EMT Training
Getting your EMT training is a great way to enjoy an exciting job that will provide you with job security and satisfaction. EMTs lead exciting lives responding to emergency calls and giving medical care to patients in order to keep them stable until they can be admitted to the hospital. As an EMT, you may be required to respond to calls and provide care for situations involving childbirth, heart attacks, accidents, strokes, and other emergency medical situations. This career is not for everyone. It takes an individual who has a desire to help others, who can react quickly, and who can make decisions and take action quickly in a high-stress situation. As such, EMT is one of the best careers for individuals who desire a challenge.
What does EMT training involve?
EMT career training for basic EMT includes a variety of classes involving medical and life support training. During training you will learn how to assess a patient’s condition and to manage cardiac, respiratory, and trauma emergency situations. Coursework is usually combined with hands-on field experience in an ambulance or hospital emergency room. Students taking EMT training will learn techniques for dealing with emergency childbirth, cardiac arrest, airway obstruction, bleeding, fractures, and other common emergency medical conditions. The training also provides instruction in proper usage of commonly used equipment including backboards, stretchers, splints, suction devices, and oxygen delivery systems. Many online schools provide EMT programs that cover much of the regular coursework, but field experience will still be required. Upon completion of the program, students must pass both a written and practical exam in order to become licensed.
How does an EMT advance his or her training?
In order to advance to EMT Intermediate level, the requirements may vary somewhat from one state to the next. In general, this training includes from 30 to 350 hours of additional training based on the scope of intended practice. This advanced training includes administering IV fluids and certain medications, advanced airways techniques, and others.
After gaining EMT intermediate training, the next step is to get Paramedic training. This is the highest level of advancement you can achieve in this career and, as such, earns the highest salary. EMT training at the Paramedic level is more advanced and includes anatomy and physiology as well as advanced lifesaving and medical skills. Training typically takes one or two years and can be completed at most community colleges or through online courses combined with field experience.
Job prospects for those with EMT training are good and are expected to grow over the coming years. As long as there are people, there will be a need for highly trained EMTs of all levels of training. By enrolling in an EMT program today, you are taking the first step toward becoming a valuable member of a community emergency response team and a hero to countless people whose lives you will be called on to save. If this sounds like your idea of a rewarding career, start your training today and you could be a working professional in no time.
