The Paramedic missions are one of several randomized side mission types in GTA San Andreas Definitive Edition. Some other side missions include driving taxis, being a vigilante, and robbing houses. By comparison, the Paramedic missions some of the easier side missions. They’re not super involved, but they’re also a decent way of making money with very little stress.
Paramedic missions can be initiated by pressing up on the directional pad inside an ambulance. Ambulances are found parked outside hospitals, which are not marked on the map. You can always die intentionally to spawn at a hospital, but then you’d lose your inventory and some money. The screenshot at the bottom of the article shows one of the early hospitals from the game’s opening area.
Saving lives
Paramedic missions involve picking up injured citizens, transporting them to the hospital under a time limit. These injured people are indicated by a blue symbol on the mini map that turns into a square when they’re close by or a triangle when they’re further away. Every person that’s picked up adds to your overall timer, which stacks just as with all other side missions. The amount of time given per injured person is proportionate to their distance from the hospital. The more efficient you are, the better equipped you are for subsequent rescues.
Sometimes, you’re only asked to rescue anywhere from one to three people at a time. This fits seeing as the Ambulance’s max carrying capacity is three passengers. Other times, upwards of six or more injured citizens show up on the minimap. It’s up to you whether you save the nearest or furthest victims as the next level asks you to save the remaining injured folk anyways.
Picking people up is as simple as stopping next to them. When delivering them to the hospital, you’ll have to wait inside the circular zone around a second for the game to register them as rescued. You might find it tempting to wait for them to move out of the way in case you kill them and attract police attention. Luckily, the rescued citizens can’t be injured as they walk into the hospital, giving you free reigns to back out as quickly as possible. You should be mindful of citizens that have yet to be delivered to the hospital, however. Running over and killing even one injured person results in immediate mission failure.
Because the ambulance vehicle is prone to tipping more than other cars, be mindful of your speed and drifting. In this case, slow and steady truly does win the race. Press the left stick to set off the ambulance’s sirens. Cars on the road will move aside or stop dead in their tracks, making it easier to maneuver around them. Money is awarded every two levels, with the bonus increasing as you complete more missions. All in all, Paramedic missions are a good low-stress way of making money.
