Denver

Paramedic of 10+ years here. If you are a first responder and this verdict gives you pause, makes you worried about your ability to do your job well, then you are in the wrong profession. We already operate publicly - on scene someone is usually recording us on a phone, in the ambulance we often bring a family member and explain what we’re doing, at the hospital we justify the treatment we initialized, and after the run someone is reviewing our documentation. We are accountable for every milligram of drug we administer to a patient, and if that is too great a burden, then please do us all a favor and just leave now.

Prosecution of paramedics is rare because we operate in difficult situations (to put it kindly) and patients often have poor outcomes regardless of treatment. What generally protects us is the maxim of always acting in the best interest of the patient. The minute you stray from that path, you can and should be held personally (and criminally) accountable for your actions.