The culture of prehospital care: a blast from the past

Breaking with tradition for Spotlight on Research, instead of reviewing a current study, I have selected a paper from 1983!

A little known piece of work undertaken by Palmer provides a really strong example of a classic ethnography which is of interest— not just from a methodological perspective to learn more about the challenges of ethnographic research, but also in relation to its contribution to a rich description of working life for this group of ambulance service personnel.

This ethnography describes the day-to-day experiences and organizational culture of a group of paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) working in an urban area in the US in the 1980s.

Data collection included prolonged engagement in the setting including participant observation; interviews, listening to work-related radio calls; informal conversations and analysis of written documentation.

The findings are constructed into a narrative illustrating some of the strategies adopted by the participants to make sense of and manage their occupational environment.