EMT or Emergency Medical Technician is a health care provider that specializes in emergency care.
This particular health care occupation is in strong demand and will continue to be for years to come because of large growth in the medical industry. This growth is supported by advances in medicine that are allowing the population to live longer.
Where They Work
They frequently work for ambulance services, as a member of technical rescue teams, and they work for the police or fire department. Many entertainment venues and college/university campuses hire them for onsite medical care in the event of emergency. In some instances though, schools may have selected trained students to provide the emergency care.
Job Responsibilities
EMT’s are trained to evaluate a patient’s condition and perform a variety of emergency medical procedures.
Their main objective is to keep a patient alive and stable until the patient is transferred and able to received more advanced medical treatment. They do this by ensuring that the patient has an unobstructed airway and proper circulation. Common responsibilities include: cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), control of bleeding, shock prevention, body immobilization that prevents spinal injury, splinting of fractures.
Training And Certification
In order to become an Emergency Medical Technician, you must first complete your EMT Training to get certified. The course that you complete must meet local and national requirements which are set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. While the NREMT (National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians) only requires you to be 18 years old and have passed the education course, the requirements of certain education courses can vary. They might require
your high school diploma or equivalent and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) certification as prerequisites before you can enroll. You can get your CPR certification from the American Red Cross. It is advised to contact the one you are considering and ask first.
Formal training can be found at community colleges, technical institutes, and medical facilities that offer training.
Levels Of Training and Scope of Care
Your first step in training is to complete your EMT-Basic Level. This first step will train you to asses patients’ conditions, deal with trauma and cardiac emergencies, clear blocked airways, use the field equipment, and learn to handle emergencies. This level of designation usually incorporates about 100 hours of instruction before you get your certificate. In addition, some of the training at this stage will be in a hospital and ambulance setting.
After completion of the basic level, EMT-Intermediate is then an option for you. At this more advanced level, you will be trained to use more complex airway devices, intravenous fluid distribution, and some medication administration. This more advanced level will require about 1,000 hours of training before you are granted the certification.
The final level of training is at the paramedic level, the last of the certifications. Having the most advanced training in medical practice, the broad of their skills might include stitching wounds or administering medication through an IV. The paramedic level can be achieved after about 1,300 hours of training. This might span over the course of two years.
Emergency Medical Technician and Paramedic Examination
The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians or NREMT are the authority of this field and certify all EMTs and paramedics. The NREMT provides the guidelines that all training programs must follow in order to be accredited. The national exam that must be completed is also administered by the them.
It’s worth noting that every state requires both paramedics and EMTs to be licensed, although each state requirements and laws may vary. In addition, some states require those that are applying for a license to be age 18 or above and also pass a background check. You can be denied application on the basis of criminal background.
In this particular career, you will need to be able to handle “emergency” situations. While this may not be a good fit for everyone (being able to work with blood and injury is a must!), it’s definitely a lucrative career option for those that are mentally and physically fit. This career offers job security, great pay, and the ability to advance quickly. Not to mention, you are working first hand in the line of helping others when they need it the most. In addition, it is a very exciting career. So why not consider it? After all, you are not far from achieving it if you start today!