Although EMS is in it's third decade, it is still a young profession. We have come a long way since the "load and go" of earlier days. Which ment your patient care was simply placing the victim on a stretcher and racing to the hospital as fast as the hearse or ambulance would allow.
The field of medicine is rapidly changing. It is more evident in the pre-hospital evaluation and management of critically injured patients. Technological improvements in the ability to diagnose and treat previously fatal or crippling diseases have focused pre-hospital and emergency dept. Care providers on salvaging tissue, whether it be myocardium or cerebral cortex. The 1st Commandment in care of trauma and cardiac arrest victims is"time is tissue"
As medical technology has improved, life expectancy has increased. Every Paramedic, Intermediate, and Basic EMT must recognize that a broad knowledge base and an expanding array of procedural skills are critical to the clinical safeguards of the practicing EMT. Hazardous materials, once considered an mysterious or secret subject, are now a part of everyday life. Mass- casualty incidents are another challenging reality of our times. Few physicians will acquire the field expertise in securing scene safety, extricating victims, managing hazardous material and mastering disaster preparedness that most paramedics develop over their careers.
Pre-hospital emergency medical services has come to be recognized as a specialized health care field that is composed of highly trained individuals dedicated to saving lives. Unique to this profession are the men and women who preform technical patient care procedures outside of the hospital environment and away from on-site physician supervision. Therefore the training, expertise and assessment skills required of the paramedic set EMS apart from other health care professions
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