Karen’s Free Health and Fitness Tips

Emergency Medical Technicians, also known as EMT’s are providers of medical care for emergency situations such as automobile accidents, drownings, heart attacks, gunshot wounds, and childbirth. Usually they are dispatched to the scene of an accident by a 911 operator where they work closely with firefighters and police officers. When they arrive on the scene of the emergency in their Cherokee medical scrubs, they assess the condition of the patients and extent of the injuries and they take the patients’ medical histories. The patients may be treated at the scene of the accident or transported to a hospital in the case of more serious problems. EMT’s use backboards and other equipment to immobilize patients before transporting them to the hospital. Usually one EMT administers treatment to the patient while the other EMT drives the ambulance. Some EMT’s are part of the crew of medical helicopters used to transport critically injured or ill patients from remote areas to trauma centers. When the ambulance or the helicopter has arrived at the medical facility, it is the EMT’s job to transfer the patients to the emergency room, to report on their observations, and often to provide additional treatment or support.

EMT’s should have considerable emotional stability in order to be able to handle the considerable stress of this job. They must be capable of lifting heavy loads, and must have good physical coordination, agility, and manual dexterity. They should have good eyesight (although corrective lenses are permitted) and good color vision. The average annual salary of the 180,000 Emergency Medical Technicians in Cherokee scrubs in the U.S. in 2002 was over $24,000 (range between $15,000 and $40,000). The average annual salary for EMT’s working for local governments was $27,000; for EMT’s working for general medical or surgical hospitals was $25,000; and for EMT’s working for other ambulatory health services was $22,000. Most are employed in metropolitan areas.

In order to train to become an Emergency Medical Technician in Metroscrubs, applicants must complete a formal course and be certified by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. There are four progressive levels of training and certification. The basic level involves coursework in emergency management skills and assessment of patients’ condition, and includes training time working in an ambulance or emergency room. The intermediate level involves from thirty-five to fifty-five hours of additional coursework and extra clinical experience, and it offers the option of specialized training in either cardiac or shock trauma. The most advanced level is EMT Paramedic, which involves two years of extensive coursework and experience in the field, and results in an applied science associate degree. EMT Paramedics can go on to become operations managers, supervisors, or administrative directors of emergency services.

By: Alice Lane

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