Emergency Medical Technician

With the growth of America’s urban populations has come an increased demand for medical first responders—most notably, the emergency medical technician. This program guides students through the duties of the EMT-Basic and EMT-Paramedic, the skills and personality traits both require, and the financial and personal advantages that these positions offer. Featuring interviews with veterans of the profession, the program describes the 110-hour class and national or state registry exam an aspiring EMT must complete, along with specific functions—for EMT-Bs, supporting an ambulance team in the field and during patient transport, maintaining vitals and airwave access, controlling bleeding, basic splinting, and applying a cervical collar; and for EMT-Paramedics, traction splinting, patient status assessment, and other functions that prepare patients for emergency room care. Both the Hollywood-style excitement and the routine aspects of EMT life are emphasized, in addition to the best high school courses and volunteer opportunities in which a would-be EMT should get involved. A viewable/printable instructor’s guide is available online. Correlates to national and state board certification standards. A Meridian Production. (22 minutes)

EMTs and paramedics spend a great deal of time reassuring people in risky situations.

Emergency medical services jobs: EMT-B (Basic), and EMT-P (Paramedic).

Paramedics must be well-rounded in their medical skills. EMTs may accompany paramedics to perform basic skills.

Skills for EMT-B's include basic airway management, splinting; and Paramedics include intubate, performing surgical airways.

EMT-Basic class is 110 hours, including hands-on skills and classroom lectures.

Both EMT-B's and paramedics must pass an exam for certification.

Work settings include emergency ambulances, transport ambulances, and first aid rooms in public places.

Emergency responders must be responsible, assertive, independent thinkers, and have good problem solving skills.

Median salary for EMTs and paramedics varies by geographical setting, training, and other factors.

EMT-B students share their thoughts about their educational preparation and hands-on experiences.

Before enrolling in an EMT program, prospective students should prepare during high school. Websites offer information about this career.

First, call 911. This program shows viewers how to respond to common medical emergencies while waiting for professional help to arrive. With demonstrations and commentary from an experienced paramedic throughout, each section describes trauma situations or symptoms of distress and the best way to address them. The video also includes relevant advice on topics such as giving yourself the Heimlich maneuver, using an epi-pen on someone having an allergic food reaction, performing CPR in tandem with a defibrillator, and what to do at the scene of a car accident. Sections include First Steps of First Aid, Heart Attacks, Strokes, Broken Bones and Cuts, Burns, Diabetic Emergencies, Seizures, Asthma Attacks, and Anaphylactic Reaction, Choking, Drowning, and Head Injuries. A viewable/printable instructor’s guide is available online. A Films for the Humanities & Sciences Production. (34 minutes)

Viewers learn how to check for a pulse and to perform chest compressions.

Viewers learn signs and symptoms of stroke.

Viewers learn to respond to various degrees of cuts and broken bones.

Viewers learn the steps to take when encountering four types of burns: first degree, second degree, third degree, and fourth degree.

The signs and symptoms of a diabetic emergency are presented.

A seizure occurs when the electrical system in the brain malfunctions. Symptoms of seizures are described.

Signs and symptoms of allergic reactions and asthma attacks are listed and explained.

Viewers learn how to respond to choking emergencies: administering back blows, the Heimlich maneuver, and stomach thrusts.

Viewers learn safe responses to drowning emergencies.

Obvious and less obvious symptoms of head injuries are covered, like bleeding from head, face, nose, or ears, severe headache, black and blue discoloration, or vomiting.

To improve survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), this protocol is specifically for trained EMS providers after training and approval by their Administrative Medical Director. The training is provided by the Arizona Department of Health Service (ADHS) Bureau of EMS & Trauma System. The CCR protocol is designed for adult cardiac arrest. Patients, less than 8 years of age, drowning patients, drug overdose patients, trauma patients, and respiratory arrest patients are excluded. The CCR protocol focuses on providing the optimal timing for defibrillation, minimizing interruptions to chest compressions, minimizing pauses between chest compressions and defibrillation, early administration of intravenous epinephrine, and minimizing over-ventilation during cardiac arrest.