What is a Emergency Medical Technician

What is a Medical Technician ?

So who takes care of you when you on scene or when you are on the way to the hospital? An EMT or emergency medical technician, that’s who. Although the wording varies by area, generally EMT’s are first responders who can do some procedures, designed to stabilize and transport patients to hospitals. The guidelines for the work they do are put in place by physician medical directors.As they take patients to the hospital, they are often in contact with the emergency room physicians regarding treatment.

Employment for emergency medical technicians can vary from ambulance, rescue team, fire or police department as a paid or sometimes volunteer basis.The critical tasks they perform can include assessing a patients cardiovascular or breathing systems while transporting to a medical trauma center or hospital. CPR, defibrillator, control of bleeding, preventing shock, body immobilization to prevent spinal damage and splinting of fractures are all part of the procedures an emergency medical technician will be trained in.

An EMT holds a certain level of certification based on their training.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration sets the standards for EMT training, but each state has its own additional requirements.In order to get certified, you will need to contact the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians as they offer exams which are used by forty-six states as the standard.

So What are the Levels of EMT Certification?The entry level in EMT-B The procedures allowed are usually non-invasive and may include bleeding control, positive pressure ventilation, oxygen administration, and splinting.Next are two intermediate levels EMT I/85 allow several other procedures such as IV therapy and tracheal intubation. EMT I/99 requires additional training time and may include cardiac monitoring, enhanced assessment skills, and administration of additional medications.

The highest level of EMT training is represented by the EMT-P commonly referred to as paramedic. They paramedics perform a variety of procedures including fluid resuscitation, obtaining IV access, cardiac monitoring, drug administration, and other advanced lifesaving procedures.

Certification requirements for emergency medical technicians vary from state to state. In general EMT-B certification requires at least 110 hours of classroom training, but they often reach or exceed 120 hours or more. EMT- I  This level usually has 200-400 hours of training while paramedics are trained for 1,000 hours or more. To maintain certification an EMT must obtain at least 48 hours of continuing education or take a 24 hour refresher course. Regular continuing education assures that EMTs are up to date on the latest training techniques. So on-going training is part of the career path for emergency medical technicians. So now you know what is emergency medical technician.

For More Information about Emergency Medical Technicians :

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