The Emergency Medical Technicians ( EMT) are professionals who offer both basic and advanced life support, especially to patients who have pre-history emergency setting. Some of the main functions of EMT experts include; banding of wounds, management of patients with certain behavioural disorders, assisting in childbirth, immobilization of fractures, shock treatment, control of bleeding, administration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and administering treatment for burned and poisoned victims. After offering the on-site life-saving care, the EMTs do transport patients to medical centers for advanced medical services. The Emergency Medical Technicians are grouped into three groups, namely basic, intermediate and parademic levels. The EMTs are supposed to have a certification before they work with any institution. However, the requirements do vary in some states. The educations requirements for both basic and advanced EMT are highlighted below.
The EMT- B is the first certification level which offers practical training and fundamental knowledge to individuals persuading the EMT career. The applicants for the EMT-B certification must pass both the national MREMT and state-approved psychomotor certification exam. In addition, the candidates must be more than 18 years old and have completed the EMT state course within the last two years. Additionally, the candidates should have a CPR credential. In case the candidates completed the first EMT education program more than two years ago and they are currently licensed, they must document that they completed the EMTS state-approved refresher course. However, if the candidates are not licensed with the EMT and completed their course more than two years ago, they must complete a new state-approved EMT course before they can apply for the national certifications.
The EMT-B coursework assists students in being competent in handling medical emergencies which include; shock management, spinal immobilisation, trauma management and mouth to mouth resuscitation. After handling the airway elective, the approved curriculum for EMT-B certifications has about 46 main lessons. These lessons involve seven modules namely; operations, infants and children, trauma, types of emergencies, patient assessment, airway and preparatory.
Once students are through with the certification program, they will also be required to pass both the cognitive and psychomotor examinations. Notably, the cognitive exam involves a computer-based test which lasts for two hours and has between 70 to 120 questions. On the other hand, the psychomotor exam involves testing hands-on skills such as oxygen administration, joint immobilization, bleeding control, shock management and patient assessment. The EMT-B certification is usually valid for two years. Therefore professionals under this field are required to recertify themselves by getting other advanced certifications highlighted below.
Under the EMT intermediate/85 course, students are taught highly invasive emergency medical procedures compared to those covered under the EMT-basic level. Some of the procedures covered under EMT- course include advanced patient assessment, medical prescriptions, airway management devices and supervised applications of concentrated medications. The course content for EMT-I includes trauma emergencies, pediatrics, geriatrics, cardiovascular care, intravenous administration, pharmacology, human anatomy, physiology, documentation of patient medical history and advanced ambulance procedures. For students to receive the EMT intermediate/85 certification, they must complete both the cognitive and psychomotor examination.
On the other hand, the EMT intermediate/99 course offers students advanced training compared to what is offered under EMT intermediate/85. In this case, students are imparted with high-level practical techniques such as advanced airway management, medical administration and cardiac monitoring (which includes defibrillation, cardioversion and cardiac pacing. In addition, students also gain experience in endotracheal intubation, administration of drugs for heart arrhythmia, tension pneumothorax decompression and reading electrocardiogram systems. Apart from the above experience, students must also compete with both the cognitive and psychomotor examinations so that they receive the EMT intermediate/99 certification. However, in this case, for the student to pass the cognitive test, they are required to show competency in all areas of EMS care such as obstetrics, cardiology, pediatrics, trauma, airway and breathing management( these areas are highlight advanced compared to EMT intermediate/85).
Generally, both the basic and intermediate EMT professionals can be hired by a medical institution in offering ambulance services. Although many of the EMTs do offer ambulance services, they can also offer medical assistance in hospitals and fire departments. Additionally, EMTs can offer voluntary services especially in small communities.