EMT stands for Emergency Medical Technicians – those who care for the sick or injured in emergency medical settings. They respond to emergency calls, performing medical services, and transporting patients to medical facilities.
If you are interested in EMT training programs, you might want to enroll in EMT courses San Diego offered here at the Healthcare Academy of California, where the curriculum is based on NREMT or the National Emergency Medical Services Education Standards – a California state approved program.
Wondering about the scope of the practice? Well as an EMT, you will be doing any of the following (note that this is the area of concentration of our EMT courses San Diego):
- Patient Assessment
- Advanced first aid and OTC Medications with LEMSA approval
- Transportation of ill & injured persons
- Use of adjunctive breathing aids, administration of oxygen
- Automated external defibrillator
- Cardiopulmonary resuscitation
- Use of tourniquets and hemostatic dressings for bleeding control
- Pulse oximetry
- Humidifiers
- Continuous positive airway pressure
EMT facts and statistics
As per Bureau of Labor Statistics data, as of 2015, the median pay for EMTs is USD 31,980 per year, about USD 15 per hour.
The number of EMT jobs recorded in 2014 was at 241,200; with the job outlook from 2014-24 (or the projected percent change in employment from 2014-24) is at 24% (much faster than the average)
The typical entry-level education (or the education that most EMT workers need to be employed in this job) is postsecondary nondegree award.
With it comes to areas of concentration, EMTs will handle emergencies, such as car crashes, natural disasters, and acts of violence – these will continue to generate demand for EMTs and paramedics.
Do you have what it takes to become an EMT?
If you are wondering whether you have what it takes to become a good EMT, the following can give you some insights – the quality traits needed to be a successful EMT:
- Good bedside manner
- Good Communication Skills
- Good Social Skills
- Diplomacy
- Compassion
- Good Physical Condition
- Dependability
- Good Judgment
- Professionalism
