• Work in hospitals, police and/or fire departments, or for private ambulance services.
• Assess the nature and extent of the patient’s condition and provide immediate life- or limb-saving medical treatment at the scenes of accidents and injuries.
• Respond to automobile accidents, heart attacks, gunshot wounds, unscheduled childbirth, drownings and other serious medical emergencies.
• Transport casualties to hospital Emergency rooms for further care.
• Specific responsibilities depend on level of training as determined by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT).  There are four levels of emergency medical service (EMS) providers:

  1. First Responders are trained to provide basic  emergency medical care because they tend to be  the first on the scene of an incident.  Many  firefighters and police officers have this level of  training. 2. EMT-Basic, or EMT-1, is trained to care for  patients on the scene of an accident, and to transport to the hospital under medical direction; has the  emergency skills to assess the patient’s condition and to manage respiratory, cardiac and trauma emergencies. 3.  EMT-Intermediate (EMT-2 and EMT-3) has more advanced training that allows administration of intravenous fluids, use of manual defibrillators to shock a stopped heart, use of advanced airway techniques and equipment for patients with respiratory emergencies. 4.  EMT-Paramedics (EMT-4) provide the most extensive pre-hospital care, including all the procedures described above plus oral and IV administration of drugs, interpretation of EKGs,  endotracheal intubations, and use of monitors and other complex equipment.

Education/Training

• High school diploma, with driver’s training, health and science courses strongly recommended or required. 
• Progressive training is offered for the four levels of EMT.  At the Basic level, formal courses emphasizing emergency skills are often combined with time in an emergency room or ambulance.
• EMT-Intermediate training commonly includes an additional 35 to 55 hours of training beyond EMT-Basic.
• EMT-Paramedic is the most advanced, with the Paramedic technology course lasting up to two years and resulting in an associate degree in applied science.
• All 50 states require certification for EMT personnel, and have continuing education requirements.

Salary

• Earnings vary depending on employment setting, 
  geographic location and level of training, ranging from $14,660 to $37,760.

More Information

• National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians
  408 Monroe Street
  Clinton, MS 39056
  1-800-34-NAEMT or 601-924-7744
  http://www.naemt.org

• National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians
  PO Box 29233
  Columbus, OH 43229
  http://www.nremt.org

• National Highway Transportation Safety Administration
  EMS Division
  400 7^th Street SW
  NTS-14
  Washington, DC
  http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/ems