As Avraham, Goldblatt and Yafe (2014) explain, a paramedic is often exposed to traumatic and potentially lethal accidents. Frequently attending these incidents can cause serious damage to their well-being, which in turn can lead to disastrous changes in mental and physical health. Therefore, in order to maintain one's well-being, it is important for a paramedic to have coping mechanisms to deal with stress and pain. Everyone experiences pain, it's a normal human response. However, the process in which grieving occurs is different depending on a person's background (Buglass, 2010). In order for a paramedic to ensure that they are fully capable of supporting the family and friends of the deceased in the grieving process, they should be aware of these people's culture and religion (Clements et al., 2003). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Stress is one of the major implications of being a paramedic and can present itself in many ways. Being involved in incidents where death or abuse occurred can cause symptoms of posttraumatic stress, as well as having a detrimental effect on mental and physical well-being (Bryant & Harvey, 1996). Often it is the small events that remain with the paramedic for a lifetime, such as the death of a young child due to abuse or the lonely death of an elderly person who has not seen his or her family in years (Regehr, Goldberg & Hughes, 2002 ). The development of post-traumatic stress symptoms due to exposure to death in these individuals is called "vicarious traumatization." Vicarious trauma has a destructive impact on the mental and physical well-being of paramedics as it gives them a negative perception of the world (Pearlman & MacIan, 1995) and contributes to the development of sleep disorders and fear (Chrestman, 1999). However, vicarious traumatization isn't the only thing stress paramedics deal with. The inability to control a situation can also cause severe stress within the paramedic sector and can lead to clinical errors. The demand that paramedics recognize a problem and be able to act immediately often leads them to question themselves; especially if the solution to the problem is not known, which can lead to an inability to control a situation (Avraham et al. 2014). Organizational stress is also vast. Shift work is the common cause of organizational stress as schedules constantly change and cause sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation is seen in a variety of shift workers including nurses, police officers and paramedics. (Sofianopoulos, Williams & Archer, 2010) High levels of stress cause physical and behavioral changes in an individual. When stress occurs, the brain sends a danger signal through the nervous system to the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands then release adrenaline. Adrenaline is what causes the "fight or flight" response, which are the physical symptoms of stress (http://www.tuw.edu/content/health/how-stress-affects-the-brain/s.) , These symptoms include rapid breathing and increased blood pressure and heart rate. McEwen (2017) states that when an individual is exposed to high amounts of stress, this response is overused, which results in “allostatic overload.” He continues to say that allostatic overload causes damage to the cardiovascular, immune and metabolic systems which can cause overindulgence in fatty foods, loss of sleep, alcoholism and cause depression and anxiety. Chronic stress can also lead a paramedic to become detached from loved ones or take long periods of time off work. The awareness that there is a different amount ofStress in the paramedic sector means that coping mechanisms are an important part of maintaining well-being. . Often reconstructing and reviewing an event with a colleague can help relieve some of the stress. This is because the paramedic can often see where he or she went wrong in the event of a clinical error (Jonsson and Segesten, 2004). If a clinical error has not occurred, this gives the paramedic reassurance that what they had done was correct and helps the feeling of control and confidence to reappear (Regeher et.al, 2002). In New Zealand, St. John offers a peer support system and critical incident debriefing. There are different types of debriefings, each of them has a unique purpose. For example; Defusing tends to allow the paramedic to express their feelings immediately after a critical event, this encourages mental and physical support from other crew members and helps the individual to relax. The operational debriefing, however, is normally carried out by an experienced person who will review the incident and explain what could have been done differently. Paramedics often use it to aid in decisions in future jobs (St. John n.d.). Having time to rest and relax at the end of the shift is very important to greatly reduce the possibility of developing chronic stress (Timmermans, 1999). Talking to loved ones and getting their support after a critical event also reduces stress symptoms. (Regehr, Hemsworth, & Hill, 2001). While at the scene of a critical event, taking a short pause to visualize what to do next can help refresh your mindset and prevent the stress of the event from taking over (Regehr et.al, 2002). Because paramedics are often exposed to death, it is important that they understand the pain process and recognize that different cultures have different responses to it (Buglass, 2010). There are many theories about the grief process, most of which are very similar. According to Kubler Ross (1969), grief has five phases. These stages are: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Although this theory has been widely used, it has been criticized quite often as people often perceive it as following a set pattern or, as Corr (1993) explains, more of a "defense mechanism". Baier and Bueschel (2012) believed that Kubler Ross' theory was valid, however they believed that reshaping it could help an individual realize that the reaction to pain is different in each of us. Together they established the "pinball model" which is very similar to the Kubler Ross theory. Instead of following a certain pattern, however, they thought that pain bounced between the first four stages of the theory before acceptance could occur. Hence the name 'pinball model'. Linderman (1944) had a similar theory to Kubler Ross, however he explains that for acceptance to occur, those affected by grief must emotionally disconnect from the deceased and learn to live life without him. Buglass (2010) writes that Bowlby's (1973) theory reinforces the process imposed by Linderman as it explains the need for human beings to attach to other people and the emotional suffering that occurs when this bond is unexpectedly broken. Communicating a death notification is a challenging task that paramedics perform frequently (Morrison et al, 2010), so it is important that a paramedic learns to do so with respect. In a study conducted by Smith-Cumberland and Feldman in 2006, it was found that a family's grieving process could be influenced by how a paramedic behaves. Clements et al (2003) explain that an individual's cultural beliefs can determine how long someone suffers and how this affects them. Paramedics performing certain strategies can often support.
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