Emergency Medical Technology Courses, Jobs and Salary

Emergency medical technology is a branch of paramedics that upholds basic life support. Emergency Medical Technicians are skilled medical professionals who are the first responders in providing medical aid to a patient in a critical situation. They have the knowledge of disease, procedures, bedside procedures, and technical skills to handle important and emergency cases. They are responsible to administer critical care management and healthcare delivery system to rescue a patient’s life. This course trains paramedics to prove leadership skills, multi-tasking, effective communication, resilience to emergencies, organizational skills, and healthcare management.

When a patient is in a critical situation, our first step is to call for an ambulance and after that approach the emergency care unit where a patient is given basic life support to stabilize the condition such as providing oxygen, checking blood sugar levels, performing ECG, normalizing blood pressure, etc. EMT resembles the first aid to the medical fraternity.

Roles of an Emergency Medical Technician

Emergency medical technicians play a vital role in saving a patient’s life, they sustain a great responsibility to achieve the risk of rescuing patients from a life-threatening situation. They should hold several key skillsets to be a part of emergency care such as

• Skilled in operating medical equipment
• Competent in handling a life-threatening situation
• Should be able to perform first aid depending on the medical condition
• Proficient in performing CPR if countering a situation of cardiac arrest
• Stabilize a patient’s condition until a doctor arrives
• Assist medical professionals to stabilize mortality rate in disastrous circumstances during a natural calamity
• Capable of dealing with workload
• Should be able to take a note of vital signs of a patient
• Should be able to provide basic medications to a patient
• Hold a strong grip in transmitting effective communication between a patient and a doctor.
• Highly qualified in risk management
• Flexible in working in varied departments of a hospital

Emergency Medical Technology Courses

The course curriculum of emergency medical technology comprises the study of general diseases, basic medical support, healthcare, and risk management. Given are the details of core subjects that need to be studied during the course

• General anatomy/physiology
• Basic biochemistry/pathology
• Pharmacology
• Patient assessment and drug administration
• Surgical techniques
• Triaging
• Nursing care
• Medical ethics
• Emergency department equipment
• Emergency treatment
• Trauma and electrocution
• Hospital management
• Respiratory emergencies
• Cardiovascular emergencies
• Neurological emergencies
• Medical emergencies

Working Departments

With great scope in this field, emergency medical technicians get to work among varied healthcare sectors that include government/private hospitals, trauma centers, nursing homes, NGOs, rescue departments, fire departments, ambulance service departments, and private clinics. There is no shortfall of working departments after this course. A career in EMT unfolds a realm of opportunities for technicians who contribute their service by working at the frontline.

Eligibility and Course Duration

A career in emergency medical technology unlocks doors of opportunities waiting ahead, it provides divergent fields of courses including vocational courses, an associate degree course in EMT, graduate degree, post-graduate degree, and a doctoral degree.

• Vocational training program in EMT: This is a training program where candidates get to learn about the emergency medical aid provided to a patient in a critical situation and basic life-saving techniques. This course is completed within 4-6 months.

Eligibility: Candidates can pursue this course after 12th preferably with science stream, although students from any stream are eligible to take this course.

• Associate degree in EMT: An associate degree in EMT is an undergraduate level degree program that takes mainly 2-3 years of completion. It is a kind of diploma program focusing mainly on teaching students to administer emergencies, operate numerous procedures, perform manual defibrillation, trauma assessment, and much more.

Eligibility: This is an undergraduate-level degree program that can be pursued after high school with a science stream (PCB/PCM).

• Graduate degree in EMT: Candidates can take up a graduate degree in EMT which is mainly a graduation level bachelor’s degree that takes 4 years of program completion. There are various graduation degrees available that are termed as
  • B.Sc. in emergency trauma care management
  • B.Sc. in emergency medical technology
  • B.Sc. accident and emergency care technology

Eligibility: Aspiring candidates who have passed 12th with science stream (PCB/PCM/PCMB) are eligible to pursue this course.

• Postgraduate degree in EMT: Candidates who are willing to continue their career in emergency care management are eligible to opt for a post-graduation course. The course duration of this program is 2-3 years. This program is mainly known as
  • Master’s in emergency and intensive care unit
  • Master’s in emergency management
  • M.Sc. in emergency medical technology
  • Postgraduate diploma in emergency medical services

Eligibility: Candidates must have a bachelor's degree in any of the fields with satisfactory marks in graduation
-MBBS
-BDS
-BAMS
-BHMS
-B.Sc. in emergency and trauma care management
-B.Sc. in nursing

• Doctoral degree: There is no limit to higher education in this field, if one wishes to opt for a Ph.D. in emergency management, then he/she can pursue Ph.D. programs for higher studies that can take up to 3-5 years of completion. There are several Ph.D. programs available in emergency medical technology namely as
  • Ph.D. in disaster medicine and emergency
  • Ph.D. in emergency management
  • Ph.D. in emergency medical technology

Eligibility: Candidates must have a qualified master's in the relevant field of the subject to pursue Ph.D. with a minimum of 55% marks in post-graduation and several years of work experience.

Job Prospects in Emergency Medical Technology

• Emergency Medical Technician
• Emergency Dispatcher
• Physician’s Assistant
• Registered Nurse
• Medical And Health Service Manger
• Emergency Medical Security Officer
• Medical Instructor/Trainer
• Lecturer
• Researcher
• Professor
• Associate Academic Officer

Salary Package

The Pay scale of an emergency medical technician depends on work experience, education, technical skills, and ability to handle emergencies, the higher you are experienced, the more is the salary. The Average estimated salary of an emergency medical technician in India ranges between $3500-$12,000 per annum. However, emergency medical technicians are supposed to earn more in foreign countries and their average expected annual salary ranges between $29,000-$45,000.

Top Colleges of Emergency Medical Technology in India

• NIMS College of Paramedical Technology, NIMS University, Jaipur
• SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai
• Christian Medical College, Vellore
• Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi
• Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry
• Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences, Pune
• All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Nagpur
• Institute Of Paramedical Science and Management, Delhi
• Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Tamil Nadu

Top Colleges of Emergency Medical Technology in USA

• University of Washington, Washington
• University of California, Los Angeles
• San Antonio College, Texas
• Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC
• University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
• Arizona Academy of Emergency Services, Arizona
• Boston Pro EMS Center for Medics, Cambridge
• Phoenix College, Arizona
• Virginia Highlands Community College, Virginia
• Central Texas College, Texas