| Paramedics are among those few who are on the frontlines of Emergency Medical Services. They may respond on many calls that can produce significant mental trauma. Many of these calls will vary depending on the paramedic's locale. Two different locales are rural and urban areas. These areas can be significantly different in regards to the outcomes and effects on a paramedic due to things, such as time spend with a patient, distances traveled, and the number of calls per shift. The results of this study indicated that there were no significant differences between rural and urban paramedics suffering from either PTSD (4% urban compared to 0% rural) or CF (46% urban compared to 32% rural). The findings indicated 43% of urban paramedics experienced BO compared to 29% of rural. Conversely, 32% rural paramedics reported Compassion Satisfaction (CS) compared to 21% urban. Sixty-seven percent of all paramedics report experiencing STS. This research suggests that, although there are no significant differences between urban and rural paramedics regarding PTSD and CF, there were sufficient findings that paramedics do experience distress in their profession. They indicated that they would prefer mental health counseling from professionals who have EMS experience. Providing beneficial assistance to them should involve these mental health professionals who can provide their experience in developing effective treatment methods. |
