Emergency Medical Technician

An emergency medical technician is part of a team of first responders whose role it is to arrive at the scene of an accident or sudden illness quickly and provide prompt and effective medical treatment.  Usually the emergency medical technician is the entry level position and advanced training leads to positions as a paramedic.

An emergency medical technician will often work for a fire-fighting unit, hospital or police department and is dispatched typically through the 9-1-1 system.  The initial duty of the medical personnel on site is to determine the nature of the emergency and to take immediate steps to stabilize and prepare the patient for transport if needed.

To begin a career as an emergency medical technician, you must enter and successfully complete a training program.  Some programs offer emergency medical technician training in conjunction with an Associate degree and all 50 States have proficiency requirements in order to be certified.  Four levels of emergency medical technician training are extant from Basic EMT through EMT-Paramedic.  Additional training will provide specialization in such areas as heart attacks.  Each level of training is a prerequisite for advancing to the next level and continuing education is expected in order to retain certification.

The work is both physically and emotionally demanding and requires weekend and shift work.  Job prospects are expected to improve faster than the average as more paid EMT positions take over from volunteers.  Median salary for an emergency medical technician in 2004 was in the range of $20,000 to $33,000

Additional information about this career choice may be found at the following website.

National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians, P.O. Box 1400, Clinton, MS 39060-1400. Internet: http://www.naemt.org

National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, Rocco V. Morando Bldg., 6610 Busch Blvd., P.O. Box 29233, Columbus, OH 43229. Internet: http://www.nremt.org