Dream Jobs: Paramedic

By Leo Benedictus, The Guardian, adapted by Newsela staff on 10.27.16

Word Count 289

TOP: A paramedic from the air ambulance trauma unit directs the work on an emergency simulation. Alastair Grant/AP

Wendy Berry always wanted to help people. "I thought, oh, a paramedic sounds good,"
she says.

Ms. Berry is a paramedic. She rides in an ambulance to do her job. Ms. Berry helps sick
people. She gets to be outside with new people every day.

She and her crew get calls from people who are hurt. They drive fast in the ambulance to
help them. They work with many small problems, too. People call for cuts. They call when a
lightbulb needs to be changed. Those are not emergencies.

Paramedics Work To Save Lives

Paramedics are not doctors. But they are trained to give medicine. They are good at
making a heart beat again.

"There's nothing better than having someone's heartbeat come back," she says. "It's great,
a fantastic feeling. The best feeling in the world."

Tonight, Ms. Berry will ride around all night. I will be going with her.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1

An Old Lady Needs Help

Outside, her co-worker is shouting. An old woman is sick. In a few seconds, we are on the
road. The driver turns on the siren. People move and we zoom past.

When we get to the home, the lady is confused. She feels badly. Ms. Berry takes her to the
hospital.

Later, another call comes in. A man is hurt. When we get there, he has fallen down. He is
very skinny and shaking. Ms. Berry and her team put him in the ambulance. They check
him out quickly. Ms. Berry is focused. On this call, she is needed. She knows just what to
do.

Job Stats

Pay: "Not enough. About £33,000 ($40,000)."

Best thing: "It's different every day – and the feeling of saving someone's life."

Worst thing: "People using the ambulance service incorrectly."

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2

Quiz

1 Read the paragraph from the introduction [paragraphs 1-3].

Ms. Berry is a paramedic. She rides in an ambulance to do her job.

Ms. Berry helps sick people. She gets to be outside with new people
every day.

What is the focus of this paragraph?

(A) what Ms. Berry likes to do

(B) what hospital Ms. Berry works for

(C) who Ms. Berry helps

(D) what Ms. Berry does at her job

2 What is the article MOSTLY about?

(A) how being a paramedic is hard

(B) what being a paramedic is like

(C) what paramedics need to know

(D) how paramedics are like doctors

3 Read the sentence under the photo. According to this sentence, where do paramedics like
Wendy Berry usually work?

(A) inside a hospital

(B) inside an ambulance

(C) inside a doctor's office

(D) inside a fire truck

4 Select the paragraph from the section "Paramedics Work To Save Lives" that gives information
about why Wendy Berry likes being a paramedic.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3

Answer Key

1 Read the paragraph from the introduction [paragraphs 1-3].

Ms. Berry is a paramedic. She rides in an ambulance to do her job.

Ms. Berry helps sick people. She gets to be outside with new people
every day.

What is the focus of this paragraph?

(A) what Ms. Berry likes to do

(B) what hospital Ms. Berry works for

(C) who Ms. Berry helps

(D) what Ms. Berry does at her job

2 What is the article MOSTLY about?

(A) how being a paramedic is hard

(B) what being a paramedic is like

(C) what paramedics need to know

(D) how paramedics are like doctors

3 Read the sentence under the photo. According to this sentence, where do paramedics like
Wendy Berry usually work?

(A) inside a hospital

(B) inside an ambulance

(C) inside a doctor's office

(D) inside a fire truck

4 Select the paragraph from the section "Paramedics Work To Save Lives" that gives information
about why Wendy Berry likes being a paramedic.

Paragraph 4:
"There's nothing better than having someone's heartbeat come back," she says.
"It's great, a fantastic feeling. The best feeling in the world."

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4