Emergency Medical Technicians

Emergency Medical Technician Training Requirements and Programs

Sudden illnesses and accidents oftently require paramedics  and emergency medical technicians (EMTs)to administer urgent care to patients of every age. Varying levels of EMT certification training programs are designed to prepare individuals to assess, treat and manage emergency patient care and to respond to situations like:

• Heart attacks
• Accidents
• Slip-and-fall injuries
• Childbirths.

Training Recommendations and Requirements

Emergency medical technician training programs train emergency medical technicians to manage urgent care patients in transport to hospitals or other medical facilities as well as on the scene. The National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) is offering five levels of national certification for emergency medical service providers.

Of them, three certificate training programs are designed to train individuals for designations such as EMT-Basic, First Responders, EMT-Intermediate/85, Paramedic or EMT-Intermediate/99. Different states may ask for additional restrictions or regulations on EMTs.

Formal Education of EMTs

Depending on the area of interest, emergency medical technicians may choose certificate training programs for Paramedic, EMT-Intermediate and EMT-Basic. Basic EMT certificate programs are offering foundational emergency care skills and knowledge while EMT-Intermediate certificate program includes more advanced emergency medical training.

More than that, paramedic certificate programs are offering the highest level of training. Majority of the EMT certificate training programs have requirements for  General Educational Development (GED) equivalency or a high school diploma.

Basic Program of Certificate for Emergency Medical Technician

EMT-Basic certificates are created to train EMT-Basic (EMT-B) professionals or First Responders. Students in an EMT-Basic certificate program learn managing respiratory and cardiac emergencies, trauma as well as assessing and reporting patients’ current status. A large amount of programs blends hands-on emergency experience in emergency or ambulatory care, including how to use backboards, stretchers, splints, oxygen delivery systems  and suction devices with traditional coursework.

Coursework  of this program is designed to teach students how to control open airway obstructions, stabilize fractures, bleeding and stabilize cardiac arrest victims. A large amount of programs also teaches students how to deliver babies.

Intermediate Program of Certificate for Emergency Medical Technician

Intermediate EMT certificate programs usually follow national standard curriculum, which was established either in 1999 or in 1985 . These Intermediate programs continue merging basic training with advanced emergency care skills and knowledge. Students in these programs complete comprehensive coursework about medications , intravenous fluids and airway devices, along with spending significant amount of time in the field.

Students in an EMT-Intermediate/85 certificate program study:

• Intravenous therapy
• Ventilation management
• Patient assessment

Those students, who are enrolled in an EMT-Intermediate/99 program take similar coursework, with patient assessment broken down into medical background and trauma . Intermediate 99 students also study IV, cardiac management and emergency pediatric care and medication management .

Paramedic Program of Certificate for Emergency Medical Technician

Paramedic programs, which are usually offered as an associate’s degree program at technical schools and community colleges, provide the most comprehensive EMT training available nowadays. Students are taking courses in human function and structure, physiology and anatomy. At the same time they learn extensive pre-hospital procedures, for example, such as administering intravenous and oral medications, performing endotracheal intubations and interpreting electrocardiograms (EKGs).

It’s important, that these certificate programs require extensive fieldwork in urgent care facilities or ambulatory and ensures that students are being proficient in using complex medical equipment.

EMT Job Experience

All certificate programs require on-the-job training and extensive fieldwork . Above mentioned clinical experiences prepare paramedics and EMTs for following employment. Actual time in the field is increasing with the more advanced certification levels. All emergency medical professionals have to adhere to NREMT’s guideline requirements for field experiences to maintain licensure and be certified.