Often known as EMTs, emergency medical technicians are vital players in the world of healthcare. EMTs are quite often the first people available to provide life saving medical treatment on accident scenes and in other emergency situations. Along with paramedics (with whom EMTs are often confused), these trained emergency medical professionals have to quickly assess what is going on when they arrive on scene, take histories from patients and/or their families when it is possible to do so and most importantly, provide medical treatment to patients and stabilize them for transport to hospitals.
As you would expect, this is a physically and emotionally demanding job which calls for keeping a cool head at all times – but despite the pressure and hard work involved, this can also be an incredibly rewarding career for those who are dedicated to helping others and thrive under the pressure that EMTs are often called upon to work under.
If you’re interested in working as an EMT, the first thing to do is to find out what your state requires for certification as an EMT. The requirements vary from state to state, as do the training programs designed to prepare candidates for the certification exams in their state, so it’s important to know exactly what you need to do to become qualified to work in emergency medical services.
There are different types of training courses available, but all of the EMT classes you’ll find are challenging programs which will prepare you to provide the kind of medical care needed in emergency situations, including treating bleeding, broken bones, stroke, heart attacks and a wide variety of other illnesses and injuries which you may encounter once you are working as an EMT in the field. These courses will include both classroom instruction and practical experience, with a certain amount of clinical experience (typically somewhere between ten and twenty hours) also being a requirement to complete most EMT classes.
Once you complete a state accredited EMT training course, you will then have to pass a state written and practical exam; and in some states, you will also have to pass a national exam (the national registry of emergency medical technicians exam). Even after earning your certification, you will still need to take classes periodically, since there are continuing education requirements for emergency medical services professionals such as EMTs and depending on which state you live in, you will need to renew your certification every two or three years.
Being an emergency medical technician is one of the most challenging careers you could choose, but for those with the right temperament, it is also among the most rewarding of jobs in the healthcare sector. There are few careers where you can literally make the difference between life and death and EMTs and paramedics are on the front lines during all manner of crises, where their work is essential. It all begins with choosing to enroll in EMT classes and with advanced certifications available to study for once you receive your basic EMT certification, there is a lot of room to grow in this profession.