Becoming an EMT
Why become an EMT?
Emergency Medical Technicians are valued members of the community. Responding to the public’s emergencies, helping people in need, is an honorable career path. It has also become a pathway into furthering one’s career in the fire service or healthcare field.
The Pros
There are plenty of positive impacts from becoming an EMT. There are invaluable experiences we are fortunate to have that would otherwise not present themselves. This is one of the only career fields that you may help deliver a baby and watch an elderly patient pass away in one shift. Visiting nursing homes, people’s residences, responding to public places like parks and schools, and attending to patients of all ages and backgrounds gives you a whole new perspective that is not applied at work but in your personal life as well.
Working as an EMT also teaches you the idea of “sick versus not sick” The ability to identify this is much more polished in paramedic school but it gives you a basic understanding. This career prepares you for furthering any future medical positions such as paramedic, nurse, physician’s assistant, and doctor. Thinking critically in a face paced style is important in emergency patient management.
If choosing to go into law enforcement, becoming an EMT will give you a foundation for emergency response and basic medical knowledge in the event something happens on shift.
The Cons
Although EMTs can be passionate about their jobs, there are downfalls to this job. When you are new, you most likely will be placed on night shift. This can cause havoc on your sleep schedule. With proper adjustment and change in lifestyle, this can be manageable. Another unfortunate part of this job is we usually don’t get to finish a meal. You learn to eat fast, inhaling it, because you never know when you will have the chance to eat again. Going back to the downfall of night shift, pretty much only fast food is open which can lead to an unhealthy lifestyle.
If you haven’t heard it before, EMS don’t get into this career for the money. In some places, EMTs have to work multiple jobs to keep afloat. Another reason this job has been known to be a stepping stone.
Another possible con, we usually never know what we’re walking into. Dispatch may give us notes but sometimes it’s far from what we were anticipating. We must always maintain situational awareness. From that to the tones in the middle of the night, this can raise our cortisol levels. We are at a higher risk for hypertension and cardiac disease due to our lifestyles and exposure.
If you were in the military, you will find this job to be easier than a civilian does. If working 911, you cannot deny a call. You may not know when you’re going home. If working for a private ambulance company without a union, you may be treated, in all honesty, absolutely terrible. In this case, you must stay focused on what’s next and never remain stagnant.
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How to become an EMT
Choosing a program that's right for you
When looking into different programs, the main components you want to look at are schedule and payment. There are usually a variety of different schedule types including night classes, classes 2-3 times a week, or full time schedules that are 8 hours a day 5 days a week. The variety of schedules can be helpful if you are working or have child care issues. The schedule can also depend on how short or how long the program takes to complete. Some courses can be a semester long (16 weeks) and require prerequisites prior to enrollment, other courses may only require a BLS CPR class and a high school diploma. Minimum hours required are usually state dependent. Where you see the most differences in this are community based programs (community college, fire department sponsored) and private institutions (vocation, career colleges). Private institutions tend to be more expensive, as they are for-profit. Some private programs can cost upwards of $1,000 in tuition. They also have advantages like more schedule varieties, more tools and resources, and may have more dedicated instructors. Public resources or community based programs tend to be more affordable but have less leniency in schedule. When taking cost into consideration, make sure to get detailed information about what the tuition includes. You will need to adjust for steel-toed boots, a uniform, testing, and other related costs.
It would be wise to also take into consideration reputation and NREMT (National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians) pass rate but it's not necessarily a deciding factor.
Choosing an EMT program may be limited to your location. If there is only one local program and you don’t have the capability to choose, that’s okay because it’s about what you put into it.
It’s also important to determine whether your state, or state you’re looking to be certified in, offer reciprocity. Reciprocity is the concept your certification is accepted by another agency or state. For example, in Hawaii, they do not have reciprocity for NREMT because they require more didactic hours to become certified.
Whichever program you choose, make sure it’s manageable. Do not set yourself up for failure.
Passing the psychomotor exam and your final
You will be required to pass a psychomotor (skills performance) exam. This is an additional cost not usually included in the tution (the profit does not go to the school) and is a pass/fail exam. There are critical fails within these exams. Even if you kill on the skill, if you hit a critical fail, you are done. This is one of the most stressful parts of school for students because this comes at the end of the program, after your final, and determines whether you can continue with the process of becoming an EMT.
Passing the NREMT
You may pass the psychomotor exam, your final, and your program but then comes National Registry testing. National Registry can be extremely daunting. Once you are able to sign up, you must choose a location to test and make an appointment. While attending your appointment, it would be ideal to arrive 30 minutes early. If you are more than 15 min late, you will be asked to return another time and pay another fee to test.
This exam is computer adaptive, meaning it is based on how well, or poor, you are doing. For example, if you are poor in obstetrics or abdominal emergencies (which most students are), you will continue to get more obstetrics or abdominal emergency questions until you improve.
You have plenty of time, so take it. They will give dry-erase paper in which you can write whatever you want. We would advise doing any calculations necessary (i.e. BSA % for burns).
Pearson-Vue, who hosts these exams, takes testing very seriously. You must lock up all your items, including your phone, in a locker and will be checked for any potential of cheating. If you are not prepared, do not take the exam. We would suggest not waiting more than 2-3 weeks after finishing your program to test, if able.
You may check the NREMT website at https://www.nremt.org/rwd/public in 1-2 days (seems to be earlier than that these days) to see if you have passed. It takes approximately 2-3 weeks to obtain the physical certificate via mail.
Get Live Scans Completed
Check with with state EMS office on how to obtain the correct live scan paperwork to complete. With California, as most states, the state requires both DOJ and FBI live scans completed. If you have a felony, you are not eligible to become an EMT.
Register with you local EMS
Once you have completed your EMT program, passed NREMT, have obtained your live scans, you may submit for your state and county certifications. Check with your local EMS for the required documents. Once you have obtained your local certifications, you can at that point start looking for employment.
Employment options are pretty diverse. You may end up working BLS Interfacility working with another EMT partner, working Critical Care Transports working with another EMT and nurse, working 911 ALS working with a paramedic partner, or in the emergency room alongside hospital staff. There are also more unique opportunities like working special events, going overseas, or working on an oil rig.
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What you need to get started
For most programs, you will need
high school diploma, GED, or equivalent
Social Security card, passport, or visa
BLS CPR card (for healthcare providers)
Up to date vaccinations
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*If you are interested in EMT programs in the San Diego County, Riverside County, or Los Angeles County areas then please email info@backoftheboxtalks.com
