Okuzeka
Emergency Medicine & First Aid vocabulary · Ambulance and Prehospital Care

Paramedic

Meaning in emergency medicine & first aid, with examples

/ˌpærəˈmedɪk/nounCore term

In emergency medicine & first aid, paramedic means: A trained health professional who works mainly on ambulances, assessing and treating patients at the scene and on the way to hospital.

In Turkish: paramedik

How it is used

In the UK, paramedics are registered professionals trained to degree level; in the US, paramedic is the highest common EMS level, able to give more drugs and procedures than an EMT. The public sometimes calls any ambulance worker a paramedic.

Example sentences

  1. The paramedics gave him pain relief before moving him.

  2. I've been a paramedic for eight years, mostly in rural areas.

Common collocations

  • paramedic crew
  • critical care paramedic
  • qualified paramedic
  • paramedic science
  • EMTShort for emergency medical technician: a trained ambulance worker who gives basic emergency care, one level below a paramedic in most US systems.
  • ambulanceA vehicle with medical equipment and trained staff that treats sick or injured people at the scene and on the way to hospital, and takes them there.
  • EMSShort for emergency medical services: the system of ambulances, staff and call centres that gives urgent medical care outside hospital.
  • first responderA person trained to reach an emergency quickly and give early care before or alongside the ambulance, such as a police officer, firefighter, lifeguard or volunteer.

More terms: Ambulance and Prehospital Care

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level:

This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.