Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

David Rentler

Abstract

Emergency medical service (EMS) personnel experience both physical and verbal assaults towards them by patients, family members, and/or bystanders at the incident scenes. The mostly quantitative literature is limited in recognizing how this violence may affect the way that EMS personnel complete their jobs. Through in-depth, semistructured interviews with nine EMS personnel from the Midwest, this phenomenological study was used to understand EMS personnel’s lived experiences and perceptions of violence towards them by patients or bystanders at the response scene. How this violence towards EMS personnel affected the way they approach incident scenes and interact with patients and/or bystanders at the scene was also examined. The constructivist self-development theory was used to illustrate how EMS personnel’s past experiences of trauma and violence shapes their current experiences of being victimized. Data were analyzed via descriptive and pattern coding, which allowed for identification of themes and cross-interview analysis. Seven themes related to the research questions emerged: (a) physical assaults, (b) verbal assaults, (c) staging, (d) situational awareness, (e) the use of ballistic vests during high-risk situations, (f) requesting the presence of police officers while on incident scenes, and (g) the use of de-escalation techniques. One theme, the lack of de-escalation training, emerged unexpectedly and was not related to the research question. Fourteen subthemes emerged from these main themes. Recommendations include conducting more specific trainings on de-escalation techniques to help prevent violence towards EMS personnel. The findings could contribute to social change by improving awareness of violence towards EMS personal and the need for more training on de-escalation techniques.

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