Will color blindness prevent me from EMS work?

[captainstandup]

AS a former EMS Director It wouldn't have kept you from being hired, however once you were assigned to a partner it would be your task to develop a rapport with them that permitted you to compensate for your color blindness. There are a few situations that absolutely require the ability to distinguish color, especially when transferring critical patients with hemodynamic lines, and in some respects interpreting some diagnostic tests are colorimetric based. I dont have a clear understanding as to how this may impair your ability to assess patients accurately because I really don't understand what exactly you see when others are seeing colors. That was terribly worded, but I think you get my point.

I read a story in JEMS years ago about a deaf paramedic. I probably wouldn't have hired her. It is my opinion that as a medic you must be capable of seeing and hearing along with tactile feedback from hands on assessment. Furthermore I believe a visually or hearing impaired paramedic would create an unacceptable safety risk for themselves and others.

[BushyFromOz]

IM red/green colorblind, and i was breathing for 22 years before they finally picked it up, i cant think of any time that i could not differentiate red/green in a practical sense so i have no problems with color coding or anything of the sort, just the ishihara test got me, which, i am led to believe, are very specific shades of red and green that i cannot differentiate.

[spenac]

There are levels of color blindness. Some minor shades, others severe. If my wife is dressed like a clown she may have made me mad so I tell yes dear it matches. :twisted:

I think if mild to moderate no problem, but severe you would have some problems.