Pressures of the job…

There is a growing body of literature examining the physical, psychological and emotional pressures of day-to-day life as a paramedic. This qualitative study was undertaken in Israel using a phenomenological approach as the researchers wanted to explore how paramedics experience and cope with critical incidents (CIs). They wanted to find out what impact these CIs had on the work and personal lives of paramedics and how these individuals managed their feelings and thoughts after the CIs.

The authors cite Mitchell's (1983) construction of a ‘critical incident’ as a framework, where it is identified that a CI is any event that causes strong emotional reactions in the clinician which may impact on their ability to function effectively either on scene or afterwards. Clearly what actually constitutes a critical incident may vary according to individual interpretation.

Through processes of purposive sampling, 15 paramedics working for a large emergency service were recruited. The sample comprised 10 males and five females between 23 and 51 years of age. Their time in service spanned from 12 months to 26 years. In the six months prior to their interviews, their exposure to critical incidents ranged from a minimum of 20 through to a maximum of 150 events.