Your career training resource.
Imagine rushing to save a life at the scene of an accident or the home of someone who has had a heart attack. Being an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) is not an average job. It's a career that takes strength, endurance and the right training.
As an Emergency Medical Technician, you can provide vital medical care for the sick and injured while transporting them to medical facilities. Depending on your level of training, you would be responsible for a variety of tasks. Your main objective is to assure a patient's health and well-being. Responsibilities include:
Emergency Medical Technician Education
Formal training and certification is necessary to become an EMT. A high school diploma is required to enter an EMT training program.
Specific EMT responsibilities depend on your level of training. The first level of training is EMT-Basic or EMT-1. Emergency medical technician classes emphasize emergency skills. You learn to manage emergencies and assess a patient's health. The most advanced level is EMT-Paramedic or EMT-4. At this level, you train in anatomy and physiology as well as advanced medical skills.
Emergency Medical Technician Certification
EMT programs may offer an Associate degree or emergency medical technician certification. All 50 states have a certification procedure. Refresher courses and continuing education are available for EMTs at all levels.
EMT Career Information
EMTs work indoors and out, in all types of weather. This line of work requires considerable kneeling, bending and heavy lifting. EMTs are open to some risk, including back injury from lifting patients and exposure to diseases such as hepatitis-B and AIDS. They may also be exposed to violence from drug overdose victims or mentally unstable patients. The work is physically strenuous. It is also emotionally stressful due to encounters involving life-or-death situations and human suffering.
Candidates for an EMT career should be emotionally stable and have good dexterity, agility and physical coordination. They should be able to lift and carry heavy loads. They also need good eyesight (corrective lenses may be used) with accurate color vision.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were about 201,000 EMT jobs in 2006. Employment is expected to grow faster than the average for all EMT positions through 2016 as full-time paid EMTs replace unpaid volunteers.
Salary Range:
$16,460 — $74,390
Education Level (minimum):
Associate degree
Growth Outlook (2002 – 2012):
21 – 35%
