Autopsy: Emergency Room from Channel4.com

Paramedic

Paramedics are medically trained professionals who work on the frontline, usually as part of an emergency medical ambulance service attending to patients before they arrive at a hospital. Because of their additional medical training and professional qualifications the level of care they can provide goes well beyond that of the ambulance technicians they work alongside. For example, paramedics are qualified to administer drugs to patients who urgently need assistance.

They can also carry out procedures to help critically ill patients such as defibrillating the heart of a patient undergoing cardiac arrest, or keeping the airway open by placing a tube into the windpipe, a process known as intubation.

Becoming a paramedic takes considerable training and requires physical fitness as well as the ability to demonstrate a wide range of skills. There are two routes to becoming a paramedic, either by first gaining experience as an ambulance technician working for an NHS Trust, or by doing a university degree course recognised by the Health Professions Council. The latter can take anywhere from two to five years, depending upon whether the course is full-time or part-time.

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