- Becoming an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) is something that many people aspire to do, as it is a great way to help the community. An EMT is usually the first person to provide medical intervention when someone has experienced injury, trauma, or issues due to age or illness.
- An EMT also gives life-saving care and transportation for those people who need to get to a hospital urgently. This care usually makes the difference between whether or not a patient will survive.
Duties of an EMT
The duties of an EMT include:
- Wrapping wounds
- Providing CPR
- Administering oxygen
- Administering medication
- Stabilizing head or neck injuries
- Giving basic emergency services to all ages
- Dealing with issues related to school
- Driving the ambulance
What skills do you need to succeed in this field?
- Problem-solving skills: – not all cases are straightforward
- Physical endurance: – EMTs are known to work for several hours beyond their stipulated 12-hour day shifts. This is common during emergencies.
- Communication: – the EMTs should be able to communicate effectively with the people at the scene, with the hospital, and with the injured person’s family.
EMT Certification Procedure
a) Complete and submit basic education requirements as follows:
- High School Diploma or GED
- If you do not have a high school diploma, there is the option of first finishing outstanding course requirements, or passing the General Education Development (GED) examination.
b) Get CPR certification
- All EMT programs require entrants to have CPR (CPR-BLS for Healthcare Provider or its equivalent) before starting the course.
- CPR training is available at local and online organizations.
c) Find an EMT program
- To get EMT certification, you must complete a state-approved education program in emergency medical technology. This state-approved EMT course should meet (or exceed) current NREMT standards for EMT training.
- The EMT program should also be accredited to avoid certification issues later on.
- These programs are offered at community colleges, trade/technical schools, and emergency care training facilities.
d) Pass the cognitive exam
- Next, you must pass the 2-hour NREMT cognitive exam. This exam is a computer adaptive test with between 60 and 110 questions.
- Topics covered include EMS operations, medical care, airway respiration and ventilation, obstetrics and gynecology, etc.
- To pass this exam, students must attain a standard level of competency as defined by the NREMT. Each student can earn between 70 and 120 points.
- Once a student passes this section of the exam, the results are valid for 24 months.
e) Pass the psychomotor exam
- The psychomotor exam is administered by local institutions or state emergency management service offices.
- It requires that students demonstrate their ability to perform a wide range of emergency skills, including caring for long bone fractures, controlling bleeding, conducting patient assessment, providing ventilation procedures, etc.
- The state EMS offices determine where this test is to be taken, and the score required to pass.
- Results of the psychomotor exam are valid for 24 months.
The EMT certification process may seem tedious, but if you follow each step, you will reap the rewards in no time! All the best!