Paramedics
Administer basic or advanced emergency medical care and assess injuries and illnesses. May administer medication intravenously, use equipment such as EKGs, or administer advanced life support to sick or injured individuals.
- O*NET-SOC code
29-2043.00 - Preparation Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$60,600
Employment, U.S.100,610
Median hourly wage$29.13
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $44,230 | $49,660 | $60,600 | $73,470 | $84,850 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 1,700 | $48,540 | 1.24 |
| Alaska | 310 | $71,860 | 1.49 |
| Arizona | 2,200 | $58,600 | 1.05 |
| Arkansas | 1,170 | $50,310 | 1.39 |
| California | 5,190 | $74,590 | 0.44 |
| Colorado | 2,110 | $63,910 | 1.14 |
| Connecticut | 1,000 | $77,480 | 0.91 |
| Delaware | 340 | $64,240 | 1.09 |
| District of Columbia | 90 | $78,550 | 0.19 |
| Florida | 6,970 | $60,140 | 1.09 |
| Georgia | 3,250 | $57,660 | 1.03 |
| Hawaii | 140 | $81,280 | 0.33 |
| Idaho | 440 | $60,380 | 0.79 |
| Illinois | 3,890 | $60,660 | 0.99 |
| Indiana | 2,680 | $60,320 | 1.30 |
| Iowa | 1,170 | $60,590 | 1.16 |
| Kansas | 1,030 | $51,020 | 1.10 |
| Kentucky | 1,800 | $49,890 | 1.39 |
| Louisiana | 2,040 | $56,050 | 1.63 |
| Maine | 470 | $63,050 | 1.14 |
| Maryland | 1,910 | $66,660 | 1.07 |
| Massachusetts | 1,860 | $66,340 | 0.79 |
| Michigan | 2,750 | $52,080 | 0.96 |
| Minnesota | 1,690 | $76,300 | 0.88 |
| Mississippi | 1,150 | $54,630 | 1.52 |
| Missouri | 3,300 | $59,180 | 1.74 |
| Montana | 300 | $50,890 | 0.91 |
| Nebraska | 490 | $56,230 | 0.75 |
| Nevada | 950 | $59,280 | 0.95 |
| New Hampshire | 420 | $64,210 | 0.95 |
| New Jersey | 540 | $86,630 | 0.19 |
| New Mexico | 810 | $55,530 | 1.44 |
| New York | 6,110 | $73,200 | 0.97 |
| North Carolina | 5,660 | $57,320 | 1.77 |
| North Dakota | 220 | $62,320 | 0.78 |
| Ohio | 3,600 | $51,300 | 1.00 |
| Oklahoma | 1,590 | $46,790 | 1.44 |
| Oregon | 1,210 | $74,840 | 0.95 |
| Pennsylvania | 4,750 | $61,000 | 1.21 |
| Rhode Island | 160 | $63,550 | 0.50 |
| South Carolina | 2,250 | $53,550 | 1.51 |
| South Dakota | 280 | $48,830 | 0.94 |
| Tennessee | 3,710 | $57,690 | 1.75 |
| Texas | 8,410 | $57,500 | 0.92 |
| Utah | 960 | $65,420 | 0.86 |
| Vermont | 190 | $60,360 | 0.96 |
| Virginia | 1,960 | $60,480 | 0.74 |
| Washington | 2,110 | $104,310 | 0.92 |
| West Virginia | 1,090 | $48,460 | 2.40 |
| Wisconsin | 1,990 | $59,710 | 1.04 |
| Wyoming | 230 | $64,040 | 1.28 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians | 1-2 | 0.953 |
| 2 | Critical Care Nurses | 4 | 0.953 |
| 3 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | 5 | 0.945 |
| 4 | Respiratory Therapists | 3 | 0.945 |
| 5 | Coroners | 3 | 0.943 |
| 6 | Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | 3 | 0.943 |
| 7 | Registered Nurses | 4 | 0.941 |
| 8 | Athletic Trainers | 5 | 0.941 |
| 9 | Nursing Assistants | 3 | 0.941 |
| 10 | Acute Care Nurses | 4 | 0.940 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Paramedics, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | Systems Analysis | 0.76 | 0.943 |
| Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | Quality Control Analysis | 1.13 | 0.937 |
| Surgical Technologists | Management of Material Resources | 1.26 | 0.929 |
| Radiation Therapists | Operations Monitoring | 1.00 | 0.929 |
| Occupational Therapy Assistants | Systems Analysis | 0.76 | 0.926 |
| Cardiovascular Technologists and Technicians | Science | 2.88 | 0.923 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Paramedics, excluding software Paramedics already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| GE Healthcare Centricity EMR | 6 of 20 | 12.6x |
| Medical condition coding software | 7 of 20 | 8.1x |
| Amkai AmkaiCharts | 4 of 20 | 26.4x |
| Medscribbler Enterprise | 4 of 20 | 26.4x |
| StatCom Patient Flow Logistics Enterprise Suite | 4 of 20 | 26.4x |
| MicroFour PracticeStudio.NET EMR | 4 of 20 | 23.1x |
| Texas Medical Software SpringCharts EMR | 4 of 20 | 23.1x |
| Cerner Millennium | 4 of 20 | 20.5x |
| SynaMed EMR | 4 of 20 | 20.5x |
| NextGen Healthcare Information Systems EMR | 4 of 20 | 18.5x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.88 | 3.75 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 3.62 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 3.38 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.62 | 3.50 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.50 | 3.62 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.50 | 3.50 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.38 | 3.62 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.38 | 3.25 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.38 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 2.88 | 3.12 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.38 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.50 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.38 | 2.50 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Science | Essential skill | 2.25 | not rated |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 2.25 | 1.88 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.75 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.25 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.75 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.62 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.75 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.25 | not rated |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Dentistry | 4.55 | 4.81 |
| English Language | 4.16 | 4.13 |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.94 | 4.35 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.90 | 5.06 |
| Biology | 3.74 | 3.97 |
| Education and Training | 3.71 | 4.16 |
| Psychology | 3.50 | 4.81 |
| Mathematics | 3.42 | 3.52 |
| Transportation | 3.37 | 3.57 |
| Telecommunications | 3.26 | 2.97 |
| Law and Government | 3.03 | 3.42 |
| Administration and Management | 2.97 | 3.06 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 2.90 | 3.71 |
| Chemistry | 2.74 | 3.03 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.71 | 2.84 |
| Administrative | 2.65 | 2.77 |
| Communications and Media | 2.65 | 2.58 |
| Computers and Electronics | 2.55 | 3.03 |
| Mechanical | 2.35 | 2.35 |
| Physics | 2.29 | 2.16 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 2.27 | 2.55 |
| Foreign Language | 2.19 | 2.23 |
| Geography | 2.10 | 1.77 |
| Engineering and Technology | 1.94 | 1.55 |
| Building and Construction | 1.84 | 1.23 |
| Production and Processing | 1.61 | 1.10 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.58 | 1.29 |
| Design | 1.42 | not rated |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.42 | 0.71 |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.39 | 0.81 |
| Food Production | 1.23 | not rated |
| History and Archeology | 1.13 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.06 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Near Vision | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Oral Expression | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.62 | 3.25 |
| Information Ordering | 3.50 | 3.62 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.50 | 3.12 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.38 | 3.62 |
| Written Comprehension | 3.38 | 3.62 |
| Finger Dexterity | 3.25 | 3.38 |
| Time Sharing | 3.25 | 3.38 |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Auditory Attention | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Written Expression | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Selective Attention | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Speed of Closure | 3.12 | not rated |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Static Strength | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Extent Flexibility | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Far Vision | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Category Flexibility | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Memorization | 2.88 | 2.62 |
| Control Precision | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 2.75 | 2.62 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Originality | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Reaction Time | 2.62 | 2.62 |
| Visualization | 2.62 | 2.38 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.50 | 2.38 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.38 | not rated |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 2.38 | 2.38 |
| Response Orientation | 2.38 | 2.38 |
| Depth Perception | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Number Facility | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Stamina | 2.38 | 2.12 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.38 | 2.00 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.25 | 2.25 |
| Explosive Strength | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.25 | 2.00 |
| Spatial Orientation | 2.25 | 1.88 |
| Peripheral Vision | 2.25 | 1.75 |
| Rate Control | 2.12 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 2.12 | 2.00 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Night Vision | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 2.00 | 1.62 |
| Sound Localization | 1.75 | 1.50 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.25 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Apple iOS hot
- MEDITECH software hot
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- R hot
- eClinicalWorks EHR software hot
- Epocrates
- HyperTox
- Informed EMS Field Guide
- Iterum eMedic
- MedDataSolutions Regist*r
- Medical Wizards ER & ICU ToolBox
- Medical Wizards ER Suite
- Medical Wizards Paramedics ToolBox
- Mosby's Drug Consult
- PEPID EMS
- Palmtree EMS Field Reference Guide
- Palmtree Pocket EKG
- Skyscape Rosen and Barkin's 5-Minute Emergency Medicine Consult
- Skyscape medical software
- TechOnSoftware HazMatCE Pro
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homosassa Springs, FL | 110 | 4.79 | $47,390 |
| Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ | 160 | 4.27 | $63,660 |
| Aguadilla, PR | 120 | 3.85 | $26,880 |
| Rocky Mount, NC | 130 | 3.70 | $52,470 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 330 | 3.65 | $43,750 |
| Glens Falls, NY | 110 | 3.46 | $54,480 |
| Lafayette, LA | 370 | 3.21 | $61,880 |
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | 630 | 2.84 | $58,860 |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | 310 | 2.84 | $78,570 |
| Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | 100 | 2.78 | $46,080 |