paramedic

noun

para·​med·​ic ˌper-ə-ˈme-dik How to pronounce paramedic (audio)
ˌpa-rə-
variants or less commonly paramedical
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 How was Baby Jessica saved? Hundreds of paramedics, rescuers, drilling experts and contractors worked around the clock to save Jessica's life. Jordana Comiter, People.com, 16 Oct. 2024 But the new survey bears out a fear CPR trainees often express, said paramedic and St John Ambulance head of clinical delivery James McNulty. Katherine Hignett, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024 The ambulance service said in a post on X today that paramedics along with an IDF medical team responded to the scene and pronounced the foreign worker dead. NBC News, 11 Oct. 2024 Body camera footage, played for the judge, showed a chaotic scene in the aftermath of the shooting, with paramedics attending to Natalie while family members surrounded them. Madeline Buckley, Chicago Tribune, 10 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for paramedic 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paramedic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of paramedic was in 1967

Dictionary Entries Near paramedic

Cite this Entry

“Paramedic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paramedic. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

paramedic

noun
para·​med·​ic ˌpar-ə-ˈmed-ik How to pronounce paramedic (audio)
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 How to pronounce paramedic (audio)
variants also paramedical
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

More from Merriam-Webster on paramedic

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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