Healthcare practitioners
Paramedic
Administer basic or advanced emergency medical care and assess injuries and illnesses. May administer medication intravenously, use equipment such as EKGs, or administer advanced life support to sick or injured individuals.
Median pay
$60,600
Growth to 2035
+6%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
4,300
Time to qualify*
3 years
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Paramedic
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- On-the-job training
- None
- Prior experience
- Less than 5 years
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Hazardous conditions
Exposure to disease
Paramedic: 97% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Perform emergency cardiac care, such as cardioversion and manual defibrillation.
- Perform emergency invasive intervention before delivering patient to an acute care facility.
- Coordinate work with other emergency medical team members or police or fire department personnel.
- Assess nature and extent of illness or injury to establish and prioritize medical procedures.
- Comfort and reassure patients.
- Administer first aid treatment or life support care to sick or injured persons in prehospital settings.
- Operate equipment, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), external defibrillators, or bag valve mask resuscitators, in advanced life support environments.
- Perform emergency pharmacological interventions.
Also called: Critical Care Paramedic · Firefighter Paramedic · First Responder · Flight Paramedic
Outlook and AI
Paramedics held 102,200 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 108,000 by 2035 (+6%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
- Paramedic vs. Emergency medical technician
- Paramedic vs. Registered nurse
- Paramedic vs. Licensed practical nurse (LPN)
- Paramedic vs. Surgical assistant
- Paramedic vs. Respiratory therapist
- Paramedic vs. Nursing assistant
- Paramedic vs. Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians
- Paramedic vs. Medical assistant