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Career

Paramedics

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipHigh pressure Bright Outlook

What they do

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.

Kinds of work

  • Social: Helping, teaching, caring for and supporting other people.
  • Realistic: Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals, often outdoors.
  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.

High pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $60,600 Median per year · $29.13/hr Most earn $44,230–$84,850

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Perform emergency pharmacological interventions.
  • Administer drugs, orally or by injection, or perform intravenous procedures.
  • Perform emergency cardiac care, such as cardioversion and manual defibrillation.
  • Perform emergency invasive intervention before delivering patient to an acute care facility.
  • Observe, record, and report to physician the patient's condition or injury, the treatment provided, and reactions to drugs or treatment.
  • Operate equipment, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), external defibrillators, or bag valve mask resuscitators, in advanced life support environments.

Job outlook

Bright Outlook Rapid Growth

United States
6% more jobs by 2035, faster than average · about 4,300 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Ambulance services38.3%
  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals38.3%
  • General medical and surgical hospitals17.6%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 3 months

Some people start through an apprenticeship: paid training on the job, often with classes. Search apprenticeships on Apprenticeship.gov (opens in a new tab) ↗

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Certificate or apprenticeshipExperience before this job: 1 to 3 monthsEntry-level

Paramedic is an entry-level career that people can start after completing formal training, with the whole path from high school often taking about 2 to 4 years. Many people first work as an EMT or ambulance attendant while they build experience and finish their paramedic certification.

  1. High school diploma

    4 years

    Finishing high school with strong science and health classes gives you the foundation for medical training and is required for most EMT and paramedic programs.

  2. Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification

    A few months

    An EMT course teaches basic life support, bleeding control, and patient assessment, and passing the exam lets you work on an ambulance.

  3. Ambulance Attendant

    A few months to 1 year

    Working as an attendant or EMT on an ambulance gives you real patient-care experience and shows you how emergency calls work before you take on more advanced skills.

  4. Paramedic

    1-2 years of paramedic training, then ongoing work

    A paramedic certificate program adds advanced skills such as IV medication, heart monitoring, and advanced life support, and after passing the exam and getting licensed you can work as a Paramedic.

Where it can lead

  1. Paramedic Supervisor

    3-5 years of experience first

    You take on leadership of a crew or station, handling scheduling, training newer staff, and reviewing care quality, which usually requires a strong work record and often extra leadership training.

  2. Registered Nurse

    1-2 years of experience first

    Some paramedics move into nursing by completing a bachelor's degree and a nursing license, using their hands-on emergency experience to work in hospital emergency or critical care settings.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take biology, health, and anatomy classesThese courses build the medical vocabulary and body knowledge you will use in every emergency call.
  • Get certified in CPR and first aidMany schools, hospitals, and Red Cross-style local groups offer these courses, and they show you can act quickly in an emergency.
  • Volunteer with a local ambulance or fire auxiliaryVolunteering lets you see emergency work up close and often gives you a path toward EMT training.
  • Join a first aid or health club at schoolClubs like HOSA or similar health groups let you practice skills, compete, and meet people in medical fields.
  • Get a part-time job that builds calm teamworkJobs in food service, retail, or lifeguarding help you practice staying steady under pressure and working with a team.

In college

  • Take anatomy, physiology, and chemistry coursesThese classes prepare you for the medical content in EMT and paramedic programs and for the exams that come after them.
  • Earn your EMT certificationGetting EMT certified while in college lets you start working on an ambulance and gain experience before you enroll in paramedic training.
  • Work as an EMT or ambulance attendant on campus or in townCampus or local ambulance services often hire students, and this work builds the patient-care experience paramedic programs and employers look for.
  • Join a campus emergency response or pre-health clubGroups like campus EMS teams or pre-health clubs give you practice, leadership, and connections in the field.
  • Volunteer on a disaster or event medical teamWorking at community events or disaster response builds real-world skills and shows you can handle high-pressure situations.

Tips for getting started

  • Ask your local fire department or ambulance service whether they offer ride-alongs or job shadowing, since seeing real calls helps you decide if this work fits you.
  • Build physical fitness and calm under pressure now, because paramedic work involves lifting, long shifts, and high-stress situations.
  • Check that any EMT or paramedic program you consider is approved by your state's EMS agency, since licensing requirements depend on where you plan to work.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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