Emergency Medical Technician Training – All Your Questions Answered!
Emergency medical technician training or EMT training will give you the ability to professionally save a person’s life. As an EMT, you will be the first to respond in 911 calls or any emergency reported by a victim or a witness and will be required to provide urgent medical care including splinting, administering oxygen and controlling excessive bleeding plus others.
As an EMT you may be assigned to a police or fire department, an ambulance service or a hospital. Be prepared to work in very tense conditions such as the aftermath of an accident or a disaster if you are considering this profession. To deal with all these challenges, you need formal education and practical training.
An emergency medical technician training will give you the medical knowledge to perform immediate medical care for trauma or illnesses. You will learn how to identify the ailment and give the proper pre hospital treatment that it requires. For complicated procedures, you might be in need of a physician’s advice and follow their directions carefully to help save someone’s life. You need to be knowledgeable of the terms and procedures so you can operate professionally as instructed. The goal is to make the patient stable enough so they can be transported to a nearby hospital for full medical treatment.
But before you start, check with your local fire station or police department. They often allow civilians to ride along as volunteers to help with emergency situations. This way, you get to learn basic first aid and CPR.
There are 3 stages to an emergency medical technician training if you want it to lead into a paramedic career. But if your goal is to be an EMT, then an EMT-1 (Basic) training should suffice.
The EMT-1 requires at least a high school diploma or a GED equivalent. In high school, it is advisable to get as much education in chemistry, biology and health. A driver’s education is also a plus so it is best to learn this too. You can get your education through community colleges and technical schools. In this stage of your emergency medical technician training, you will be taught to assess the condition of a person and give the necessary cardiac or respiratory treatment to stabilize them. This could include CPR, clearing of the air passage and administering oxygen.
The training will also include the operation and maintenance of the tools and apparatus that you will use to treat patients. After your education and training, you will need to pass the certification provided by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians that includes a written and practical test of your skills. The practical exam will include controlled scenarios that will test your response to extreme conditions in an emergency situation. If you clear the test, you will be given a certification and in case you don’t, they will give you pointers on your weak points.
Emergency medical technician training is just the first step to a great medical career. You can continue with the EMT-2 (Intermediate) and EMT-Paramedic training to further hone your skills. A higher education also means higher salary so you might want to go the extra mile.