paramedic

noun

para·​med·​ic ˌper-ə-ˈme-dik 

ˌpa-rə-

variants or less commonly paramedical

ˌper-ə-ˈme-di-kəl 

ˌpa-rə-

1

: a person who works in a health field in an auxiliary capacity to a physician (as by giving injections and taking X-rays)

2

: a specially trained medical technician licensed to provide a wide range of emergency services (such as defibrillation and the intravenous administration of drugs) before or during transportation to a hospital compare emt

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The History of Paramedic

In ground warfare, wounded troops must usually be transported from the front lines back to field hospitals, and trained paramedical personnel—that is, nondoctors, usually known as medics or corpsmen—were first widely used in such situations. It took many decades for the wartime model to be applied effectively to ordinary peacetime medicine. With advances in medical technology (such as defibrillators, for restarting a heart after a heart attack), paramedics became an essential part of emergency medicine, and today hundreds of thousands of people owe their lives to paramedics. Paraprofessionals who work only in hospitals and clinics usually go by other titles.

Examples of paramedic in a Sentence

She's training to be a paramedic.

Recent Examples on the Web

Scott said the department’s firefighter paramedics arrived on scene and pronounced Fuerte dead. —Daniella Segura, Sacramento Bee, 16 Apr. 2024

Callie Rigney, the mayor pro tem of Colleyville, is running in Place 2 against Eric Crile, a firefighter and paramedic. —Noah Alcala Bach, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2024

Pompano Beach Fire Rescue paramedics took the boy with a gunshot wound to a hospital. —Omar Rodríguez Ortiz, Miami Herald, 8 Apr. 2024

Bystander footage posted online showed a woman watching as paramedics performed CPR on the 20-year-old, a look of grave concern on the woman’s face. —Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024

This referendum will increase the property tax levy by nearly 9% to fund additional firefighters, paramedics and police officers. —Cathy Kozlowicz, Journal Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2024

Other motorists stopped to help and took turns holding Martinez’s daughter while paramedics tended to the injured parties. —Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024

Authorities then received additional calls for paramedics and police, who responded to the area and discovered multiple crime scenes. —Jeff Kolkey, USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2024

Three days earlier, Blaire — a paramedic who leads the fire department’s emergency medical team — met Slaughter at a nearby hospital. —Lauren Peace, CNN, 27 Mar. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

paramedic

noun

para·​med·​ic ˌpar-ə-ˈmed-ik 

1

: a person who works in a health field by helping a physician (as by taking X-rays or giving injections)

2

: a specially trained person with a license to provide a wide range of emergency services (as the giving of intravenous drugs) before or during transport to a hospital

Etymology

from para- "alongside of, associated with in a secondary or assisting role" and medic "a person trained in or studying medical work"; para- derived from Greek para "beside, alongside of" and medic from Latin medicus "physician"

Medical Definition

paramedic

noun

para·​med·​ic ˌpar-ə-ˈmed-ik 

variants also paramedical

-i-kəl 

1

: a person who works in a health field in an auxiliary capacity to a physician (as by giving injections and taking X-rays)

2

: a specially trained medical technician certified to provide a wide range of emergency medical services (as defibrillation and the intravenous administration of drugs) before or during transport to the hospital compare emt