Editing Paramedic (section)

===Skills by certification level===
As described above, many jurisdictions have different levels of paramedic training, leading to variations in what procedures different paramedics may perform depending upon their qualifications. Three common general divisions of paramedic training are the basic technician, general paramedic or advanced technician, and advanced paramedic. Common skills that these three certification levels may practice are summarized in the table below. The skills for the higher levels automatically also assume those listed for lower levels.

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! style="width:13%;"|Treatment issue
! style="width:29%;"|Basic Life Support (BLS) Provider
Emergency Medical Technician – United States (120–200 hours education)

Emergency Medical Responder – Canada (80 hours education)

! style="width:29%;"|[[Intermediate Life Support]] (ILS) Provider
[[Advanced EMT]] – United States (3–6 months education)

Paramedic – Australia ([[Bachelor's degree|Bachelor's Degree]])

Primary Care Paramedic – Canada (2–3 year education)
! style="width:29%;"| Advanced Life Support (ALS) Provider
Paramedic – United States
(1–2 year education)

Intensive Care Paramedic – Australia 
([[Master's degree|Master's Degree]])

Advanced Care Paramedic – Canada 
(4 year education)
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| Airway management
| Assessment, manual repositioning, [[oropharyngeal]] and [[nasopharyngeal]] airway adjuncts, manual removal of obstructions, suctioning
| Use of supraglottic airway devices such as the I-Gel or King-LT airway
| [[Endotracheal intubation]], [[cricothyrotomy]] (surgical airway), delayed and [[rapid sequence induction]] (in some jurisdictions), use of magill forceps, airway suctioning.
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| Breathing
| Assessment (rate, effort, symmetry, skin color), obstructed airway maneuver, supplemental [[oxygen]] administration by nasal cannula, rebreathing and non-rebreathing mask, positive pressure ventilation by [[Bag valve mask|bag valve mask (BVM)]]. 
| [[CPAP]] 
| Decompression of tension pneumothorax by needle or incision [[thoracostomy]], [[BIPAP]], use of mechanical transport ventilators.
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| Circulation
| Control of [[hemorrhage]] using direct and indirect pressure, [[tourniquets]], wound packing and [[hemostatic agents]], basic shock management and hypothermia prevention, pelvic binding. 
| IV [[fluid resuscitation]].
| [[Intraosseous|Intraosseous (IO)]] [[cannulation]] (placement of needle into marrow space of a large bone), central venous access (using central venous catheter by way of external jugular or subclavian), [[pericardiocentesis]]. 
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| [[Cardiac arrest]]
| [[Cardiopulmonary resuscitation]], basic airway adjuncts, suctioning, BVM ventilation, semi-automatic defibrillation. 
| Expanded resuscitation skills including supraglottic airway placement, monitoring of capnography, administration of epinephrine/adrenaline (in some jurisdictions). 
| Expanded drug therapy options (epinephrine, anti-arrhythmics), ECG interpretation, manual [[defibrillation]], intubation, ultrasound.
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| Cardiac Monitoring
| Placement of [[electrocardiogram|ECGs]] electrodes and ability to transmit to hospital for interpretation. 
| Twelve lead ECG monitoring and interpretation
| Advanced ECG interpretation
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| Drug administration
| Oral, [[nebulized]], and [[intramuscular]] injection of a limited list of drugs
| limited list of drugs for [[intramuscular]], [[subcutaneous injection|subcutaneous]], intravenous injection ([[bolus (medicine)|bolus]]), [[intravenous therapy|intravenous drip]], and [[transdermal]].
| [[Infusion pump]] and [[intraosseous]] access. 
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| Drug types permitted
| Low-risk and immediate requirements, e.g., aspirin and nitroglycerin (chest pain), oral glucose and [[glucagon]] (hypoglycemia), [[epinephrine]] (anaphylaxis or respiratory failure), [[albuterol]] (asthma), and [[naloxone]] (narcotic overdose). 
| Intravenous fluids, dextrose infusion (hypoglycemia), and symptom relief medications such as ondansetron (nausea), [[dipenhydramine]] ([[pruritus]]), and non-narcotic pain management ([[nitrous oxide]], [[methoxyflurane]], ketorolac, acetaminophen). 
| Significantly expanded drug list, most commonly [[narcotics]], [[sedatives]], [[vasopressors]], [[antidotes]], [[neuromuscular blockers]], and advanced cardiac and respiratory medications. In some jurisdictions, paramedics may also permitted to administer [[blood products]], [[tranexamic acid]], and [[antibiotics]]. 
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| Patient assessment
| Basic physical assessment, [[vital signs]], history taking, lung [[auscultation]], [[pulse oximetry]]. 
| More detailed physical assessment and history, [[capnography]]. 
| Advanced assessment, 4 and 12-lead ECG interpretation, [[Prehospital ultrasound|ultrasound]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.paramedicultrasound.com/|title=Prehospital Ultrasound|website=www.paramedicultrasound.com}}</ref> point-of-care blood chemistry interpretation (glucose, lactate, hemoglobin, troponin). 
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| Other procedures 
| Splinting of bone fractures, uncomplicated and complicated childbirth. 
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| Wound closure ([[butterfly stitches]], [[suturing]]), fracture/dislocation reduction, umbilical venous access, chemically facilitated extrication, emergency surgical procedures such as [[escharotomy]] or field [[amputation]] (in some jurisdictions).
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