ABSTRACT
Paramedics are highly trained emergency medical personnel who respond to people in crisis. Due to the nature of their work, they are exposed to potentially traumatic events on a routine basis. Such events are wide ranging in their nature including, multiple fatality motor vehicle accidents, physical assaults, suicide, sudden infant death syndrome, cardiac arrest, and natural disasters. Being a paramedic is a self-selected occupation and there is generally a personal belief that they can cope and effectively deal with the cases they attend; however, this self-belief does not make them immune to the impact of trauma. In this chapter we discuss the potential for work-related trauma, the challenges paramedics face to maintain mental health, and the ways in which they cope with these challenges to provide strategies to enhance positive personal change and posttraumatic growth (PTG). Utilizing the following vignette, the chapter discusses research that has been conducted with paramedics and links research to the case. A significant body of research has examined negative post-trauma trajectories in this population, but research also attests to PTG as a more common outcome of work-related trauma for paramedics than negative outcomes such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The chapter will also address the necessity for proactive organizational commitment to the task of promoting mental health in the workforce.
