Emergency Care Attendant

SUMMARY: Provide appropriate, efficient and timely pre-hospital basic life support care and transportation of the sick and injured in accordance with local, state, national and Acadian Ambulance standards of practice. 

SPECIAL NOTATION:

1. While working on an ambulance, the ECA shall be paired with another medical provider with the minimum certification of Emergency Medical Technician – EMT. The EMT shall ride in the patient compartment with all patients.
2. “Shuttle vehicle” shall be used interchangeably with “ambulance” when the ECA is operating as an operator of a shuttle vehicle for non-emergency, ambulatory patients.

  REPORTS TO:

• EMT - Emergency Medical Technician if applicable
• EMT - Paramedic
• Operations Supervisor/Coordinator
• Director of Operations
• Regional Vice President

EQUIPMENT: Ambulance; stretcher; folding stretcher; scoop stretcher*; long spine board*; spinal immobilization equipment*; radios and computerized communications equipment; pager; splinting devices; suction devices; bandaging materials; oxygen bottles and tubing; basic airway management devices; fire extinguishers; simple extrication devices; simple mechanics tools; blood pressure cuff and stethoscope; patient restraints; other medical and related equipment items not specifically listed may be added as new items are introduced.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: This job description is not intended, nor should it be construed, to be an all-inclusive list of responsibilities, duties, skills or working conditions associated with the job. It is intended to be a general description of the essential duties and requirements common to positions of this type and may be subject to change. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Conducts a careful examination of the patient for signs and symptoms of illness/injury and assists other medical personnel as necessary.

1. Administers prompt and efficient basic life support care within the limits of licensure or certification and in accordance with approved protocols prior to transport.
2. Provides careful handling of the patient to and from the ambulance.
3. Provides safe and efficient transport of the patient in the ambulance to the medical facility.
4. Provides a safe and efficient transfer of patient and patient care information to the receiving personnel at the destination.
5. Conducts regular unit inventory and equipment testing to ensure all equipment for which the ECA is responsible is present, clean and in proper working order.
6. Upon completion of transport, responsible for all assigned duties which will place the ambulance and equipment back in service.
7. Responsible for the full knowledge of the ambulance's basic life support equipment and its proper use at all times.
8. Documents and reports all needed repairs to the proper maintenance departments (electronic or mechanical) as well as to supervisors and other ambulance personnel as required.
9. In both the emergency and non-emergency setting, operates / drives the ambulance in a safe and efficient manner, following company driving guidelines, so the safety or condition of the occupants is not compromised.
10. Follows all FCC regulations when communicating via electronic communications equipment.
11. Attends all mandatory meetings as scheduled.
12. Completes assigned station and station grounds duties.
13. Orders supplies and equipment from Central Supply to replenish station and ambulance inventories as needed.
14. Completes assigned ambulance duties (i.e., washing, waxing, interior, and exterior cleaning, etc.) as required.
15. Completes all required company reports and logs and when necessary provides other ambulance and supervisory personnel with the information.
16. If an approved preceptor, responsible for precepting new employees as directed.
17. If an approved preceptor, responsible for precepting ECA students as directed
18. Must meet and fulfill the qualifications, requirements, functions, and responsibilities of the Emergency Care Attendant job descriptions.
19. Performs other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. High School Diploma or GED.
2. State certification as an Emergency Care Attendant determined by appropriate state requirements.
3. Current CPR certification as established by the American Heart Association.
4. Current and valid state-issued driver's license determined by appropriate state requirements (equivalent of a Louisiana Class "D" driver's license).
5. Must be able to read, write and communicate professionally and effectively with employees and managers. Must possess the ability to write simple correspondence or reports. Must possess the ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to other employees and/or managers.
6. Must be knowledgeable of company protocols, operational procedures, and safety policies.
7. Must be able to drive large vehicles in normal and adverse conditions.

INTERPERSONAL REQUIREMENTS :

1. Maintain social, ethical and organizational norms.
2. Maintain good personal motivation; develop a sense of ownership of job tasks and results.
3. Must have a sense of urgency for all work performed.
4. Ability to work under the pressure of meeting strict deadlines.
5. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

TRAINING REQUIREMENTS:

1. Orientation to job requirements

PHYSICAL DEMANDS :

Physical Abilities : Must be able to perform strenuous physical requirements, including without limitation, lifting and moving of heavy equipment and patients in a variety of environmental and dangerous conditions, perform CPR and other lifesaving maneuvers.

Unimpaired Mobility : Must be able to respond quickly to ambulance calls, must physically be able to access patients located in difficult terrain and dangerous environments and locations, must be able to climb stairs and other structures, must be able to work without limitation in close and dangerous environments, such as damaged vehicles and structures on fire, must be able to carry heavy equipment and patients.

Fine Motor Skills : Must be able to perform required medical skills and techniques, including without limitation bandaging, splinting and other procedures and task.as allowed by the EMR scope of practice.

Vision : Must have a correctable vision that permits the safe operation of emergency vehicles, the reading of gauges, fine print and figures associated with emergent medical care and treatment; and color acuity to differentiate varying colors that may be necessary for providing emergency care and treatment.

Hearing : Must be able to hear sufficiently to obtain information provided by patients, family members, bystanders, medical professionals, and other emergency personnel; and adequate hearing necessary to provide emergency care and treatment in active, distracting environments.

Speech : Must be able to speak and enunciate clearly and at a level audible to others in loud conditions. Must be able to verbally communicate in stressful and distracting environments with patients, family members, medical professionals, and other emergency personnel.

Physical activities and the amount of time spent performing each while on this job:

Weight lifting requirements and the amount of time spent lifting on this job:

Vision requirements:

Color Vision (Able to identify and distinguish colors.)

Distance Vision (Clear vision at 20 feet or more.)

Peripheral Vision (Able to observe areas that can be seen up and down or to the left and right while eyes are fixed on a given point).

Depth Perception (Able to judge distances and spatial relationships.)

Focusing (Able to adjust the eye to bring an object into sharp focus.)

Specific job duties, which require the physical demands, noted above

Lifting of patients from beds or emergency scenes onto the stretcher and into ambulance; carrying of patients and equipment; climbing stairs or steps; working in unusual geographic settings such as ditches, hills, embankments, high elevations - natural or manmade; working with small, delicate items such as oxygen tubing, bandaging materials, etc.; visually assessing the safety and condition of the emergency scene and the patient; verbally communicating with patients, co-workers, medical personnel and the public either directly or indirectly via electronic communication equipment; driving the ambulance in emergency and non-emergency situations both short and long distances.

WORK ENVIRONMENT :

Specific situations that lead to environmental conditions can include hazardous materials, electrical emergencies, vehicular accidents, outdoor emergency settings, hurricanes, tornadoes, industrial accidents, conditions affecting driving, settings where heavy equipment such as extrication tools are in use, etc.

Exposure to environmental conditions and the amount of time exposed to each on this job:

Noise level associated with this job:

___ Moderate Noise (Ex: business office with typewriters and/or computer printers, light traffic)

_X_ Loud Noise (Ex: metal can manufacturing, large earth-moving equipment).

___ Very Loud Noise (Ex: jackhammer work, front row at a rock concert).

(*) indicates that additional training is required in order to use or perform that procedure or equipment as defined in the ECA scope of practice matrix provided by the Texas Bureau of EMS.