Abstract
Understanding critical incident exposure, and its effect on post-traumatic stress symptomology in paramedic students, particularly when considering Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) scores is essential for educators. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between critical incident exposure during paramedic education and post-traumatic stress symptomology in students. Emergency healthcare students may be at a higher risk of developing PTSD due to the nature of their work, exposure to a novel environment, age, inexperience in the field, and the added pressure of academic evaluation. A mixed methods approach was used, including the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) instrument and a 20-open-ended question survey. Data were collected from paramedic students (N = 81) who had completed clinical rotations in Iowa, Texas, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, and Virginia. No significant differences in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) scores were found between participants who answered "Yes" and those who answered "No" to the question about stressful experiences. The Wilcoxon Rank Sum statistical analysis yielded a p-value of 0.8407, suggesting that the location shift in scores was not significant. Results of the open-ended survey provide insight into paramedic students' experiences, symptomology, and coping strategies. By identifying these factors, the research may also highlight the need to explore additional strategies for mitigating post-traumatic stress and identify and promote strategies to increase resilience among future paramedic professionals.