Sub-Section 3-490-14 - Paramedic Academy Functional Abilities Required

CMH EMS Education Manual

CMH EMS Department does not discriminate against any individual with disabilities. However, there are certain technical standards, essential functions, and physical demands which are required of the EMT. The physical requirements are listed below and the student must be able to perform these requirements as well as have satisfactory physical health. NOTE: Additional requirements are often required by employers to those listed below.

Students must be able to achieve all clinical objectives, and below items in the list of functional abilities, which are an inherent part of the clinical objectives. Students returning to school following an illness or injury must submit a letter from his or her doctor indicating any restrictions. Situations with a student placed on restrictions from a doctor will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Determination will then be made after evaluation of the restriction and time frame indicated by the doctor regarding the student’s ability to meet all clinical objectives and remain in the academy.

• Gross motor skills: Move within confined spaces, sit and maintain balance, stand and maintain balance, reach above shoulders (i.e. hang an IV bag), and reach below waist (i.e. plug an electrical plug into an outlet).
• Fine motor skills: Pick up objects with hands, grasp small objects with hands, write with pen or pencil, type on a computer keyboard, pinch and pick or otherwise work with fingers (i.e. manipulate a syringe), twist (i.e. turn knob), squeeze with fingers (i.e. eye dropper), and able to safely operate a motor vehicle (i.e. an ambulance).
• Physical endurance: Stand (i.e. at patient side during a procedure), sustain repetitive movements (i.e. CPR compressions), and maintain physical tolerance (i.e. assist a patient walking).
• Physical strength: Push and pull 50 pounds (i.e. position patients), support 50 pounds of weight (i.e. ambulate a patient), lift 50 pounds (i.e. pick up a child), move 50 pound objects (i.e. transfer a patient), defend against combative patient, carry equipment and supplies, use upper body strength (i.e. physically restrain a patient), and squeeze with hands (i.e. operate a fire extinguisher).
• Mobility: Twist, bend, stoop, squat, move quickly (i.e. in response to an emergency), climb (i.e. ladders), and walk.
• Hearing: Hear normal speaking levels (i.e. person-to-person report), hear faint voices, hear faint body sounds (i.e. blood pressure), hear in situations when not able to see lips, hear auditory alarms.
• Visual: See objects at arms-length (i.e. computer screen), see objects around 20 feet away (i.e. patient in a room), see objects more than 20 feet away (i.e. obstacles on the roadway), use depth perception, use peripheral vision, distinguish color (i.e. color codes on equipment), distinguish color intensity (i.e. skin color).
• Tactile: Feel vibrations (i.e. palpate pulse), detect temperature (i.e. skin), feel differences in surface characteristics (i.e. skin turgor), feel differences in sizes and shapes (i.e. palpate vein), and detect environmental temperature (i.e. check for drafts).
• Smell: Detect odors from patient (i.e. alcohol breath), detect smoke, and detect gases or noxious smells.
• Reading: Read and understand written documents (i.e. protocols).
• Arithmetic competence: Read and understand columns of writing (i.e. charts), read digital displays, read graphics (i.e. EKG), calibrate equipment, convert numbers to and from metric system, tell time, measure time (i.e. count duration of contractions), count rates (i.e. breaths per minute), use measuring tools (i.e. thermometer), read measurement marks (i.e. scales), add/subtract/multiply/divide whole numbers, compute fractions (i.e. medication dosages), use a calculator, and write numbers.
• Emotional stability: Establish therapeutic boundaries, provide patients with emotional support, adapt to changing environments and stress, deal with the unexpected (i.e. patient crisis), focus attention on task, monitor own emotions, perform multiple responsibilities concurrently, and handle strong emotions (i.e. grief).
• Analytical thinking: Transfer knowledge from one situation to another, process information, evaluate outcomes, problem solve, prioritize tasks, use long-term memory, and use short-term memory.
• Critical thinking: Identify cause and effect relationships, plan and control activities for others, synthesize knowledge and skills, and sequence information.
• Interpersonal skills: Negotiate interpersonal conflict, respect differences in patients and co-workers, and establish rapport with patients and co-workers.
• Communication skills: Teach (i.e. patient education), explain procedures, give oral reports, interact with others, communicate on the telephone, communicate on a radio, influence people, direct activities of others, convey information through writing.

CMH EMS Education Mission: "Provide state-of-the-art education to develop and support a team of exceptional emergency medical professionals."

CMH EMS Education Manual is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Based on a work at http://ozarksems.com/edman-4-240.php.