Paramedic
What the work is
Assesses, diagnoses, treats and provides specialised health care and life support treatment for patients in a range of settings, including medical emergencies, in an out-of-hospital environment.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Attends accidents and medical emergencies
- Assesses, manages, diagnoses and treats patients with life-threatening and non-life-threatening injuries and conditions, on site and on the way to the hospital
- Documents and provides medication to assist in treating patient symptoms
- Prepares reports on the state of patients' injuries and treatment provided
- Briefs other medical staff on patients' conditions and vitals
- Performs resuscitation and uses life support equipment such as a defibrillator, to revive and stabilise patients
- May transport sick and injured patients to health care facilities
- May attend public gatherings where medical help may be needed, such as sporting or community events
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in an ambulance crew on a day shift in a fictional mid-sized country town. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- A frightened patient trusts you, and you get them to the right hospital in good shape
- A call with a happy ending, like a baby arriving safely with the crew there
- A crew that finishes a long shift still laughing together
Hard days
- A shift that runs hours over because the hospital is full and you cannot hand over
- A call-out where family members are frightened and angry
- Turning up to the same address again and again for someone who needs more help than you can give
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 269432, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.