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What You Need to Know About Emergency Medical Technician or Paramedic
Job Description: Assess injuries, administer emergency medical care, and extricate trapped individuals. Transport injured or sick persons to medical facilities.
Daily Life Of an EMT or Paramedic
- Perform emergency diagnostic and treatment procedures, such as stomach suction, airway management, or heart monitoring, during ambulance ride.
- Drive mobile intensive care unit to specified location, following instructions from emergency medical dispatcher.
- Immobilize patient for placement on stretcher and ambulance transport, using backboard or other spinal immobilization device.
- Comfort and reassure patients.
- Administer first aid treatment or life support care to sick or injured persons in prehospital settings.
- Decontaminate ambulance interior following treatment of patient with infectious disease and report case to proper authorities.
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What an EMT or Paramedic Should Know
These are the skills Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics say are the most useful in their careers:
Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Types of Emergency Medical Technician or Paramedic
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
- Emergency Medical Technician/Driver (EMT/DRIVER)
- EMT-P
- Ambulance Driver-Paramedic
- Paramedic
Is There Going to be Demand for Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics?
In the United States, there were 248,000 jobs for Emergency Medical Technician or Paramedic in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 15.1% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 37,400 new jobs for Emergency Medical Technician or Paramedic by 2026. There will be an estimated 19,400 positions for EMT or Paramedic per year.
The states with the most job growth for EMT or Paramedic are Colorado, Arizona, and Utah. Watch out if you plan on working in Rhode Island, Mississippi, or Wisconsin. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
How Much Does an EMT or Paramedic Make?
The typical yearly salary for Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics is somewhere between $22,760 and $58,640.
Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics who work in Washington, District of Columbia, or Hawaii, make the highest salaries.
Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics in different U.S. states.
| State | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $30,260 |
| Alaska | $47,780 |
| Arizona | $38,260 |
| Arkansas | $31,800 |
| California | $39,350 |
| Colorado | $42,320 |
| Connecticut | $46,890 |
| Delaware | $40,730 |
| District of Columbia | $57,270 |
| Florida | $35,790 |
| Georgia | $33,950 |
| Hawaii | $54,370 |
| Idaho | $37,960 |
| Illinois | $41,940 |
| Indiana | $34,040 |
| Iowa | $35,760 |
| Kansas | $30,520 |
| Kentucky | $31,430 |
| Louisiana | $36,930 |
| Maine | $34,170 |
| Maryland | $49,490 |
| Massachusetts | $41,570 |
| Michigan | $33,720 |
| Minnesota | $42,460 |
| Mississippi | $33,310 |
| Missouri | $34,560 |
| Montana | $33,020 |
| Nebraska | $33,130 |
| Nevada | $36,240 |
| New Hampshire | $38,390 |
| New Jersey | $37,460 |
| New Mexico | $35,660 |
| New York | $44,120 |
| North Carolina | $36,200 |
| North Dakota | $32,680 |
| Ohio | $32,200 |
| Oklahoma | $33,020 |
| Oregon | $42,470 |
| Pennsylvania | $33,980 |
| Rhode Island | $40,070 |
| South Carolina | $34,570 |
| South Dakota | $32,360 |
| Tennessee | $36,600 |
| Texas | $36,620 |
| Utah | $33,870 |
| Vermont | $34,290 |
| Virginia | $35,310 |
| Washington | $67,600 |
| West Virginia | $30,690 |
| Wisconsin | $34,780 |
| Wyoming | $34,120 |
What Tools do Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics Use?
Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- MEDITECH software
- Microsoft operating system
Becoming an EMT or Paramedic
Individuals working as an Emergency Medical Technician or Paramedic have obtained the following education levels:
How Long Does it Take to Become an EMT or Paramedic?
Other Jobs You May be Interested In
Those interested in being an Emergency Medical Technician or Paramedic may also be interested in:
Are you already one of the many Emergency Medical Technician or Paramedic in the United States? If you’re thinking about changing careers, these fields are worth exploring:
References:
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