Citation

Palmer CE. J. Occup. Psychol. 1983; 56(1): 83-86.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1983, Cambridge University Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians encounter death and dying routinely in the course of their jobs. Many times the death is not a clean and sterile occurrence but is witnessed and/or participated in under the most trying physical and emotional conditions. Using a participant observation approach, this research reveals that these workers are assisted in their response to death and dying by six principal coping aids: educational desensitization, humour, language alternation, scientific fragmentation, escape into work, and rationalization.