A recent Drexel study concluded that emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics are 14 times more likely to be violently injured on the job than firefighters. Fifty-six out of 365 paramedics reported being assaulted compared to 35 out of 2,809 firefighters. As a result, paramedics are dealing with a high level of stress, which may lead them to be detached and wary of new patients.
The researchers tracked reported injuries and assaults of medics and firefighters between 2005 and 2013. The researchers also found that assault-related injures are often unreported.
