What do Emergency Medical Technicians do?
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, people’s lives often depend on the quick reaction and competent care of emergency medical technicians (EMT’s) and paramedics. The EMT-Basic represents the first component of the emergency medical technician system. An EMT-B is trained to care for patients at the scene of an accident and while transporting patients by ambulance to the hospital under medical direction. The EMT-B has the emergency skills to assess a patient’s condition and manage respiratory, cardiac, and trauma emergencies. The EMT-Intermediate has more advanced training that allows the administration of intravenous fluids, the use of manual defibrillators to give lifesaving shocks to a stopped heart, and the application of advanced airway techniques and equipment to assist patients experiencing respiratory emergencies. EMT-Paramedics provide the most extensive pre hospital care. In addition to carrying out the procedures already described, paramedics may administer drugs orally
