Paramedical occupations (NOC 3234)

This unit group includes workers who administer pre-hospital emergency medical care to patients with injuries or medical illnesses and transport them to hospitals or other medical facilities for further medical care. Paramedics who are supervisors are included in this unit group.

See what a day in the life of this job is like—watch WorkBC’s Career Trek video about this occupation.

Source: WorkBC’s Career Trek

Workers in this group:

• Assess extent of injuries or medical illnesses of trauma victims, patients with respiratory disease and stress, overdose and poisoning victims, industrial accident victims and other ill or injured individuals to determine emergency medical treatment
• Administer pre-hospital emergency care to patients such as oxygen therapy, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), spinal immobilization, bandaging and splinting
• Establish and maintain intravenous treatment (IV), apply adjunctive equipment for ventilation and circulation complications, administer medications and provide other advanced emergency treatment to patients • Transport patients by air, land or water to hospital or other medical facility for further medical care
• Collaborate with ambulance dispatch centres, hospital staff, police, firefighters and family members to ensure relevant information is collected and proper treatment is administered
• Document and record nature of injuries and illnesses and treatment provided
• Assist hospital personnel with provision of medical treatment, if necessary
• Maintain ambulances and emergency care equipment and supplies
• May train and supervise other workers in this unit group
• May assist with triage of emergency patients.

Special duties

Emergency medical assistants usually have a higher or more specialized level of training than first aid attendants. 

 

Most emergency medical assistants in B.C. work for the BC Ambulance Service. Full-time paramedics work assigned shifts. Part-time paramedics work on call, depending on need, scheduling and availability. The BC Ambulance Service hires EMRs only on a part-time, on-call basis. Since services are provided 24 hours per day, weekend, evening and holiday work is required. Workers may also have to work some overtime.

Some emergency medical assistants work in hospitals and in industrial settings such as oilfields. These workers work assigned shifts and may have to work weekends and holidays.

Paramedics work both indoors and outdoors in a physically demanding job. Workers spend a great deal of time standing, kneeling, bending and lifting patients in stretchers.

For many first aid attendants, providing first aid is not their primary responsibility, but is combined with the other duties and responsibilities of their jobs. Therefore, this occupation is not always a full-time job. Those first aid attendants who work full-time in high-risk workplaces and those who drive industrial ambulances may also have to work weekends and holidays. Some full-time first aid attendants may work seasonally in industries that operate outdoors.

Workers in this occupational group may be exposed to contagious or potentially dangerous diseases, so precautionary measures are taken to reduce these risks.

While work can be physically demanding, as well as emotionally stressful, many find these occupations to be both challenging and rewarding.

Most of the opportunities will come from the need to replace retiring workers.

The creation of new jobs for paramedics reflects the fact that B.C.'s population is both growing and aging, which is leading to greater demand for emergency medical services. Paramedics are now being used increasingly outside the traditional pre-hospital setting. Some provide care in hospitals and in industry settings.

There may be increased demand for advanced care level paramedics in hospital emergency room settings and for rural health-care teams because of their greater scope of practice.

The majority of first aid attendants provide first aid services as one aspect of their job. Industry sources indicate there are many qualified first aid attendants in the labour market and that getting a full-time position as a first aid attendant is difficult. Those interested in working as first aid attendants must have other skills they can apply in an office or on a job site in addition to first aid skills.