What Do Emergency Medical Technicians Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Emergency Medical Technicians assess injuries, administer emergency medical care, and extricate trapped individuals. Transport injured or sick persons to medical facilities. They also administer first aid treatment or life support care to sick or injured persons in prehospital settings.

Other tasks include:

• Operate equipment, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), external defibrillators, or bag valve mask resuscitators, in advanced life support environments.
• Perform emergency diagnostic and treatment procedures, such as stomach suction, airway management, or heart monitoring, during ambulance ride.
• Observe, record, and report to physician the patient’s condition or injury, the treatment provided, and reactions to drugs or treatment.
• Assess nature and extent of illness or injury to establish and prioritize medical procedures.
• Drive mobile intensive care unit to specified location, following instructions from emergency medical dispatcher.
• Decontaminate ambulance interior following treatment of patient with infectious disease and report case to proper authorities.

We asked Emergency Medical Technicians how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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63% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 79% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Emergency Medical Technicians observe, record, and report to physician the patient’s condition or injury, the treatment provided, and reactions to drugs or treatment. They administer first aid treatment or life support care to sick or injured persons in prehospital settings.

A typical day for an Emergency Medical Technician and Paramedic will also include:

• Administer drugs, orally or by injection, or perform intravenous procedures under a physician’s direction.
• Comfort and reassure patients.
• Assess nature and extent of illness or injury to establish and prioritize medical procedures.
• Operate equipment, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), external defibrillators, or bag valve mask resuscitators, in advanced life support environments.
• Coordinate work with other emergency medical team members or police or fire department personnel.

We asked some Emergency Medical Technicians a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	68% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	86% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	79% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	85% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	40% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	70% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Emergency Medical Technicians also attend training classes to maintain certification licensure, keep abreast of new developments in the field, or maintain existing knowledge. They may also immobilize patient for placement on stretcher and ambulance transport, using backboard or other spinal immobilization device.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Emergency Medical Technicians Operate equipment, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), external defibrillators, or bag valve mask resuscitators, in advanced life support environments. They might also Coordinate with treatment center personnel to obtain patients’ vital statistics and medical history, to determine the circumstances of the emergency, and to administer emergency treatment.

In addition, they Drive mobile intensive care unit to specified location, following instructions from emergency medical dispatcher.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Perform emergency diagnostic and treatment procedures, such as stomach suction, airway management, or heart monitoring, during ambulance ride.

To some Emergency Medical Technicians, it is also their responsibility to Coordinate work with other emergency medical team members or police or fire department personnel.

Working life

More than 40 hours per week

Regular schedule like a 9 to 5

In a typical work week as an Emergency Medical Technician and Paramedic, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others..

They also like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/healthcare/emts-and-paramedics.htm

http://www.naemt.org/

http://www.ems.gov/

http://www.nremt.org/