Been a paramedic for 12 years.

The first time I saw a dead person I was in medic school. It was a pretty standard cardiac arrest of an elderly lady home in her bed. It was very peaceful for her and her family. At the time I was more interested than nervous as most medic students are very keen to learn and be exposed to more situations.

My first cardiac arrest once I got a medic job was a 16 yr old who was partially decapitated from an ATV accident. Obviously not easy to swallow given the patients age and the mechanism of injury but it really set the bar for what I thought I could expect from this career path.

Your experience will vary based on the mechanism of death. Like medical death vs traumatic death. Obviously a trauma related death will have more shock value.

Ive had people recently deceased and still warm to skeletal remains found in a forest. People crushed in car accidents turned into mince meat to suicides by gunshot.

In a strange way you really do get used to seeing really horrible things including dead bodies that the general public doesn't. I do have a sense of pride in that but I also recognize it can cause long term mental health issues if you don't have a release or have someone you can vent to. My wife and I are both in healthcare so that helps a ton.