Flight paramedic vs medic

The differences between flight paramedics and medics can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a flight paramedic has an average salary of $50,261, which is higher than the $35,815 average annual salary of a medic.

The top three skills for a flight paramedic include advanced life support, patients and EMT. The most important skills for a medic are patients, patient care, and customer service.

Flight paramedic vs medic overview

	Flight Paramedic	Medic
Yearly salary	$50,261	$35,815
Hourly rate	$24.16	$17.22
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	13,976	17,384
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Average age	36	36
Years of experience	-	-

What does a flight paramedic do?

Flight Paramedics are responsible for providing emergency medical care to patients while in transport to a medical facility. Their duties include carrying out pre-hospital life support medical care, managing patient care documentation, participate in clinical experiences, conduct equipment maintenance, reporting failure of equipment, and maintaining supplies. They are responsible for healthcare referrals, outreach education activities, pre-mission checklists, and employee orientation. Flight Paramedics also contribute to the departmental quality by undertaking research and ensure operations comply with safety standards.

What does a medic do?

A medic, or often called combat medic, is a healthcare professional responsible for providing continuous medical care to military personnel who are injured on the battlefield. In the absence of physicians, medics are typically co-located with the combat troops. This is so that military men's movement is convenient and administering emergency medical treatment to battlefield casualties is achievable. They provide combat lifesaver training courses to military personnel and manage medical supplies and equipment. To be a medic, candidates must take basic combat and advanced individual training, including patient care.

Flight paramedic vs medic salary

Flight paramedics and medics have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Flight Paramedic	Medic
Average salary	$50,261	$35,815
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $62,000	Between $19,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Regeneron
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between flight paramedic and medic education

There are a few differences between a flight paramedic and a medic in terms of educational background:

	Flight Paramedic	Medic
Most common degree	Associate Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 31%
Most common major	Medical Technician	Nursing
Most common college	-	-

Flight paramedic vs medic demographics

Here are the differences between flight paramedics' and medics' demographics:

	Flight Paramedic	Medic
Average age	36	36
Gender ratio	Male, 82.8% Female, 17.2%	Male, 43.4% Female, 56.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 4.5% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 4.5% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between flight paramedic and medic duties and responsibilities

Flight paramedic example responsibilities.

Administer and manage advanced cardiac life support including medications and intubation of compromise airways.
Manage critically ill/injure patients effectively with rapid assessments, aggressive resuscitation, packaging and transport to appropriate definitive care emergency departments.
Schedule EMT's and paramedics for monthly shifts and training.
Coauthor unit medical protocols the paramedic skillset alongside AEMT and EMT.
Provide critical and ALS care and emergency service on domestic and international flights.
Provide all ALS care need to maintain a stable patient during the flight.

Medic example responsibilities.

Demonstrate clinical competency and compassion in providing care, using technology, performing procedures and managing emergencies.
Provide Foley catheter care to patients.
Provide instruction to EMT's and firefighters in emergency services training, basic fire prevention and protection methods.
Perform structural firefighting and rescue operations to eliminate or reduce fire hazards, protect people, property and the environment.
Demonstrate proficiency in establishing patient medical histories, taking accurate vital signs, venipuncture, injections, and various diagnostic procedures.
Monitor, perform, and interpret EKGs.

Flight paramedic vs medic skills

Common flight paramedic skills

Advanced Life Support, 15%
Patients, 12%
EMT, 10%
BLS, 10%
Acls, 8%
EMS, 6%

Common medic skills

Patients, 27%
Patient Care, 10%
Customer Service, 8%
BLS, 6%
Vital Signs, 4%
Data Entry, 3%

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Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Flight Paramedic
Flight Paramedic vs Medic

Updated January 8, 2025

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