EMTs and Paramedics are entry-level health care providers. Their quick reaction, immediate care, and transportation of victims to hospitals or emergency medical settings have resulted in saving thousands of lives throughout the world every year. On receiving the emergency calls, they immediately rush to the fatal accident or emergency scenes. There, they assess the prevailing situation and provide emergency medical care to individuals with traumatic injuries or illness. Their next foremost duty is to transfer these patients to the nearest hospital or emergency facilities by the land medical flights or ground ambulances.
EMT Training Programs
In order to become an EMT, the applicants will have to complete state and local regulations approved training programs in their respective state. EMT Training is normally post-secondary level non-degree award emergency medical program. The applicants must possess minimum high school diploma or GED. The prerequisites also include cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification. The programs are offered in community colleges, technical institutes, universities, and educational institutes specializing in emergency medical trainings. There are four different levels of EMT training programs including EMT Basic Level, EMT Intermediate Level, EMT Advance Level, and Paramedics. The training programs include coursework, classroom instructions, clinical training, lab training, internship, and field training.
EMT Course Work
EMT courses are developed as per state and local prehospital care and hospital-based emergency care requirements. The common EMT courses and topics include scope of practice of an EMT, skills on initial emergency patient evaluation, medical and legal issues, emergency medical care, bleeding management, safe lifting of critically ill or traumatic injured patients. The course work also includes oxygenation, ventilation, shock management, diabetes, gynecology, cardiology, respiratory, poison or trauma emergencies. The students are also advised to complete college-level English course, Anatomy and Physiology course, and Medical Terminology course. They are also acquainted with various basic emergency equipments such as oxygen delivery systems, backboards, stretchers, Ambulances, and transportation of patients to emergency facilities.
EMT clinical training also requires spending some times with patients in emergency facilities and ambulances. Advance EMT and Paramedic require completion of advance course works, consisting of different level EMT courses, as well as trainings on intravenous fluids, medications, knowledge and use of complex airway devices, and wound stitching.
The complete course work must meet the approved standard and curriculum set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA). The completion of the course work and clinical training allow candidates to appear for different levels of EMT certification test, offered by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT). The successful candidates are awarded EMT Certificates according to their level of training.