Sean Eddy is a paramedic and emergency medical technician (EMT) working in Southern California. He has an eight-year history of working in EMS, a career he transitioned into after first working in a computer field. Eddy is quick to point out that being a paramedic is not nearly as exciting as it appears on TV, and he often has to handle the results of child and elder abuse as well as helping belligerent patients under the influence of alcohol and drugs. In Eddy's blog, Medic Madness, he often takes a humorous approach in writing about life as a paramedic, regularly featuring his take on what it would be like if different celebrities worked as paramedics. He also shares his thoughts on current events in the world of EMS. He also runs two other websites, Droid Medic, where he blogs about using Android phones as an EMS professional, and Medic Tees, which sells funny T-shirts geared to paramedics.

Why did you decide to pursue this career field?
Actually, I had a friend who was working in EMS. I was working in a computer field and decided I needed a change.

What type of preparation did you do to get into this field?
I took a couple classes at a local college—anatomy and physiology and an EKG interpretation class. I also worked at a radiology clinic for a couple years, which was not related to EMS, but I learned a lot about cardiology working there doing stress tests. I took an EMT course, which was six months' worth of school. I worked as an EMT basic for three years and then went back to paramedic school for about a year and half. It was seven to eight months of didactics, then clinical training in hospitals and then a field internship, which was 600 to 700 hours. Paramedic school is usually run through a community college. That's where you do the classroom time. For skills training, you spend time at the hospital in a controlled environment. Then you run emergencies with a preceptor by your side. Then you're eligible for the national registry exam.

What types of classes and projects did you have to do?
I took an EKG interpretation class, IV therapy class and then the rest were all related to computer science, not related to EMS. Those weren't requirements; they were classes I took intentionally to make going to paramedic school easier. The paramedic program isn't split into multiple classes. It was one long didactic session where we cover anatomy and physiology, legal issues, pathophysiology, trauma care, neurological emergencies, EMS operations, geriatric emergencies, pediatric emergencies, just to name a few.

How did your education help you in your career?
Well, it really helps to prepare you for going into your field internship. It doesn't do much for applying it practically. It's more of a steppingstone. When you start treating people, that's when you really start learning how to do the job. The didactic portion does lay a good foundation.

What was your career path like in this field? 
I started as an EMT basic, which involved ambulance driving and assisting my paramedic partner. It was mostly a supportive role. When I became a paramedic, I changed roles and now I was the one in charge. Now I was the one doing the majority of treatments and managing the scene. From there, I became a field supervisor and worked (as one for) three and half years. Then I decided to go back to being a paramedic. Now I'm training people going through their internship and going through paramedic school.

What types of skills is someone required to have to work in your position?
To work as a paramedic, you'll need IV therapy skills, you'll need to know how to start IV lines, know medications, know all about routes of administration, the effects (medication) has on the human body, possible side effects, when not to give it, airway management basic and advanced and you'll need to know how to interpret cardiac monitors or EKGs. You'll need to know the process of defibrillating, how to remove foreign objects from a person's airway and decompress someone's chest. In some areas, paramedics do minor surgical procedures like a tracheotomy, but that's not something that's done everywhere. Then there's stuff that's basic, like splinting, bandaging and applying oxygen. EMTs learn basic medication.

What do you do on a typical workday?
Depending on the type of system you work in, you can be sitting in a station waiting to run a call, very similar to what firefighters would do. You get this in the more rural areas. You have your station duties and when an emergency call comes in you drop what you're doing and respond. I work in a major urban area so we are in an ambulance for 12 hours a day. On a busy day, we run back-to-back calls, pick up patients, treat them, take them to the hospital, complete paperwork and go back to run another call. On a slow day, we sit around and wait for calls. We also do inter-facility transfers, which can be a couple blocks away to several hours away. We've crossed state lines transferring people. Then there are stand-by events, like for concerts and sporting events or various types of public gatherings where there's a higher probability of an emergency happening. We stand by waiting for something to happen, and treat and transport people as necessary.

Do you plan to advance to another position within your career field? If so, to what position and why?
I don't plan to advance within EMS. I'm going to go to school to become a physician's assistant. So not necessarily in EMS, but I am wanting to advance in the medical field.

What type of person do you think is best suited for a job in your field?
Well it's got to be somebody who cares—somebody with a strong personality who's willing to take charge and somebody who's willing to be empathetic to their patients and realize they're in pain or suffering in some way. You've got to be able to hold the hand of an elderly lady because she's scared she's having a heart attack. You also have to maintain control of a scene of an accident and of people under the influence of alcohol or drugs. You must be able to adapt to any scenario you can think of. A patient may be under the influence and doesn't want to go to the hospital and you have to force them to go. You need to be someone with common sense, street smarts, critical thinking skills and someone with a lot of compassion.

Do you have any advice for those who are looking to launch a career in your field?
I would certainly advise that people really look into the field and make sure that they completely understand what they're going to be doing. I think people expect it's going be a thrill like it is on TV, when in reality, treating critically ill or injured people is a small fraction of what we do. I think that people wanting to pursue a career in EMS should contact their local service and see if they can go and do a ride-along and talk to the crews and see what an EMT does. People go to schools and have high expectations of running to the scene treating critically ill or injured people. What you end up seeing is a lot of people who have very poor living conditions and don't take care of themselves or their children. You'll see abuse on children and elderly people. You'll see people taking advantage of the system to get medications. You'll see people under the influence of drugs and alcohol. I think you should definitely get a feel for what you'll be doing before you decide on this career. A lot of people right out of school give it up after six months after experiencing what it's like on the job.