Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) a qualified, licensed health care professional who generally provides pre-hospital emergency medical care to the ill or injured patient.

Working in the field of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) can be a very rewarding and challenging experience for those individuals who are committed to the safety and well being of their family, friends, neighbors, and more often complete strangers in the communities they serve.

General Pre-qualifications for most States:

Applicant to an Accredited EMT Program must be at least 18 years old.
The applicant must possess a High School Diploma or Equivalent.
Some EMT programs may require a placement exam, i.e. colleges that require an entrance exam for all students.

EMT Programs in most states consist of approximately 110 hours of classroom and practical training and at least 24 hours of hands on clinical experience, usually at a local hospital and EMS Provider. Classes can be completed in as little as 14 days, although most programs meet once or twice a week for 3 to 4 hours over a 5 or 6 month period.

During the classroom and practical training sessions of the EMT program a variety of topics concerning pre-hospital patient care will be discussed. These topics are generally broken down into six to eight modules as Ive listed below. Please keep in mind that some programs may differ slightly in the way or order the information is presented, but you can at least get a very good idea of what you will learn and need to accomplish to successfully complete the EMT program you choose to attend.

Module I:

This module is generally considered the preparatory portion of the EMT program in which the EMT student learns and participates in the discussion of such subjects as, Introduction to Emergency Medical Care, Protection Methods for the EMT, Legal and Ethical Issues, General Patient Anatomy and Physiology, and Lifting and Moving Patients.

Module II:

The Patient Airway Management and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) module. In this portion of the course you will learn in addition to CPR, skills such as additional airway management techniques, using airway adjuncts, and oxygen administration.

Module III:

The Patient Assessment Module is perhaps the most challenging part of the EMT Program consisting of, sizing up the medical or trauma scene, the initial or primary patient assessment of the medical and trauma patient, how to obtain a pertinent patient history, obtaining vital signs, the ongoing or secondary patient assessment, communicating your findings and proper patient documentation. Keep in mind that although we speak of the patient in general terms we are covering various age groups, including, pediatrics (newborns, infants, and toddlers, and children), adolescents (teenagers), adults, and geriatric (elderly) patients.

Module IV:

This particular module usually covers medical emergencies. The EMT student not only learns to differentiate between several types of medical emergencies, but performs the recommended treatment involved to assist the patient before and during transportation of the patient to a medical facility. Some of the topics in this module include, Respiratory and Cardiac Emergencies, Altered Mental Status, Diabetes, Allergic Reactions, Behavioral Emergencies, Poisoning and Overdose, Environmental Emergencies, Obstetrics and Gynecological Emergencies.

Module V:

Traumatic Emergencies Module is another especially challenging part of the EMT program. In this area of study to will learn how to recognize the different types of shock, how to control bleeding, soft tissue injuries, injuries of the head, neck, and spine, and injuries to the musculoskeletal system.

Module VI:

Medical and Traumatic Injuries to Infants and Children

Module VII:

A variety of skills are learned in this module including, gaining access to patients, certain types of rescue operations, topics covering ambulance operations and special situations.

While this is a general overview of a typical EMT program, some programs may cover or require additional involvement by the EMT student including advanced airway management, dealing with stress, assisting the advanced paramedic provider and more.

After completing the didactic and skills portions of the EMT program usually with a minimum of a 70% grade average, the perspective EMT must also in most states take and pass the National Registry practical and written exams. After successful completion the student can then apply to be licensed in the state they reside. While most states require an EMT to be Nationally Registered, the EMT usually must challenge the EMT test of another state to be able to practice in that particular state. Some EMTs have licenses to practice in more than one state. This usually occurs when an EMT lives close to two state lines and has employment in both states.

In conclusion as I mentioned earlier, being an EMT can be both rewarding and challenging, but it is NOT easy. It takes a unique type of individual committed to helping those who are ill or injured and most EMTs seem to develop the required traits for success in the EMS Industry.