Paramedics give advanced emergency care before a patient reaches the hospital. They manage airways, start IVs, give medicines, and read heart rhythms in the back of a moving ambulance.
Ambulance services, fire departments, and hospitals employ them. Many services run short, so overtime and mandatory shifts are common.
The work
You check the truck and its drugs, answer calls, treat the patient, and transport them to the right hospital. Then you write the report and restock before the next call comes in.
Shifts can be 12 or 24 hours long, depending on the service and the county. The work is physical, and some calls stay with you long after the shift ends.
License and training
Every state licenses or certifies paramedics. Most use the National Registry paramedic exam as part of the path. Confirm your state EMS office's rules before you hire or start.
Questions
Is a paramedic the same as an EMT?
No. Paramedics have far more training than EMTs, and they give advanced care such as medicines and airway management.
Do paramedics need the National Registry?
Most states use the National Registry exam as part of licensure. The state license is what allows practice.
Metros
- Anniston, AL
- Birmingham, AL
- Decatur, AL
- Dothan, AL
- Florence, AL
- Mobile, AL
- Montgomery, AL
- Tuscaloosa, AL
- Anchorage, AK
- Flagstaff, AZ
- Lake Havasu City, AZ
- Phoenix, AZ
- Prescott Valley, AZ
- Sierra Vista, AZ
- Tucson, AZ
- Yuma, AZ
- Fayetteville, AR
- Fort Smith, AR
- Jonesboro, AR
- Little Rock, AR
- Bakersfield, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Merced, CA
- Modesto, CA
- Oxnard, CA
- Redding, CA
- Riverside, CA
- Sacramento, CA
- Salinas, CA
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- San Jose, CA
- San Luis Obispo, CA
- Santa Cruz, CA
- Santa Rosa, CA
- Visalia, CA
- Boulder, CO
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Denver, CO
- Fort Collins, CO
- Grand Junction, CO
- Greeley, CO
- Pueblo, CO
- Bridgeport, CT
- Hartford, CT
- New Haven, CT
- Norwich, CT
- Waterbury, CT
- Washington, DC
- Cape Coral, FL
- Crestview, FL
- Deltona, FL
- Gainesville, FL
- Homosassa Springs, FL
- Jacksonville, FL
- Lakeland, FL
- Miami, FL
- North Port, FL
- Ocala, FL
- Orlando, FL
- Palm Bay, FL
- Panama City, FL
- Pensacola, FL
- Port St. Lucie, FL
- Tallahassee, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Albany, GA
- Athens-Clarke County, GA
- Atlanta, GA
- Augusta-Richmond County, GA
- Columbus, GA
- Gainesville, GA
- Hinesville, GA
- Macon-Bibb County, GA
- Savannah, GA
- Warner Robins, GA
- Boise City, ID
- Coeur d'Alene, ID
- Champaign, IL
- Chicago, IL
- Peoria, IL
- Elkhart, IN
- Evansville, IN
- Fort Wayne, IN
- Indianapolis, IN
- Lafayette, IN
- South Bend, IN
- Terre Haute, IN
- Ames, IA
- Cedar Rapids, IA
- Davenport, IA
- Des Moines, IA
- Iowa City, IA
- Sioux City, IA
- Waterloo, IA
- Manhattan, KS
- Topeka, KS
- Wichita, KS
- Bowling Green, KY
- Lexington-Fayette, KY
- Louisville, KY
- Paducah, KY
- Alexandria, LA
- Baton Rouge, LA
- Houma, LA
- Lafayette, LA
- Monroe, LA
- New Orleans, LA
- Shreveport, LA
- Slidell, LA
- Bangor, ME
- Lewiston, ME
- Portland, ME
- Baltimore, MD
- Hagerstown, MD
- Lexington Park, MD
- Salisbury, MD
- Amherst Town, MA
- Barnstable Town, MA
- Boston, MA
- Pittsfield, MA
- Worcester, MA
- Ann Arbor, MI
- Detroit, MI
- Flint, MI
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Lansing, MI
- Traverse City, MI
- Duluth, MN
- Minneapolis, MN
- Gulfport, MS
- Hattiesburg, MS
- Jackson, MS
- Cape Girardeau, MO
- Jefferson City, MO
- Joplin, MO
- Kansas City, MO
- Springfield, MO
- St. Louis, MO
- Billings, MT
- Lincoln, NE
- Omaha, NE
- Las Vegas, NV
- Reno, NV
- Manchester, NH
- Albuquerque, NM
- Santa Fe, NM
- Albany, NY
- Buffalo, NY
- Glens Falls, NY
- Kiryas Joel, NY
- New York, NY
- Rochester, NY
- Syracuse, NY
- Utica, NY
- Watertown, NY
- Asheville, NC
- Charlotte, NC
- Durham, NC
- Fayetteville, NC
- Greensboro, NC
- Greenville, NC
- Hickory, NC
- Raleigh, NC
- Rocky Mount, NC
- Wilmington, NC
- Winston-Salem, NC
- Fargo, ND
- Akron, OH
- Canton, OH
- Cincinnati, OH
- Cleveland, OH
- Columbus, OH
- Dayton, OH
- Mansfield, OH
- Sandusky, OH
- Springfield, OH
- Toledo, OH
- Youngstown, OH
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Tulsa, OK
- Eugene, OR
- Salem, OR
- Allentown, PA
- Erie, PA
- Harrisburg, PA
- Johnstown, PA
- Lancaster, PA
- Philadelphia, PA
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Reading, PA
- Scranton, PA
- Williamsport, PA
- York, PA
- Providence, RI
- Charleston, SC
- Columbia, SC
- Florence, SC
- Greenville, SC
- Hilton Head Island, SC
- Spartanburg, SC
- Rapid City, SD
- Sioux Falls, SD
- Chattanooga, TN
- Clarksville, TN
- Jackson, TN
- Johnson City, TN
- Kingsport, TN
- Knoxville, TN
- Memphis, TN
- Nashville, TN
- Abilene, TX
- Amarillo, TX
- Austin, TX
- Beaumont, TX
- Brownsville, TX
- College Station, TX
- Corpus Christi, TX
- Dallas, TX
- El Paso, TX
- Houston, TX
- Laredo, TX
- Longview, TX
- Lubbock, TX
- McAllen, TX
- Midland, TX
- San Antonio, TX
- Sherman, TX
- Victoria, TX
- Waco, TX
- Wichita Falls, TX
- Ogden, UT
- Provo, UT
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Blacksburg, VA
- Charlottesville, VA
- Richmond, VA
- Roanoke, VA
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Winchester, VA
- Bellingham, WA
- Bremerton, WA
- Kennewick, WA
- Mount Vernon, WA
- Olympia, WA
- Seattle, WA
- Spokane, WA
- Wenatchee, WA
- Charleston, WV
- Huntington, WV
- Morgantown, WV
- Weirton, WV
- Wheeling, WV
- Eau Claire, WI
- Green Bay, WI
- Janesville, WI
- Kenosha, WI
- La Crosse, WI
- Madison, WI
- Milwaukee, WI
- Racine, WI
- Sheboygan, WI