurs with this position. The Paramedic must routinely make a good representation of themselves, the department and the county to the public and other healthcare providers.

Working Conditions : The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this position.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is exposed less than one third of the time to conditions such moving mechanical parts; fumes or airborne particles; toxic or caustic chemicals and outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is moderate to loud. This position is exposed to very stressful situations where things may seem chaotic. This position may be exposed to blood borne pathogens or bodily fluids. Attending to critically ill patients and exposure to graphic injuries, death and dying are a frequent aspect of this position. This position may be called out 24 hours a day to include evenings, nights, weekends and holidays. This position may have very long hours.

Physical Requirements : The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to stand and walk; use hands to finger, grasp, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to sit; climb or balance and stoop, squat, bend, twist, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Lifting, moving, pushing or pulling up to 10 pounds does generally occur, in emergencies may be necessary to lift, move, push, or pull up to 100 pounds. Physical requirements such as moving patients weighing 200 plus pounds from the floor to a cot and then loading the patient into ambulance occurs. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, depth perception, distance vision and ability to adjust focus.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all essential functions, marginal functions, responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified in this position.