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Consider a Job as a Primary Care Paramedic If You Have These 9 Traits

Are you thinking about becoming a primary care paramedic? This is a career change that you need to consider very seriously. If you have the right combination of traits, being a paramedic can be a very rewarding career. On the other hand, if you don’t have these traits, you could later regret your decision to become a paramedic.

Before you make this career change, think about your traits. If you have these nine traits, becoming a paramedic may be the perfect career choice for you.

1. A Desire to Help People

If you’ve always wanted a career where you could help people and make a difference, you may love being a paramedic. As a paramedic, you’ll get to provide pre-hospital care to patients and rush them to the hospital for further care. Your efforts can help save people’s lives.

2. A Strong Stomach

Does the sight of blood make you feel faint or nauseous? Are you a sympathetic vomiter? These traits can pose problems for aspiring paramedics. As a primary care paramedic, you’ll see many different bodily fluids. Trauma scenes, like car crashes or falls, can be gross places. If you want to succeed as a paramedic, you’ll need a strong enough stomach to handle these situations.

3. Communication Skills

Communication is a huge part of a primary care paramedic’s job. You’ll need to talk to patients about their symptoms and treatments. You’ll need to talk to patients’ families. It takes strong communication skills to talk to people who are in pain, stressed, angry, or feeling other negative emotions.

4. Confidence

As a primary care paramedic, you’ll be one of the first people on the scene of accidents and other crisis. As a first responder, you won’t be able to wait for other people to tell you what to do. You’ll need to be able to confidently take necessary actions. If you aren’t sure of yourself, you may struggle with this aspect of being a paramedic.

5. Problem-Solving Skills

Do you love solving problems? If not, becoming a paramedic may not be for you. When you arrive on the scene of a medical emergency, you’ll need to quickly figure out what to do. You’ll need to assess patients’ symptoms and decide on the right pre-hospital treatment.

6. Composure

Paramedics need to stay calm in stressful situations. Staying calm is essential for giving patients good care and communicating well with other first responders. If you easily lose your composure at work, you may want to look for a less stressful career choice.

7. Resilience

Resilience is an essential trait for paramedics. It means you can bounce back from negative situations, rather than dwelling on them. Resilient people adapt well to stresses or traumas. Paramedics are exposed to traumatic events at work, and as many as 24 percent will be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some point.

8. Flexibility

No day is the same when you’re a paramedic. You don’t just go to the office every day from nine until five. Primary care paramedics work 12-hour shifts and have to work both day and night shifts. During your shift, you’ll never know what’s going to happen. On some days, you could be bored at the station waiting for calls to come in. On other days, you could be constantly moving from one trauma call to another.

9. Work Ethic

Paramedics play an essential role in the healthcare system, so they need to have a strong work ethic. They need to show up on time for all their shifts. They need to work hard all day long, not just when the boss is looking. They need to put in their best effort every single day. If that sounds like you, you can have a successful career as a paramedic.

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