Job Opportunities For EMTs
As more and more Americans come to understand the importance of lifelong health, there has never been a better time to enter the health career field.
There is an increased focus on preventative care and many Americans may be more likely to seek medical attention sooner. And the vast generation known as baby boomers are entering retirement age where their correlation with health care needs and intervention increases a great deal. Becoming an EMT is a better choice now than ever for those who seek a fast-paced career in health care.
EMT stands for emergency medical technician. The most familiar type of EMT, EMT-Basic or simply EMT-B, is tasked with providing emergency medical assistance to patients “in the field,” meaning at a location other than a health care facility such as a hospital. EMTs respond to dispatches made by 911 calls or other departments such as police and fire and arrive on-scene to perform immediate and life-saving patient care. EMTs respond to natural disasters, motor vehicle accidents, domestic or other types of violence scenarios, building collapses, fires, and other situations that could result in injuries or trauma of any kind. On scene and during transport to hospitals by car (ambulance) or air (medevac), EMTs stabilize patients, attend to cardiac or respiratory emergencies, assist in childbirth, clear airways and perform CPR, control bleeding, administer poison or drug overdose control, and much more.
EMT jobs can be found in various agencies, depending on your city and region. Hospitals may have their own EMT corps or EMS, as may other clinics and health facilities. Many cities have a designated EMT service, either stand-alone or as part of the fire department or other rescue service. EMTs may work in shifts as part of these departments, or be contracted on a per diem basis for special events like concerts and festivals, work in schools, summer camps, recreation areas like ski/snowboard resorts, National Parks, vacation destinations like resorts or cruise ships, and anywhere people gather in large quantity.
A 2014-15 Bureau of Labor Statistics report indicated the median salary for EMTs in the U.S. is more than $31,000 per year. The job requires a post-secondary non-degree certificate which can often be obtained in as little as one year. There are over 214,000 jobs for EMTs and paramedics in the United States.
