The Paramedic at Work
A Sociology of a New Profession
Published on 9. June 2022
Book
Hardback
272 pages
978-0-19-881636-2 (ISBN)
Description
Ambulance services and paramedics perform critical roles in contemporary healthcare economies. Trained to work in the field and respond rapidly to emergencies, societies have come to increasingly rely on ambulance services to deliver urgent care. Never has this need been more acute than in recent years given intense social inequality, overstretched and underfunded health systems, and deadly pandemics.
Leo McCann offers the first book-length study of the paramedic profession in England. Based on in-depth interviews and ethnographic observation, The Paramedic at Work provides a detailed account of the complex realities of work in this fascinating occupation. Chapters explore the nature of work 'out on the road', the peculiarities of ambulance organizational culture, the intensity of workplace stress and burnout, and the current and future trajectory of paramedic professionalism. The book documents the unique paradoxes experienced by those employed in this line of work. Ambulance staff are trained to handle life-threatening trauma and disease, but most callouts consist of unplanned primary care. Paramedic work features wide autonomy but is also bound into an array of micromanaging performance indicators. Paramedics are trusted and respected in society but the profession is poorly understood and employers can be unsupportive. However, no matter how intense the personal struggles can be, paramedic work also offers rare opportunities for meaningful and socially valued work. This book shows that the role and status of the paramedic is rapidly moving from a manual occupation rooted in first aid and transportation, to a clinical profession of increasing scope, versatility, and social respect.
Leo McCann offers the first book-length study of the paramedic profession in England. Based on in-depth interviews and ethnographic observation, The Paramedic at Work provides a detailed account of the complex realities of work in this fascinating occupation. Chapters explore the nature of work 'out on the road', the peculiarities of ambulance organizational culture, the intensity of workplace stress and burnout, and the current and future trajectory of paramedic professionalism. The book documents the unique paradoxes experienced by those employed in this line of work. Ambulance staff are trained to handle life-threatening trauma and disease, but most callouts consist of unplanned primary care. Paramedic work features wide autonomy but is also bound into an array of micromanaging performance indicators. Paramedics are trusted and respected in society but the profession is poorly understood and employers can be unsupportive. However, no matter how intense the personal struggles can be, paramedic work also offers rare opportunities for meaningful and socially valued work. This book shows that the role and status of the paramedic is rapidly moving from a manual occupation rooted in first aid and transportation, to a clinical profession of increasing scope, versatility, and social respect.
Reviews / Votes
The paramedic at work: A sociology of a new profession offers a vivid portrayal of the deep contradictions, paradoxes and frustrations that characterize professional work under neo-liberal logics. * Caterina Bettin, University of Eastern Finland, Organization * The paramedic at work is a fascinating book, shot through with warmth and admiration for its subject, that deserves to be read by anyone who has an interest in understanding why paramedics say their work is a 'privilege' and 'the best job in the world.' * Emergency Services Times * totally brilliant [] and recommended my whole leadership team read it because it explains so much about the culture of paramedicine. * Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of the London Ambulance Service NHS Trust, NHS Confederation Podcast * Professor Leo McCann has written an engrossing account of paramedicine and its transition into professionalism. It's a multi-faceted forensic study that explores the journey of the profession from its early days to its current position at the intersection of interventionist healthcare, emergency response and social care. It's a tour de force by Professor McCann and fundamental reading for anyone with an interest in the future of paramedicine and its role in patient care. * Ray Bange, OAM, Australian Health Care Reform Alliance * The Paramedic at Work is a finely crafted study of those whose efforts drew widespread applause during the pandemic even if their work is not well understood. In cleverly zooming in and out of paramedics at work, McCann offers us a window into the growing pains of a new profession. Close-up encounters with the sad and surreal are carefully balanced with tales of pride and professionalism. This is at times a tough read - a confrontation with our destructiveness and folly - but ultimately a hopeful book too. * Mark de Rond, Professor of Organisational Ethnography, Cambridge University * In this context Leo McCann's The Paramedic at work: a sociology of a new profession provides a timely, detailed insight into the realities of paramedics' working lives... The real beauty of McCann's book is that he not only captures these facets of paramedics' work in exquisite, nail-biting detail, but that he augments it with myriad other details. What the reader gets is a visceral insight into the full scope of paramedics' work, and the complex dynamics of this occupation as it transitions into a profession. * Robin Burrow, Senior Lecturer in Organization Studies at Cardiff Business School * Leo McCann's most recent book acknowledges the growing relevance of paramedical work in the ecology of health professions...McCann's book is a vivid account of ethnographic work done both in and on the ambulance service in the UK... I believe he has intelligently accomplished that. * Ricardo Ayala, Sociology of Health & Illness * Valuable...deeply rooted in detailed ethnographic fieldwork, uncover the intricacies and significance of contemporary pre-hospital care. * Matthew Joseph Brannan, Work, Employment and Society * Leo McCann's The Paramedic at Work provides an empirically rich and theoretically expansive account of paramedics' changing work. * Charlotte Smith, Sociology *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 238 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
568 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-881636-2 (9780198816362)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
05/2022
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€33.99
Available for download
E-Book
05/2022
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€33.99
Available for download
Person
Leo McCann is Professor of Management at the University of York, having previously worked at Cardiff University and the University of Manchester. His research and teaching draws on historical and sociological perspectives in the study of organizations and professions, especially as regards white-collar and uniformed occupations. He has conducted research into a range of professions, including healthcare, financial services, military forces, and corporate leadership. His current research focuses on the history of management as a profession, specifically in the context of North American approaches to systems analysis and operations research developed during the Cold War.
Content
1: A New Profession
2: Conceptualizing Emergency Professions
3: Out on the Road: The Organization of Emergency Ambulance Work
4: The Operator Culture
5: Coping with Unbearable Strain
6: Street-Level Professionals
7: Professionalism as a Quest for Dignity
Appendix: Notes on the Research and Writing Process
2: Conceptualizing Emergency Professions
3: Out on the Road: The Organization of Emergency Ambulance Work
4: The Operator Culture
5: Coping with Unbearable Strain
6: Street-Level Professionals
7: Professionalism as a Quest for Dignity
Appendix: Notes on the Research and Writing Process