There are EMT training classes available which are designed to prepare students to work in a variety of emergency medical services. Most of the people who take EMT courses do so in order to take their state’s certification exams and receive the necessary licensure to work as an emergency medical technician or for more advanced students who have already been working as an EMT, perhaps to receive their paramedic certification.
Since the work of people in the emergency medical services can be physically demanding and emotionally stressful, it is important that their training be of a high quality and comprehensive in terms of the type of situations that the course prepares them to handle. Emergency medical technicians typically work as first responders, so they need to be ready to exhibit grace under pressure and to perform their duties in a professional manner even in the most stressful of emergency situations. This means that where you take your classes really does matter; even though the course material which you’ll find in most EMT classes may be the same, the quality of the instruction and the level of experience possessed by the instructors may vary widely from one school to the next, so it is important for prospective students to choose their classes very carefully.
The most important skills which an emergency medical technician of any skill level or certification must master include stabilizing breathing and circulation, performing CPR, setting broken bones, immobilizing patients on back boards for transport, controlling bleeding and other basic emergency medical support services. All of these are skills which are taught in a basic EMT certification class, though there are four different certification levels in the US, with the EMT-basic certification being the first that students interested in pursuing a career in the emergency medical services will receive.
In order to receive the basic certification, students must complete at least one hundred and ten hours of classroom instruction before taking their state certification exam. In addition to classroom based coursework, students will also need to complete practical training in order to qualify to take the certification exam, demonstrating their proficiency in CPR and other vital emergency medical procedures.
Beyond the basic EMT certification, EMTs may choose to further their education to enhance their skills and open up opportunities for more advanced employment and higher earnings through higher levels of certification. After the basic level, there are I-85 and I-99 certifications; the I-85 requires 200 additional hours of training as well as exams in theory and practical knowledge. These certifications qualify EMTs to insert IV lines as well as breathing devices and at the I-99 level, administer medications as well. The highest level of certification is as a paramedic, which is something which emergency medical technicians may want to consider as a career goal after working as an EMT for a few years.
EMT training classes are essential for anyone who wants to contribute positively to their community by providing people with emergency medical care in crisis situations. It’s a career with great growth potential, as the demand for highly skilled EMTs continues to rise.