Allied Health Career Spotlight- EMT/Paramedic

Today “Allied Health” is one of the busiest terms that are widely used in the United States health care industry. The term is generally used to classify a cluster of health care professions and covers approximately 200 occupational titles, exclusive of physicians, nurses, and a handful of others. While some allied health professionals practice independently there are others who work as the part of a health care team, offering continual assessment of patient needs. Adding to this, if we look at the present situation, over 5 million health care providers in the United States work in more than 80 allied health professions. Individuals trained for these professions are in high demand and in next few years expected to grow more and more. In fact, as per the leading health care industry experts allied health professions will be in the top 30 fastest growing jobs in the United States.

The allied health professions generally fall into two broad categories, mainly - technicians (assistants) and therapists/technologists. Technicians are generally trained to perform procedures and are required to work under the direction of technologists or therapists. This part of the allied health field basically includes medical laboratory technicians, physical therapy assistants, occupational therapy assistants and respiratory therapy technicians. However, over the past few years, emergency medical technician (EMT)/ Paramedic has pulled the attention of many youths looking forward to making career in the allied care profession. Actually, in recent times, this field has shifted away from volunteer services towards a decent paid profession and enabled many technicians earn a good salary. According to the American Medical Association, usually EMT salaries are about $25,310 annually, but the upper range for this profession enjoys $43,000 annually.

Job Description

In terms of job responsibilities, emergency medical technicians and paramedics are mostly accountable in providing emergency care to patients that have been involved in incidents like strokes, boating and car accidents or serious injuries. They provide more specialized care with extra training and usually work in teams. They also play an important role in providing transportation to patients from one medical facility to another, especially if they work for private ambulance services. However, their specific responsibilities also vary depending upon the level of training. The first level of training is EMT-Basic or EMT-1 and the most advanced level is EMT-Paramedic or EMT-4.

EMT Training

EMTs are required to perform the considerable amount of kneeling, bending, and lifting. No doubt, their work is not only physically strenuous but stressful too. Adding to this, because emergency services function 24 hours a day, emergency medical technicians generally have irregular working hours. This clearly indicates that emergency medical technicians need good formal training and certification. Addressing to meet this requirement, today there are many universities offering accredited EMT courses and training programs. The training helps them learn plenty of hands-on experience in how to carry out physical exams, evaluate trauma, administer oxygen, execute airway maintenance and manage medication. The most advanced level of training for this occupation is EMT-Paramedic. At this level, the student receives training in anatomy and physiology as well as advanced medical skills. This type of training is mostly conducted in community colleges and technical schools over 1 to 2 years and may result in an associate’s degree.

EMT certification

Apart from all this, EMT certification is yet another and one of the most important aspects of this profession. Every emergency medical technician in the United States must be certified or registered by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT). Though, there are some states that administer their own certification examination and provide the option of taking the NRMET examination.

Certainly, working as an Emergency Medical Technician is an excellent career opportunity if any individual is looking to move into a different career. The rewards are abundant and in long-term career an individual may find and enjoy great satisfaction in helping other people who need your emergency support.