EMT-B Basic Guide

S3: Info on EMT-B 2/2

First Responder
First responders typically include paramedics, emergency medical technicians, police officers, firefighters, rescuers, and other trained members of organisations connected with this type of work. A community first responder is a person dispatched to attend medical emergencies until an ambulance arrives.

EMT-Basic programs may cover topics such as:
1. Basic medical terminology
2. Anatomy
3. Physiology
4. Patient assessment
5. CPR
6. Immobilization of fractures
7. Bleeding control
8. Childbirth
9. Hazardous materials
10. Blood-borne pathogens
These programs also focus on hands-on experience from performing physical exams, assessing trauma, administering oxygen, maintaining airways, performing semiautomatic defibrillation, and training to drive an emergency vehicle. As a general rule, this is broken down into 100 to 120 hours of classroom training, 20 to 50 hours of internship with a field rescue or ambulance service, and 10 hours in the emergency room of a hospital

The skills that typify an EMT or paramedic are valuable in many situations beyond emergency medicine and pre-hospital care. Many employers appreciate employees who can think on their feet and make levelheaded decisions under stressful and even life-or-death circumstances. Some other careers that require these types of skills are air traffic control, law enforcement, and all branches of the military.

QUESTIONS:

What Can You Do With an EMT Certification?
Career opportunities for an EMT differ greatly depending upon level of certification. Anyone wishing to enter this field should know the responsibilities inherent to each certification standard.

THE LEVELS OF CERTIFICATIONS
1. Emergency Medical Responder (EMR)
2. Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
3. Advanced Emergency Medical Technician.
4. Paramedic

EMR
Emergency medical responders (EMRs) save lives by providing immediate aid and interventions for patients before the arrival of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and doctors, or during their transport to a hospital. They must quickly assess a patient and determine methods of treatment.

EMT
EMTs and paramedics typically do the following: Respond to 911 calls for emergency medical assistance, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or bandaging a wound. Assess a patient's condition and determine a course of treatment. Provide first-aid treatment or life support care to sick or injured patients

AEMTS
The primary focus of the Advanced Emergency Medical Technician is to provide basic and limited advanced emergency medical care and transportation for critical and emergent patients who access the emergency medical system. This individual possesses the basic knowledge and skills necessary to provide patient care and transportation. Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians function as part of a comprehensive EMS response, under medical oversight. Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians perform interventions with the basic and advanced equipment typically found on an ambulance.

PARAMEDIC
Paramedics are the most highly-trained of the class of EMTs (Emergency Medical Technicians) working in the U.S. They take charge at the scene of an emergency and, if necessary, perform life-saving procedures while transporting patients to the hospital.
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Since paramedics may administer drugs and perform certain invasive procedures on patients before they arrive at the emergency department, they are sometimes known as the "hands" of emergency doctors on the scene.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EMT AND PARAMEDIC?
The basic difference between EMTs and paramedics lies in their level of education and the kind of procedures they are allowed to perform. While EMTs can administer CPR, glucose, and oxygen, paramedics can perform more complex procedures such as inserting IV lines, administering drugs, and applying pacemakers.