Skills & Knowledge You'll Develop
A career in Emergency Medical Services demands quick thinking while exercising extreme caution. Personnel in all three tiers will be able to:
- assess the extent of injuries or illness to determine medical treatment
- comfort and reassure patients
- obtain the patient's medical history, if possible
- perform and interpret diagnostic procedures such as taking vital signs and testing glucose levels
- administer pre-hospital emergency care including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), oxygen, bandaging, splinting, and assisting in childbirth and the treatment of trauma patients
- use a semi-automatic or automatic external defibrillator or bag valve mask resuscitator
- use basic airway management techniques
- transport patients to hospital or other medical facilities for further care
- document and record the nature of injuries and treatment provided
- assist hospital personnel as required
- maintain ambulances, equipment and supplies.
An emergency medical technician (EMT) may:
- use spinal immobilization devices and traction splints
- maintain intravenous infusions without medications or blood products
- perform cardiac monitoring
- administer specified medications
- supervise and train staff members and students
- assist paramedics (where there are combined services).
