This mission is activated by pressing the correct button when or after being prompted when entering an Ambulance. You can get an Ambulance from any of the four hospitals in Vice City, or by causing mayhem and racking up casualties.
The Paramedic Mission has a simple premise - pick up patients and drop them off at the hospital in the time limit. Complete twelve levels to fulfil the requirements of this mission.
The twelve levels carry monetary rewards for completing them, listed below:
| Level No. | Reward |
| Level 1 | $50 |
| Level 2 | $200 |
| Level 3 | $450 |
| Level 4 | $800 |
| Level 5 | $1,250 |
| Level 6 | $1,800 |
| Level 7 | $2,450 |
| Level 8 | $3,200 |
| Level 9 | $4,050 |
| Level 10 | $5,000 |
| Level 11 | $6,050 |
| Level 12 | $7,200 + $15,000 |
The extra $15,000 is the reward for completing this mission outright. All in all, the total amount of money available on this mission is $32,500 for the twelve levels alone, meaning the money made here is shy of $50,000.
With that in mind, here comes...
The Strategy
Of course, there has to be a challenge with that much money at stake.
Let's lay out the bare bones first - you have twelve levels to complete. At Level 1, you have one patient highlighted on your map and radar. Advancing a level will add another patient that you have to deal with. All in all, at Level 12, you will have to pick up twelve patients. Completing this mission means you are rescuing a total of 78 patients. To rescue them, pick them up and bring them to the hospital in the time limit. If you run out of time, or the patient dies, the mission ends.
Issues
One problem to deal with here is the Ambulance itself. The suspension doesn't do its job very well when it comes to going around a corner - take too tight a turn, and the Ambulance will roll, and could easily be flipped onto its roof, destroying it, and ultimately ending the mission. It is also easily beaten up. Make use of the siren, dodge traffic, and perform handbrake turns around the corners. This should keep the Ambulance intact.
Another issue is space. Your Ambulance will only hold three patients at a time. With a time limit to stick to, route planning becomes critical in the later levels. Use your map and radar to plan a route, heading for a grouping of patients that are close to each other. Bearing that in mind, knowledge of the road and routes in Vice City is also advised to save time by taking shortcuts.
The biggest issue for people is TIME. When you pick up a patient, you are given a time bonus. This time bonus you earn on the first patient will be mimicked for other patients until the completion of the level. That means that if, for example, when saving patients on Level 3, when you collect a patient and are award an extra 32 seconds, your bonuses for the other two patients will stand at 32 seconds, regardless of the time wasted or gained by taking longer or shorter routes to get to them. So, if you head out for a further patient, you are gaining time as long as you don't mess up, making the mission easier. If the distance seems too long to get there in time, then don't go out of your way for it.
Advice
Most of the advice has already been given in the Issues section, but there are still some rules of thumb to go by.
Accumulate time, and don't waste it. What this means is that you obviously want to go as fast as you can in terms of getting through a level, but wasting it is an easy thing to do. If you know and trust a shortcut, take it, but don't waste time lining up or finding out that it will not work in the Ambulance. Keep it simple unless you have the knowledge and expertise.
Attempt the mission in an area you know well, and that is open. You have the choice between Washington and Ocean Beach, including the southern portion of Vice Beach; the northern half of the East Island, including Vice Beach and Prawn Island; Downtown and northern Little Haiti; and Little Havana, southern Little Haiti and Viceport. In my experiences with this mission, the first location on that list is best due to the mostly open roads and areas, including the beach. You will still have to contend with patients on walkway bridges and near the Lighthouse, so if you try there, be careful. Anywhere that you know and can get around is good.
KNOWLEDGE IS KEY. Without knowledge, common sense, and the ultimate feel of Vice City, the rest of the advice is useless. Swerve AWAY from a patient to avoid killing them, beware of the terrain, and know your way through the streets. The latter of the point I'm making cannot be said enough, and that needs to be cemented in your mind like it was second-nature to you. The more you know, the easier of a time you will have.
Other than that, persistance is needed. This is more challenging, and there's a lot more to recuperate to get back to the point you were at on this mission. You would be understandably pissed off at running over your last patient in the mission at Level 12, but you need to bounce back, take a break, and retry.
Reward
Your ultimate reward, besides the money made, is the Infinite Sprint Feature. This means that you will never tire from running, a valuable perk to have for the harder missions, and especially useful from getting away from a bad situation. If you get this one, well done. You have earned respect from me and others, and at the cost of your mind and maybe your social life, depending on how long this takes you!
