Organization of work in interaction between the paramedics and the patient

Abstract

The paper analyzes the ways in which the two paramedics organize their work activities in the courses of interaction with the patient. The paramedic-patient –interaction is generally based on question-answer –sequences where one paramedic asks a question to which the patient answers. The paper examines the organization of paramedics’ institutional roles and responsibilities within these particular sequences of talk by conversation analytic means. Instead of leaning on any personal or psychological explanations, the paper aims to demonstrate how particular breaches or problems in the organization of division of labour become explainable and understandable through the detailed analysis of preceding interaction. The main research data consist of the videorecordings of naturally occurring interactions between paramedics and patient.