Paramedic - Washington Area Ambulance District

Job Description - Emergency Medical Technician-Paramedic

General Summary:  The work of the Paramedic involves responsibility for the care and transportation of sick and injured persons on an emergent and non-emergent basis.  Assignments and responsibilities are general and are to include but not be limited to the following:

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provides emergency and non-emergency care and transportation of sick and injured persons;
• Be familiar and remains familiar with roadways and geographic locations within the district boundaries;
• Be familiar and remains familiar with all district vehicles/equipment;
• Be familiar and remains familiar with all district operational guidelines, policies and procedures;
• Be familiar and remains familiar with all prehospital treatment protocols as required by district Medical Director guidelines and state regulations;
• Makes presentations to groups and individuals on subjects related to the job’s tasks and functions;
• Handles complaints made by the public and refers complaints to shift supervisor or the Chief or his designee when necessary;
• Collects information and either acts upon it within the scope of his authority or routes it to the proper authority or agency;
• Appears and testifies in court, hearings, deposition sessions, and similar proceedings as necessary;
• Responds to specific requests from police and fire services;
• Administers aid up to level of licensure to sick and injured persons, including CPR, Airway evaluation and management, Cardio-Respiratory evaluation and management, including use of AED, Assisting with childbirth, prepares patients for transportation in order to prevent further injury by “packaging” patients through use of appropriate splints such as backboards or neck braces, by bandaging wounds, by removing patients from vehicle wreckage, and by lifting patients to and from the ambulance and/or up and down stairs;
• Provides Advanced Emergency Medical care in order to preserve and stabilize life functions prior to arrival at a medical facility by:
  • Computing amounts and administers Intravenous fluids;
  • Applying knowledge of and administration of medications, drug dosages, desired actions, routes of administration, reactions and interactions;
  • Performing Endotracheal Intubation;
  • Operating Cardiac Monitoring Equipment;
  • Performing Cardioversion, Defibrillation, and Trans-cutaneous Pacing;
  • Utilizes other equipment and performs Advanced lifesaving techniques according to District Medical Protocols;
• Determines patient condition in order to decide upon appropriate treatment or to assist a physician in such decisions by conducting an assessment that includes checking vital signs, airway, breathing, blood pressure, pulse, pupils, skin color and skin temperature, obtain information about medications, medical treatment and prior conditions or illnesses, and a scene evaluation;
• Responds to incidents involving dead persons resulting from criminal, accidental, suicidal, and natural causes, including determination of the circumstances, making decisions regarding the incident and dealing with the family, relatives, friends, witnesses, or other individuals;
• Applies a knowledge of illness, injury, anatomy and medical terminology, and decides on appropriate treatment and establishes treatment priorities;
• Directs and/or supervises civilian employees and the public at the scenes of crimes, accidents, disasters, assemblies, or other incidents;
• Drives the ambulance in order to reach and transport patients as quickly as possible while protecting the community from accidents by obeying traffic laws during non-emergency driving, by following state laws governing ambulance operation as listed in the District Operational Guidelines, by following prescribed safety procedures for responding to and approaching and parking at the scene of an accident, by driving at a safe rate of speed, by braking and proceeding cautiously through intersections, by using the siren and emergency lights for critical calls, by being aware of differences in handling an emergency vehicle such as weight, top heaviness, and braking distance;
• Maintains life support vehicle in order to ensure an exceptional state of readiness for emergency responses by daily completing a vehicle inventory, by documenting needed repairs, by checking and recording levels of fuel, by adding fluids as necessary, and by checking items such as battery condition, tire pressure, electrical charging system, emergency lighting, siren, heater and air conditioner as outlined by the vehicle checklist;
• Performs daily inventory of ambulance supplies and forms in order to ensure continuous availability of needed equipment, by visually inspecting and counting supplies, by completing equipment supply check lists, and by replacing or reporting any missing items;
• Performs daily inventory of narcotics according to District Medical Protocols;
• Ensures that Cardiac Monitor, Intravenous Fluids, Medications, and other Advanced Lifesaving equipment and supplies are maintained in a state of readiness;
• Cleans vehicles and district property in order to prevent the spread of contagious diseases and to maintain a state of preparedness for on-call shifts by cleaning and disinfecting the patient care areas and emergency care equipment, by washing and waxing the district vehicles, and by performing routine housekeeping tasks;
• May perform office duties, including telecommunications (telephone, computer terminal, radio), processing reports, etc.;
• Develops and maintains required skills and licenses/permits/certifications associated with areas of special instruction or expertise;
• Regularly attends district personnel meeting, trainings, and special events when possible or as outlined by District Operational Guidelines;
• Trains new personnel in areas of special skill or expertise;
• Prepares clear, accurate and complete reports on any and all activities engaged in.
• Performs other duties as directed.

WORK CHARACTERISTICS/CONDITIONS

A. Scheduling

Emergency Medical Services (E.M.S) positions involve regular and irregular shift work and shift rotations necessary to provide EMS services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year (weekends and holidays included).  Work shifts are scheduled for a specific number of hours, but may be extended in the event of an emergency, disaster, manpower shortage, workload or work-in-progress.

B. Environmental Factors
E.M.S. positions involve exposure to and require the Paramedic to appropriately protect themselves and to function in the presence of the following according to District Operational Guidelines and Prehospital Protocols:

• Inclement weather, to include, but not limited to exposure to extreme heat/cold, rain, snow, and wind;
• Light conditions associated with day and night;
• Fire, smoke, chemical leaks/spills – as close proximity as necessary to provide emergency services safely;

Personal danger, including but not limited to:

• Armed and/or dangerous persons
• Dangerous animals;
• Persons and/or articles with contagious/communicable diseases;
• Hazards associated with emergency driving, traffic control and working in and around traffic;
• Hazards associated with natural and man-made disasters.

PHYSICAL ABILITIES

A. Motor Skills/Flexibility

The Paramedic must have and maintain the physical and mental ability needed to:

• React and move rapidly from a sedentary to active condition in response to environmental situations or events;
• Render care to the level of training/licensure as another person of equal training and experience would;
• Operate all equipment necessary for performing routine daily assignments;
• Operate office equipment, such as telephones, audio/visual devices, computer or workstation keyboards, and calculators as needed;
• Operate/utilize all district vehicle mounted equipment whether in a mobile or stationary mode;
• Perform required duties for extended periods of time while exposed to adverse conditions, to include time worked in excess of normal daily shift and rotating shift work;
• Be able to discern colors as they are applied in traffic safety situations (electric signals, signing, hazardous materials placards, etc);
• Adequately judge distances and estimate speed;
• See, read and recognize obstacles in a variety of normal and/or emergency environments.
• Have vision correctable to be able to perform all job duties;
• Determine or estimate the point of origin of noise;
• Recognize/relate sounds to situations based on frequencies of voice inflection within the normal range of hearing;
• Employ the normal senses of touch and smell.

B. Communicative Skills

The Paramedic must have and maintain the physical and mental condition needed to:

• Speak, read and write the English language in a clear and understandable manner;
• Reasonably identify and display basic non-verbal communications (body language);
• Effectively relate to or communicate with a variety of personality types during interpersonal contacts.

C.  Judgement/Decision Making Ability

The Paramedic must have the ability to:

• Comprehend and implement verbal and written instructions;
• Apply reasoning skills when confronted with circumstances requiring discretionary decisions
• Establish priorities and construct subsequent plans during normal duties
• Assume a leadership role of patient care in the prehospital environment, appropriate with level of licensure
• Formulate and carry out an appropriate course of action for a given situation for which no specific rule or procedure has been established;
• Apply theory based instruction/training to actual incidents/situations;
• Handle situations firmly, courteously, tactfully and impartially;
• Retain and retrieve information furnished in the form of, but not limited to, bulletins, memos, verbal reports, training and classes;
• Be capable of receiving and giving instructions.

D. Emotional/Psychological Stability

The Paramedic must have the emotional and psychological stability required to:

• Cope with and perform day-to-day duties in a professional manner;
• Maintain self-control when receiving constructive criticism and/or being ridiculed;
• Continue performing all required tasks at a professional level when faced with unpleasant circumstances;
• Perform E.M.S. duties without dependence on alcohol/drugs;
• Deal effectively with the morbid, the macabre, the repugnant, the abnormal, the morose, the psychotic, the neurotic and the otherwise unpleasant or unusual facets or results of human behavior.