Emergency Medical Technician Certificate Program Fact Sheet

Nature of the Work

The EMT represents the first response of the emergency medical system. An EMT trained at this level is prepared to care for patients at the scene of an accident and while transporting patients by ambulance to the hospital under the direction of more highly trained medical personnel. The EMT has the emergency skills to assess a patient’s condition and manage respiratory, cardiac, and trauma emergencies. The AEMT has more advanced training. However, the specific tasks that those certified at this level are allowed to perform varies greatly from state to state. Once they arrive, EMTs assess the nature of the patient’s condition, while trying to determine whether the patient has any pre-existing medical conditions. Following protocols and guidelines, they provide emergency care and transport the patient to a medical facility. EMTs operate in emergency medical services systems where a physician provides medical direction and oversight.

EMTs use special equipment, such as backboards, to immobilize patients before placing them on stretchers and securing them in the ambulance for transport to a medical facility. These workers generally work in teams. During the transport of a patient, one drives, while the other monitors the patient’s vital signs and gives additional care, as needed. At the medical facility, EMTs help transfer patients to the emergency department, report their observations and actions to emergency department staff, and may provide additional emergency treatment. After each run, EMTs document the trip, replace used supplies, and check equipment.

Work Environment

EMTs work both indoors and out, in all types of weather. They are required to do considerable kneeling, bending, and heavy lifting. These workers are at a higher risk for contracting illnesses or experiencing injuries on the job than workers in other occupations. They risk noise-induced hearing loss from sirens and back injuries from lifting patients. In addition, EMTs may be exposed to communicable diseases, such as Hepatitis-B and AIDS, as well as to violence from mentally unstable or combative patients. The work is not only physically strenuous but can be stressful, sometimes involving life-or-death situations and suffering patients. Many EMTs are required to work more than 40 hours a week. Because emergency services function 24 hours a day, EMTs and paramedics may have irregular working hours.

Employment

EMTs and paramedics held about 241,200 jobs nationally in 2014. Most career EMTs work in metropolitan areas. Volunteer EMTs are more common in small cities, towns, and rural areas. These individuals volunteer for fire departments, emergency medical services, or hospitals and may respond to only a few calls per month. Employment of emergency medical technicians and paramedics is expected to grow 24 percent between 2014 and 2024.

Earnings

Median annual wages nationally of EMTs and paramedics were $32,670 in May 2016. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $20,860 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $55,110.

Research the Career

• nremt.org
• ems.gov
• naemt.org

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2016-17 Edition,
EMTs and Paramedics, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/emts-and-paramedics.htm (visited September 30, 2017).

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