You can call a paramedic an emt but its not right to call an emt a paramedic.

The term Emergency Medical Technician encompasses all trained professionals who work as part of the various ambulance services. Saying this however, there are several levels of certification which do act to divide EMT’s into two main and separate categories- namely basic and paramedic.

Whereas some states do recognize a third and intermediate level of qualification, for the most part an EMT in the US will be operating at either a basic or senior (paramedic) level.

Rule of thumb maintains that it is therefore acceptable to refer to a paramedic as an EMT but to a basic EMT as a paramedic.

The primary factors which act most to separate these groups are training and scope of field practice/experience. A basic EMT is required to complete somewhere between 120 and 150 hours of training whereas a paramedic level EMT training is typically around ten times that amount before they can become fully qualified.

When in the field, the point of divide between what each group can and can’t do typically comes down to actions which involve breaking the skin of the patient. For example, a basic EMT is mostly restricted to performing aid which involves the use of oxygen, glucose, inhalers and auto-inject devices. A paramedic on the other hand is trained in the use of some 30 or 40 first response medicines.

To put it at its most simple, a basic EMT requires less schooling to do their job to the expected national standard than a paramedic. In most cases, a paramedic will have garnered several years’ experience working as an EMT before progressing on to their current level- however this is not obligatory in all states.

Although separated by the degree of qualifications possessed by the individual, EMT’s and paramedics work very closely together in all mediums of their practice. Whether on-board a standard ambulance or as part of a military unit, the two will be found working in proportionate teams.

It is typical to find that they work in teams assembled in an approximate 2:1 ratio, in favour of the EMTs. This is mostly due to the medical prowess and therefore seniority of a paramedic in comparison to their counterparts, as well as the costs of producing and maintaining one. For example, an ambulance crew operating in a metropolitan area may be staffed with one fully trained paramedic along with two Technicians who act to assist according to the degree of the particular case they are dealing with.

Prerequisites:

Before you enroll in EMT/paramedic training, you must earn a high school diploma or equivalent. Take advanced courses in science, health and biology helpful. Physical training also recommended. Paramedics will have to move patients and must show high level of physical fitness.

There are four levels of EMT training recognized by National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians.

EMT Basic Training/First Responder:
You can work your way up to paramedic from a firefighter position, or take the most common route by becoming an emergency medical technician. Enroll in community college, an EMT school or even hospital that train EMTs.

Students enroll in hands-on field training in emergency rooms or ambulances coupled with classroom lectures. Classroom studies include respiratory and cardiac emergencies, patient assessment and trauma response. Basic training or first responder duties are basic life support. Stabilize a patient. Prepare patient for transport. Administer CPR. Assist in emergency childbirth. Use defibrillators. Use a bag-valve mask for mechanical ventilation. Apply bandages when a patient bleeds. Use splints for bones injuries. Check heart rate with pulse oximetry. Check blood sugar levels through glucometer. Administer drugs such as nitroglycerin and epinephrine.

EMT Intermediate I/85:

Typically, student will take more classes that may take a couple of months or up to a year depending on that particular state regulation. EMT must clock in more hours in the operating room and/or emergency department depending on state requirements. Intermediate I/85 allowed several more invasive procedures in the field. Learn to utilize intravenous fluids (IVs). Control airway devices. Learn bleeding control. Train in shock management. Understand how to deal with cardiac arrest emergencies. Learn how to use and interpret EKGs.

EMT Intermediate I/99:

Qualifications again vary from state to state. EMT I/99 learn more invasive procedures in the field. Train to do a needle-decompression for a collapsed lung (tension pneumothorax). Learn to place a tube into the windpipe (trachea) through the mouth to help the patient breathe (endotracheal intubation). Learn how to use a nasogatric tube. That is a tube inserted through the nose, past the throat and into the stomach. This helps remove gastric secretions and built of air in patients with gastrointestinal obstructions. More drugs may be administered to help control cardiac Arrhythmias.

EMT Paramedic:

Students have eight months or up to two years of training depending upon state qualifications. Class studies include advanced medical theory, principles of physiology and human anatomy. Paramedics can administer up to 40 medications depending upon state regulations. They can conduct chest monitoring. Blood chemistry analysis. Central line monitoring. Venous blood sampling. May be permitted to sedate combative patients. Learn triage of patients in a mass casualty incident. Administer drugs through IV or by mouth. Conduct manual defibrillation, and more.

Paramedics may be required a have special driver’s license depending upon state for Emergency vehicle operation. Paramedics must pass the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians test or a state exam in order to become a licensed paramedic in order to work in that state. Test covers areas such as trauma patient assessment, psychomotor skills and cardiac management.

The guide to becoming a paramedic is clear.

• Earn a high school diploma or equivalent before you enroll in EMT classes
• Take EMT Basic course training
• Take EMT intermediate training I/85
• Take EMT intermediate training I/99
• Take more class room course and field training with advance invasive training
• Pass the NREMT tests and become a licensed paramedic

How long it takes to become a paramedic varies from state to state. The job is rewarding. You save lives. Paramedic trained to make quick decisions. Life and death can hang on the balance until trained paramedics arrive on the scene. Parmedics asses the patient’s needs, applied emergency medical attention then transport the patient to the hospital.

Paramedic is the lifeline to patient care in the most desperate hour.

Paramedic Advancement Opportunities:

Field Training Officer
For those who show skills to teach may be selected to train new staff members. Responsibilities will include teaching, coaching, and personal mentoring on a daily basis.

Operations Supervisor
Paramedic advances to supervisorial position that stays out on the front lines to provide necessary support for the crews out on call.

Special Operations Response Team Member
In big cities, a paramedic may receive additional training for disaster or crisis situations. These would include large forest or city fires. HAZMAT or any ongoing severe rescue scenes. Special operations team members respond with medical support and rehabilitation services for any casualties to civilians or emergency service workers.

Flight Paramedic
Specifically designed for larger cities a paramedic may advance by receiving additional training on aeromedical safety and training. Paramedics will learn flight procedures, medical interventions and training in hoist operations.

Tactical Emergency Medical Services
Also designed for larger cities a paramedic may advance in opportunities to work with SWAT or a Special Police Tactical Unit. Additional training provided to help the paramedic understand how to support and use specialized equipment for tactical missions.

Operations Manager
For paramedics who want to get out of the field may advance into a managerial support position. A desk job in which the manager interacts with both crew members and civilians.

Administrative Director
Duties include ordering supplies, updating staff records, attending public health community meetings and overseeing the staff over a city.

Regional Director
Same type of responsibilities as an administrative director however over an entire region. Must be able to coordinate with various offices from different counties.

Executive Director of Emergency Services
This paramedic advancement opportunity develops and approves new standards and guidelines for emergency service programs. Ensures the quality care of patients by the crew out on the field.  Directs the staff and programs of the emergency service units.

For paramedics who would like to advance but not stay within the emergency mobile technician’s field may become a registered nurse. They already have achieved great medical training but need additional classes to be certified. This is by far one of the smoothest transitions a paramedic may make in career advancement.

Other career advance opportunities for paramedics include but not limited to physician, anesthesiologist, police officer, firefighter, health educator, community health professional, public health administrator, industrial safety specialist, environmental health or safety consultant, teacher, and athletic trainer, coach, or park recreation professional.

The larger the city the more opportunities to advance for paramedic. However, in rural and in small towns there are not that many opportunities. Paramedics will have to seek other career choices.

Paramedics in the field usually last 2 to 5 years in their career as paramedics. Burnt out because of the day-to-day disastrous situations they experience. Advancements for paramedics allow the medically trained individuals to stay within the medical field in a supervisorial, managerial or instructor position.

Paramedics undergo hundreds to thousands of hours of training before they are certified. A paramedic will learn how to keep the situation calm. To assess the emergency. To take action. Textbooks, video training, and classroom will teach you how to become a paramedic.

Have you heard of “ABS?”

“ASB” is an acronym for Attention Seeking Behavior. Paramedics spend hours talking about the subject of post traumatic stress. ABS is the unwritten street term for post traumatic stress. A new paramedic hire should not talk about any tragedy call they respond to publicly.

Don’t discuss it with the media. Don’t discuss it out loud on the field. Ever. New hires must show they have the stomach for the job. Each new paramedic must suppress any emotions during and after any tragic event.

In Chesterfield, New Jersey, a trash truck hit a school bus. Killed an elementary school child. Placed two children (siblings of the one who was killed) in critical condition. Around seventeen elementary school kids injured. Paramedics on the field asked if they were okay. They responded positively because paramedics don’t talk about the tragedy openly.

The pendulum swings from extreme tragic events to absolute boredom. Nothing can prepare a new paramedic for long hours driving around in a truck. The long waits for a call. The job calls for standby for any emergency. Irregular hours will cause a strain on any relationship.

New paramedics will quickly learn to bring spare uniforms when they are on the job. Why? Vomit. Excrement. Urine. Wasteland of humanity. Patients sick, drunk or hallucinating on substances. Anything can happen. Extra set of clothing essential.

A new paramedic will quickly learn that not all 911 calls are emergencies. Civilians treat 911 as a service. A call may come over the radio that someone hurt his or her foot. Upon arriving, the medics will discover that person stubbed their toe.

Or, a wife had a fight with her husband and calls 911. Why? Because her husband is unresponsive. While unresponsive to paramedic means a person is not breathing or unconscious. To the wife it means her husband is not talking to her.

Spousal relationships will take the hardest hits. New paramedics should expect to experience the very worse emergency scenes such as vehicular accidents, rapes, suicides to murders. There must be an understanding between spouse and a new paramedic of the emotional strain the job brings. A new hire may need space. Need alone time. Or need family and friends for support.

New paramedics will not find a textbook on how to prepare for everything that is out in the field. Civilians will blame you for not saving a life. Hospital staff may yell at you for not performing the proper procedure, even if the new hire followed proper protocol. New paramedics should expect to leave his or her emotions at home. Prepare for the worst. Stay calm through the storm. And don’t ever talk about a tragedy in a negative manner publicly, ever.