Paramedic perspectives of job stress: Qualitative analysis of high-stress, high-stakes emergency medical situations.

The time from when an ambulance paramedic receives the 911 alarm notification until they have determined the differential diagnosis of a patient is highly stressful. During this time, there is a high demand placed on the paramedic, and they have a low level of control. Recent advances in prehospital care that place more responsibility on paramedics have exacerbated this high-stress phenomenon.