Career as a First Responder Calls for Cool Head

When accident victims need immediate treatment, the first professionals to respond are emergency medical technicians, who are trained to begin the treatment of injured people. The varieties of situations that arise in emergency conditions require quick thinking, the ability to stay calm under pressure and an analytical mind.

However, despite the stresses of the job, which can require 12-hour shifts, helping others can be its own reward, said Robert Arreola, a paramedic with American Medical Response, a private ambulance company. Paramedics are licensed and receive advanced training, and are the most common emergency medical technician a severe accident victim will see.

"The work is immensely gratifying, because an EMT helps several people with serious medical conditions every day," he said. "For some patients, EMTs make the difference between life or death."

EMTs also work in other aspects of the medical field, such as non-emergency patient transportation. "Those EMTs must also be ready to provide emergency care if the patient needs it," Arreola said. "In some cities, EMTs respond to a combination of 911 and non-emergency calls."

Training to enter the medical field as a basic level EMT is easier than some might think, said Vickie May, department chair of the EMS program at Houston Community College. The certification in Texas requires 208 hours of training, which can take place in one semester; however, she encourages potential students to stay focused on the coursework and avoid unnecessary distractions. (MFW note: Minnesota programs are offered by many Minnesota Community or Technical colleges.)

"With medicine being medicine, when you're learning a new language (of medical terminology), we do not encourage people to do anything else," May said. However, she said the early training can be built on to prepare for a more advanced career, such as nursing. Emergency Medical Technician certification is also a pre-requisite to apply to paramedic programs.

"You're learning about the body and health care, and it's a good jump start to career in medicine," May said. "A lot of EMS guys go on to get advanced medical certifications."

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, 28 percent more EMS technicians are needed in the next seven years. While EMS training usually is for career-oriented certification, it can be helpful for potential medical school students.

"In the summer we get quite a few kids in college who are going for their medical degrees," May said. "On many applications, the school likes to see an EMT-basic certification."

While basic EMT training pays between $10 and $14 an hour, an EMT-intermediate certification, which requires more hours of study, pays an average of $37,500 a year. Paramedics, who must earn a two-year degree, can earn up to $47,000 a year. The US Department of Labor reports that in May of 2008, the Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics Median wage was $29,330 with top earners being paid $49,440 a year. Certified EMTs rarely have trouble finding work, May said.

Source: Huston Chronicle, Josef Molnar, 7/31/09