Life above all by Yeo Teck Wei

Sometimes, the people around me would ask, why should anyone in the right mind consider a career as a paramedic? The pay is not very good, and you have to work uneven shifts almost everyday. Later I reflected on these questions, and then I thought about what motivated me in this profession.

1. The challenges

If you love challenges you'll love being a paramedic. Unlike most professions, the medical profession does not rest. There are no holidays or rest days. You'll find yourself constantly on the move. When working on night shifts, you find yourself battling the sleep demons while waiting for action. All it takes is a phone call to 995, and you are activated. There may also be times when you have limited medical supplies, and yet you experience mass casualty flow. What are you going to do then? Who are you going to save first? How can you maximize your drugs and bandages? Due to the fast-paced nature of the profession, paramedics have to make such decisions at the snap of a finger. These are the trying times, which test the paramedic's mental agility and technical skills proficiency.

2. Steep learning curve

It takes an average of 6 years to train a doctor. However, a Level I paramedic is only given two months to train, and these are the bulk of the medics that will often be the first responders in any emergency cases. In these two months, trainees have to learn IV drip, dressing of wounds, CPR, AED protocol, dispensing of medicine etc. Hence, paramedics are expected to deal with a steep learning curve. Failure is not an option when it comes to life-and-death situation. You don't say, "I don't know how to give IV drip", or "I forgot about taking vital stats" when someone is dying and you are the first responder. As a medic people hold you accountable for lives.

In Singapore, a paramedic is graded roughly into 4 types of medical proficiency, namely Level I, Level II, up to Level IV. Level I is the minimum level, and Level IV is the maximum level of mastery that a paramedic can attain.

At Level I, a paramedic can perform Intravenous Infusion (more commonly known as IV drip) and basic dressing of wounds.

For Level II paramedics, they have more experience than the former, due to their professional attachment to hospitals, and also been able to witness the local paramedics in action during their training stint. Hence, they often accompany the Level I medics in any action to give their advice. Level III and IV medics have progressively more experience and knowledge.

But yet, even when you have learned all in your curriculum, a paramedic does not stop learning. You'll find that when lives need to be saved, you just feel a moral urge to do something. Knowing more doesn't guarantee you can save lives; it just makes you more confident. I repeat again, as a medic people hold you accountable for lives.

3. You make people have a sense of security

Even when I was just a Level I medic covering any event, people don't say, "This guy can't save us". They just carried on with their daily routine. Could that have been possible if they were constantly worried about their safety? No, it is because of our presence, that makes people think, " I am in safe hands, because I know if something goes wrong, a paramedic will come and save me." I always tell my juniors, "As a Level I paramedic, we are really lacking in skill or experience to deal with severe emergencies. Hence, you must always act confident in front of others so that you are a symbol of faith to people. In that way, people will feel safe and can carry on with their daily lives."

4. Life, above all

During my basic medic course, my platoon sergeant gave a very good explanation to why we belong to a noble profession. He said, "Regardless of wealth, fame or status, all people have to die. Hence, the birth and the death of a person is unarguably the most sacred moment in anyone's life. But yet, at these two significant milestones, the only people that can regularly witness the creation, and cessation of life are doctors and paramedics. And at these two moments, the family of these lives will welcome no one else but you, as a paramedic, to witness this momentous event. So, you should consider yourself lucky to be in the medical profession." Indeed, you learn to treasure life more - life above all.

...If anyone were to ask me now what is the aim of a paramedic, I would say, "So others may live, so others may live."

About the Author

Yeo Teck Wei is a freelance writer based in Singapore and currently the blogger of The Paper Model. For more information, please visit the-papermodel.blogspot.com or email me at yeoteckwei@yahoo.co.uk. Any comments to my articles are appreciated.