In school we had extensive training in a scenario format. We used moulage and actors to bring, as close as possible.... We had a 400-hour mandatory ride-out program that is linked to most paramedic programs, so we would ride with an actual paramedic out on the road. But how much we would see would really depend on the call volume of that station. I know, for example, that one of my friends, as a precepting student, had a VSA—vital signs absent—the first day on the road, and also delivered a baby. Those were two pretty impactful calls that some paramedics may not have for most of their career.
We learned psychology, but anything that was addressed on post-traumatic stress was very brief and was linked to the idea that we might be treating a veteran with that, so we never discussed that it was really something we should be looking at as part of our career.