4 answers
Ashe
Student
Sedro-Woolley, Washington
2
Questions
Asked
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What sort of Mental Health help do Paramedics give?
I love helping people and I'm hyper empathetic so, making sure people are mentally and physically stable is very important to me.
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4 answers
Cheri Hall
Physical Therapist
19
Answers
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Updated
Cheri’s Answer
Hello Ashe,
A Paramedic is a healthcare professional who primarily focuses on delivering advanced emergency medical assistance to patients in critical or urgent situations. This emergency medical assistance may encompass both mental and physical care. However, it's crucial to evaluate your own capability to provide mental health support in your role as a paramedic.
As a licensed medical professional, a paramedic's scope of practice is dictated by their state's regulations, which define the services they can legally offer to a patient. Their initial response usually involves assessing and treating physical injuries, particularly when responding to an accident scene or aiding in patient transportation via ambulance. Providing compassionate care is a key aspect of their role, and being highly empathetic can greatly benefit a paramedic. Listening to a patient's experiences and offering comfort can often help them navigate through challenging situations.
If, while interacting with a patient, you identify a mental health crisis, it's typically necessary to refer them to a mental health specialist or an emergency room. If you're particularly interested in mental health, you might consider a career in psychology, counseling, or psychiatry.
To gain a deeper understanding of a paramedic's role, you could consider shadowing a paramedic for a day or conducting an interview to learn about their daily responsibilities. This could give you the opportunity to directly ask them about the extent to which their job involves addressing mental health needs.
Call a local ambulance company to ask about shadowing for a day.
A Paramedic is a healthcare professional who primarily focuses on delivering advanced emergency medical assistance to patients in critical or urgent situations. This emergency medical assistance may encompass both mental and physical care. However, it's crucial to evaluate your own capability to provide mental health support in your role as a paramedic.
As a licensed medical professional, a paramedic's scope of practice is dictated by their state's regulations, which define the services they can legally offer to a patient. Their initial response usually involves assessing and treating physical injuries, particularly when responding to an accident scene or aiding in patient transportation via ambulance. Providing compassionate care is a key aspect of their role, and being highly empathetic can greatly benefit a paramedic. Listening to a patient's experiences and offering comfort can often help them navigate through challenging situations.
If, while interacting with a patient, you identify a mental health crisis, it's typically necessary to refer them to a mental health specialist or an emergency room. If you're particularly interested in mental health, you might consider a career in psychology, counseling, or psychiatry.
To gain a deeper understanding of a paramedic's role, you could consider shadowing a paramedic for a day or conducting an interview to learn about their daily responsibilities. This could give you the opportunity to directly ask them about the extent to which their job involves addressing mental health needs.
Cheri recommends the following next steps:
David Padilla
ABA
15
Answers
Santa Ana, California
Updated
David’s Answer
Paramedics, as with other professions, can give proper mental health help despite not being a professional in the field of psychology. An example is when a paramedic is assisting a patient en route to the hospital. Paramedics can give emotional support, especially if they have been in similar situations. Emotional support is essential and provides invaluable help to the patients.
David Padilla
David Padilla
Chinyere Okafor
Educationist and Counseling Psychologist
466
Answers
Port Harcourt, Rivers, Nigeria
Updated
Chinyere’s Answer
Hello Ashe,
Sounds great to know you love helping people!
Paramedics play a crucial role in providing mental health support, as they are often the first responders to emergencies involving people in mental health crises. Here's how they help:
1. Crisis Intervention: Paramedics are trained to de-escalate situations involving individuals experiencing anxiety, panic attacks, or suicidal thoughts. Their calming presence and communication skills can help stabilize emotions and reduce the immediate mental health crisis.
2. Mental Health Assessments: While paramedics are not psychologists, they can perform initial assessments to determine whether a person is at risk of harming themselves or others. They gather information that can later be used by mental health professionals.
3. Support During Trauma: In cases of physical trauma (e.g., accidents, violence), paramedics provide emotional reassurance to help patients cope with shock or distress, helping them stay calm during the emergency.
4. Referrals to Mental Health Services: After stabilizing a patient, paramedics often work with social workers or mental health professionals to refer the individual to the appropriate care facilities.
5. Compassionate Communication: Paramedics are often the first point of contact for individuals who may feel isolated, scared, or vulnerable. Empathy and supportive communication can make a significant difference in calming someone during a mental health crisis.
Given your hyper empathy and desire to ensure both mental and physical well-being, working as a paramedic could be a meaningful way to combine these passions and make a direct impact on people’s lives.
Best wishes!
Sounds great to know you love helping people!
Paramedics play a crucial role in providing mental health support, as they are often the first responders to emergencies involving people in mental health crises. Here's how they help:
1. Crisis Intervention: Paramedics are trained to de-escalate situations involving individuals experiencing anxiety, panic attacks, or suicidal thoughts. Their calming presence and communication skills can help stabilize emotions and reduce the immediate mental health crisis.
2. Mental Health Assessments: While paramedics are not psychologists, they can perform initial assessments to determine whether a person is at risk of harming themselves or others. They gather information that can later be used by mental health professionals.
3. Support During Trauma: In cases of physical trauma (e.g., accidents, violence), paramedics provide emotional reassurance to help patients cope with shock or distress, helping them stay calm during the emergency.
4. Referrals to Mental Health Services: After stabilizing a patient, paramedics often work with social workers or mental health professionals to refer the individual to the appropriate care facilities.
5. Compassionate Communication: Paramedics are often the first point of contact for individuals who may feel isolated, scared, or vulnerable. Empathy and supportive communication can make a significant difference in calming someone during a mental health crisis.
Given your hyper empathy and desire to ensure both mental and physical well-being, working as a paramedic could be a meaningful way to combine these passions and make a direct impact on people’s lives.
Best wishes!
Anne O'Hara, LCSW
Outpatient Therapist
13
Answers
Radford, Virginia
Updated
Anne’s Answer
Hi Ashe, more and more people are getting trained in mental health first aid, including paramedics. That training might be free or affordable depending on who is putting it on. More and more programs are popping up worldwide that have mental health trained professionals join police and other first responders on calls that sound like a possible mental health concern and not a criminal one. Paramedics might get called to the scene for something that looks medical but is actually a mental health concern - like a panic attack that looks and feels like a heart attack. You might also have to give aid to someone who will require a psychiatric hold who might have injured themselves, comforting them and providing reassurance is very helpful in the moment to that population. It is definitely helpful for paramedics to be trained in basic mental health interventions and to have a general idea of some of the mental health programs and services in your area. If you are interested in what being a paramedic might look like, I recommend looking for volunteer rescue squads in the area.
Check out Mental Health First Aid trainings!
Find a volunteer rescue squad
Anne recommends the following next steps: