What You'll Deal With As An EMT Or ER Tech

I’ve had a few strange days in the ER. You never know what to expect especially on the weekends. You can count on a few things. People who plug up the waiting rooms because they have a cough or cold. These are usually your biggest complainers.  These are the folks who will obstruct you with a complaint about how long they have to wait while you take a patient with chest pain to the back.

You can also count on the drug seekers. They come in with complaints of pain and demand medication. They are sweating, scratching, and having obvious DT’s. I had one of these patients walk in to a room where we were treating a patient having a seizure. This guy actually walked in to the room and got in the way so he could demand medication. He left the room in handcuffs.

We had an unexpected gunshot wound come in the front door while being chased by police. The patient had been shot in the back and had an evisceration at the exit wound in front. I felt bad for the children in the waiting room who had to see all of that.

Not long after, all the trauma bays were full of gun shot wounds.  There were several from the same incident and another from an unrelated incident. I saw a chest tube put in for the first time. It was amazing, but there was blood everywhere.

I had an interesting day on the ambulance as well. I’m still learning my way around my new town. I’m also learning to cope with the driving habits of the folks in my new town. We were approaching an intersection while driving emergency. I was in the oncoming traffic lane with a left turn lane to my right. We were making as much noise as we could with the siren, and still almost creamed a guy who tried to make a left turn in front of us.

When I was a rookie, driving emergency was a big thrill. I loved doing it. It has definitely lost its appeal. It’s really just dangerous. People don’t yield, and will use you as a way to run a red light. It’s unbelievable what we’ve become.  It’s hard to stay positive. Maybe I’m working too much.

Veterans Day Thoughts

A quick note is not enough, but I want to take a monment to thank our veterans. Thank you for your sense of duty and sacrifice. Thank you for doing a job so many of us are not willing to do. Thank you for answering the call when our leaders send you in to danger. God bless you and keep you and your families safe. May our leaders be careful and wise when they need you. May we the people choose our leaders wisely and hold them accountable when they call on you.

For those of you serving, and those who served before you, you have our grattitude.

I also want to thank those who served as WACs and WAVs. The contribution of those strong dutiful ladies is so often forgotten. Thank you for your service. You were ahead of your time.

Graveyard Shift

After a few weeks of training on second shift, I'm back to my roots on the graveyard shift. I always have trouble switching from days to nights. After trying everything I could think of, I resorted to taping aluminum foil to the windows to make my East facing bedroom dark.

We had our first real cold snap this weekend. In my experience when it switches from warm to cold, things slow down. That was certainly the case this weekend. Volume was down and there was almost no wait time for the patients. The doctors picked up the pace and got patients in and out.




When I was on the ambulance, I frequently had to take patients to the ER who were not experiencing an emergency. People will call 911 because they have a cold, or the runs. Now that I'm working in the ER, I see how big a problem this is.

I know what some of you are thinking. I know about all the people in the US who don't have insurance or access to a physician. Our hospital has several free clinics, and people do use them, but there is a certain segment of society that uses the ambulance like a taxi and the ER like a pharmacy. They never pay, and they have no intention of paying. This is all part of the free ride they take.

I don't get angry at it, but I have to admit it bothers me. Emergency rooms are for emergencies. If you have a cold, go to the free clinic. That's what it is there for. They're open 17 hours a day. There are four locations. I was working triage the other day and had a patient come in just for a pregnancy test.

All in all I think the patients bill of rights is a good thing. The patients bill of rights makes it so we can not refuse care to someone who asks for it. I want people to get the help they need. But I realize that these occurances are one of the things that drive up the cost of health care.

Let me be clear. If you've been throwing up for days, you might need to come to the ER. If you have a high fever, you might need to come to the ER. If you've been coughing since this morning, you probably don't need to come.

Many drug stores have inexpensive clinics now. If you can't afford that, there are places that will see you for free. I'm not complaining about having to work, I just don't want to have to come to your room so you can ask for a free meal when I need to be putting on a 12 lead on a person who came in with difficulty breathing.

And if folks won't stop coming in, then perhaps they could be polite. We have to see the most serious patients first. Yelling at the greeter because you've been waiting for an hour (thats our average wait time for non emergency, and well above the national average) won't get you back any faster.

More Life in the ER.

I’m still really excited about my job in the ER. I’m excited about going to work tomorrow. My last shift was an echo of the one before. My morning consisted of trauma and chest pain. My busiest moment was when two traumas and a STEMI (ST elevated myocardial infarction… all that to say a really serious heart attack) came in at the same time.

One of my patients was involved in an industrial accident. The patients hand became stuck in a machine and was degloved. Another EMT and myself cleaned her hand and helped to prepare her for surgery.




I’m still struggling to find my place here. I’m trying to be aggressive enough to do my job, but not be in the way. It’s probably not the delicate dance I perceive it to be, but I still feel a little out of place.

I think I need to get a little more of the ambulance out of my brain. I’m used to doing everything I can do in the bus, bringing the patient in to the ER, placing the patient in bed, and getting out of the way. Now I have to learn to undo a lot of what I would have done in the ambulance so the doctor can look at it. I also need to learn how to be in the mix of what’s going on and not be in the way.

I’m also experiencing some culture shock. People here are very friendly here. I’m southern, but I have been in the big city too long. I’m not as friendly and outgoing as I used to take pride in. I’m very politely being put in my place for not introducing myself, and for not saying hello.

I have one more day shift tomorrow, then I switch over to nights. I call it vampire work. Collecting blood in the middle of the night.

I hope you’re all doing well. I hope you and your loved ones are healthy and safe. I was very disturbed and saddened to learn that the meteorologist Matt from Storm Chasers died after a suicide attempt. That’s one of the few TV shows I watch. He seemed like a good person. What a shame. What a waste.

Trauma and Chest Pain

Chest pain and trauma were the themes for my most recent shift in the ER. I worked in urgent care on my most recent shift. I like working in urgent care because it is very hands on. Our urgent care center is where we send our less serious patients after triage. At our hospital, this is where you go if you come in with the flu, or an injury that won’t require stitches or serious pain medication.

When you are the EMT in urgent care you get to wrap a lot of ankles, knees and wrists. The other benefit to working as the tech in urgent care is that you are on the trauma team. You get alerted and participate whenever there is a trauma alert. I worked on three significant trauma cases. Two of those I met on the helicopter pad.




I participated in the decon of a man who had been burned with sulfuric acid. Luckily his burns were from the knees down and his airway wasn’t compromised. I hosed him down for close to 40 minutes while baking soda was used to neutralize the sulfuric acid. This man had my genuine sympathy. He was in so much pain, even after receiving a horse’s dose of morphine and a dose of dilaudid. He has a significant recovery ahead of him.

I helped an orthopedic surgeon set an open ankle fracture. I never had an opportunity in the field to do that. First of all, it was strange to undo the bandaging and splinting I would have done in the field. After sedating the patient, several of us held traction on the leg while the doctor set the ankle. Then we bandaged the open wound and used a fiberglass splint to secure the ankle until the patient went to surgery.

I spent the second half of my day in the chest pain center. Cardiac care is my favorite thing in the world. If trauma was my favorite, I might just stay an EMT. But I truly love cardiac care. That’s the biggest reason I want to get a paramedic license.

Recent Life changes

I’ve experienced a lot of life changes in the last month. That’s why I haven’t posted anything new. I’m married an amazing woman. I moved to a new city, and I’ve been lucky enough to find two new jobs. Like I’ve mentioned before, healthcare is one of the only sectors in the economy that’s growing. Even if you don’t want to be an EMT, you can find a job in healthcare.

Let me say how blessed I feel having a full and a part time job in this economy. I’m so thankful. My full time job is great! It’s something I’ve never done before. I’m working as an ER tech. For all intents and purposes, I’m an EMT in the ER.




This ER is set up in several departments. It is a very well run, well organized ER. It has a chest pain center, a woman’s center, a pediatric ER, a major care center (this is like your standard ER), and an urgent care center (this is where you send people who come in with back pain or the flu). It is also a level one trauma center. On any given day, I might be working in any of these centers in the ER. This job offers me a lot of variety. It also allows me to see a lot more patients in a day than I would working on the ambulance. This job will really help me practice my skills as I prepare to return to school and get my paramedic license.

Good trauma is really a rarity on the ambulance. I’m not saying it never happens. I’m just saying it doesn’t happen every day, or even every week. A lot of people who are considering a job as an EMT or paramedic might have the idea that they are going to see nothing but car wrecks and gunshot wounds. It’s just not true. When you work a 24hr shift you will more than likely go too a couple of MVAs (motor vehicle accidents). More often than not, there are no injuries, or light injuries. Depending on where you work, months might pass without seeing a GSW (gun shot wound) or a stab wound. It’s really not as sexy as it seems.

The majority of your calls will be medical in nature. Chest pain, difficulty breathing, seizure, or diabetes related. You’ll even get calls for back pain, leg pain etc. To be totally truthful, many of the people you see would probably been able to take a taxi to the doctor instead of an ambulance to the ER.

Don’t let that discourage you. I love being an EMT. I love working on the ambulance. You just have to accept the reality of what it really is as opposed to what you think it might be, or what you’ve seen on tv.

The People You Meet As An EMT

The People You Meet As An EMT..... I've transported people from all walks of life. I've taken care of CEOs and homless people in the same day. Sometimes you meet someone who just makes you laugh. I picked up woman around 6am one morning who claimed she got up early to get drunk. She was under forty, had thirteen children.... and couldn't keep her hand off my knee...

I've got to get my paramedic cert so I can be in charge and stick my EMT in the back with patients like that ;)

Laziness Kills: An EMT Story

Laziness Kills: An EMT Story should be considered with the same disclaimer as all the stories on this site. This story is fictional. Any resemblance to any person or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

I was still a student when I went on this call. I was doing my third rides. Third rides are what it is called when you are the third person on an ambulance. A third rider is usually a student, or a new employee who is in training. Sometimes a third rider is someone who works for your organization, but has a job in the office or in dispatch. This type of person needs to be on the ambulance some to keep enough hours to retain their certification. All of that just to explain that I was a third in that day.

We were dispatched emergency to a man who had fallen off a ladder. I took a deep breath as I climbed out of the back. The back is where you ride when you’re a third. I was nervous as hell. My knees were a little weak. Luckily, no one could see my hands shaking because I picked up the jump bag on my way out the door.




When you approach a scene, you need to do a visual assessment. You’re looking to see if the scene is safe, how many victims you have etc… In this case, there was a crowd of workmen surrounding a man lying on the ground. He was lying on his side next to a bundle of clay shingles. It didn’t take an expert to see he was in bad shape.

The fire dept. was on scene. They already had control of the patient’s cervical spine. This is call C-Spine in the field. This is done to keep the patients neck and back in line to prevent any further injury. The medic I was riding with slapped me on the back and said “Get me some vitals.” The EMT on the truck was grabbing a backboard and some straps. The paramedic started questioning the crowd.

The man’s coworkers stated the man was climbing the ladder with the clay shingles when he lost his balance and fell. He was carrying the shingles on his right shoulder and when he fell, they landed on his head. I took a set of vitals. What stuck out was a low heart rate, low oxygen saturation and uneven respirations. Using the proper method, we rolled him on a backboard. The paramedic made the decision to intubate. Intubation is when you place a tube in the patient’s trachea to secure their airway and breathe for them. Paramedics love to intubate.

Upon opening the patients mouth the paramedic found the skull had fractured inside the mouth. We hustled and got the patient packaged, and we were off to the hospital emergency. We raced to the hospital. The patient declined the entire way showing signs of ICP, or intracranial pressure. We found out later the patient died.

People don’t realize how every day actions can affect or even kill them. This guy was a roofer. I’m sure he’d climbed a ladder hundreds, maybe thousands of times. He’d probably even done it hundreds of times carrying shingles. Here’s the thing. There was a rope within a few feet of the ladder. That rope was supposed to be tied around those bundles of shingles so they could be pulled up safely. It brings a new meaning to the term safety first doesn’t it?

We do this every day. Myself included. We cut corners to save time or just because we’re lazy. Think about who were are as human beings. We’re not very good at preparing for things we think might happen. We usually make safety rules after someone has been hurt or killed. We think we’re exempt, bullet proof, or better than those who caused us to write those rules. Laziness kills…This story is fictional. Any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental.

EMT Stories

EMT stories are sometimes hard to find. Good EMT stories are even harder to find. A lot of the people who visit my site are looking for a good story. I’m currently working on some, but sadly, I have to check and double check them to make sure I don’t violate HIPPA. I’m all for protecting my patients’ privacy, but I hate the fact that we live in such a litigious society.

Speaking of lawyers…. I recently found out that one of our local private EMS companies is owned by a trial lawyer. Conflict of interest? I think so. This guy doesn’t even have to be an ambulance chaser… He owns the joint.




Well, here are some places you can get some good ambulance stories while I work on more of mine. First of all, check out http://www.ems1.com/ems-blogs/ This is a great website that has a lot of information for EMTs and paramedics. This link goes to their blog listing, but be sure to check out the whole site. You’ll want to take a look at it if you are in school as well, so you can get a feel for what’s going on out there. This site is totally free.

Now I’d like to mention a couple of great books. I would recommend these to anyone looking for ambulance stories. If you are thinking about EMT training but you’re still not sure, these books could help you decide if this career is right for you.

I’d like to recommend "EMS: The Job of Your Life ." Here is a book that touches on the daily work of EMTs and paramedics in a way that is honest and easy to understand. This book is a great read for the general public, and as an eye opener for those who are considering EMS as a career. If you are a seasoned professional, this book will bring back memories.

Next I’d like to tell you about "En Route: A Paramedic's Stories of Life, Death, and Everything in Between ." This book is down to Earth and realistic. Reading this will put you behind the eyes of this rural Louisiana paramedic. This book will tell you about saving lives, and watching them slip away. From heart attack to stroke, from car wreck to drunk, this book is hard to put down. You can also check out this author’s blog at http://www.ems1.com/ems-blogs/ It is called A Day In The Life of an Ambulance Driver.

Last but not least… Do you think you want to be an EMT, but you’re not sure if you have the stomach for it? Read “My Ambulance Education: Life and Death on the Streets of the City
.” This book is gritty and graphic. It goes into great detail on the injuries and sickness this EMT saw on the streets of New York. It’s a great read, but it’s not pretty. Of course, life on the ambulance isn’t pretty.
I hope you’ll enjoy these great blogs and books!

Some thoughts...

It's been over a week since the anniversary of September 11th. I have thought about it a lot more this year than others. It has a lot to do with what my partner said before we started our shift that day.

He can be a bit of a complainer sometimes. And that’s ok. He just needs to talk about his frustration during the day so he can move on. But he's been different the past few shifts. His attitude has improved. He's going above and beyond to be kind to our patients.

We were sitting at the picnic table at the station enjoying the heat of the day. We were having a smoke (a habit we'd both like to get rid of). He looked at me and said he wasn't going to complain that day. He said he knew there were a lot of men and women who'd love to get out of their grave and run our calls that day.

I think it has changed his over all perspective. He's doing a lot less complaining. I don't know if it will be a permanent thing, but I notice he's a lot happier without all the negativity.

It has changed my perspective as well. I've been reminded not to take my days for granted. I'm so fortunate. Not only am I alive, but I have a career I love. I'm fulfilled at work for the first time in my life. I really do love my job.

The Pros and Cons of Being an EMT

Have you considered becoming an EMT? A career in emergency medicine can be a real thrill. For those of you looking to help your community, it can be rewarding. With a nationwide nursing shortage, there are lots jobs out there for EMT’s. Maybe you’re not sure about making a career out of EMS. Here are so pros and cons to help you make your decision.

Pro: Job Security. Statistics show that jobs in healthcare stay relatively stable even in a bad economy. Healthcare is one of the only sectors that has grown during the current recession. Here’s the other bonus. There are lots of other jobs you can perform as an EMT. You won’t be limited to the ambulance. You can work in the emergency room. You can work in the hospital or doctors office taking vitals or blood samples. Many states will allow you to work as a patient care tech as well.

Con: You’ll never get rich. I work with a guy who used to be an engineer. He says he feels like he has taken a vow of poverty to do what he loves. EMT ranked #1 in a Forbes Magazine article titled “Ten Underpaid Critical Jobs.” I know EMTs who make as little as $8.00 an hour. The median salary for a rookie EMT is around $29,000.

Pro: Thrills. Working on an ambulance or the emergency room can be exciting. If you were the type of child, or are the type of adult who gets excited every time a police care or fire engine runs past you, this job might be for you. How would you like to drive an emergency vehicle? How would you like to be there when someone is in need of your help? You can witness some amazing things in this field. If you are the type of person who doesn’t turn their head from what most people consider gross, and if you can keep your cool when others want to run away. This might be for you.

Con: Burnout. Days and nights start to blur together when you’re working 12 or 24 hour shifts. Depending on where you live, and how well your department or company is funded, you might run a significant amount of calls during your shift. Getting a full night’s sleep is almost impossible. There have been several occasions where I have run 16 to 18 calls in a 24 hour shift. You will have to deal with frequent fliers who call 911 all the time. You need to know as well, that most of your calls will not be emergencies. 10% or less of your calls will be true emergencies. And don’t forget, if you work crazy hours, you might not get to see your family as much as you like.

Pro: Comradery. This is the first job I’ve ever had where I felt like I fit in. My coworkers are a little twisted just like me. That makes me feel special. There is a feeling of brotherhood that comes with knowing what you and your coworkers go through in a day. Depending on where you live you will probably feel the same sense of brotherhood with the police.

Con: Mental Health calls. I will tell you that many of my coworkers like mental health calls, but I’m not a fan. You might get spit on, threatened, hit or scratched. You will frequently get yelled at on these calls as well. The back of an ambulance is small. You really need to watch yourself, or your partner if you are driving, because you won’t have much time to react in such a small space. Some of my coworkers find this exciting, interesting and even funny. I have never been comfortable with these calls. I have had two patients really try to hurt me.

I could go on and on with the pros and cons of being an EMT, but I think I’ve given you enough to think about for the time being. I have done my best to provide you with honest information so you can make your own decision. Personally speaking, This is a job I love. This job isn’t about money. It’s about doing something I’m passionate about.

We’re Fat. Are You Surprised?

I won’t be shocking most of you by telling you we as a nation are obese. I work rotating 12hr shifts. On any given day, I hear dispatch send two or three units a day to get the bariatric stretcher. When we have any emergency that involves an obese patient it eats up our resources.

We call the bariatric stretcher the fatillac. If you run three bariatric calls in one shift, we call it a fat trick (a reference to the hockey term hat trick).

I was recently involved in a call where the patient weighed over 500lbs. It took myself, my partner, and four firemen to carry this man down three flights of stairs. We had to stop at each landing and rest. I don’t even want to think about what that call would have been like if it was a cardiac arrest.

Every day I work, I transport patients whose health problems are caused by their weight. Bad knees, back pain, type II diabetes, difficulty breathing, cardiac problems, cellulitis. All of these are largely caused by obesity.

Many of you probably don’t know what cellulitis is. Cellulitis is a skin infection. It generally causes a great deal of swelling. It smells terrible. When a person is morbidly obese, they lose their ability to keep themselves clean. Combine this with the wounds and poor healing qualities associated with type II diabetes and you have a real risk of getting this infection. Let me add one more piece of the puzzle. If you are obese and suffering the effects, you will end up in the hospital. This is where you will most likely come into contact with the types of bacteria that cause cellulitis.

Many people who are morbidly obese are on disability. The irony is not lost on me. I get my salary by running calls, but I have taxes taken out of my paycheck to pay for the call that I’m running… Did that last couple of sentences make any sense?

More than ever before, we share the cost for each others health care. I’m not going to get into the politics of that here. But I do want to express my feelings. I feel we more than ever have a national responsibility to take care of ourselves. We can’t keep sticking each other with the bill.

I didn’t realize my blog was going to get so preachy. Next post will be a good EMT story. I swear!

Are you in an EMT training course? Here are some Online EMT and Paramedic Practice Tests

An EMT Story

This story is fictional. Any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental. This story didn’t happen to me, but it’s a good one.

We were dispatched non emergency to a residence to pick up two patients in need of transport to the hospital. That was all dispatch had for us. We arrived minutes later to find a very upset mother of two. She told us her two teenage children had come into contact with a raccoon that tested positive for rabies. At this point, you have my attention.

We gathered the teenage brother and sister and asked them to get in the back of the truck. After everyone was belted in safely, I took a set of vitals. Then it was story time. I asked them what happened. Here’s what they told me.

They were walking home from their after school jobs at a local greasy spoon (where their mother happened to be the manager). During the short walk home they saw a raccoon get hit by a car. It was still daylight, and if they had thought about it, that would have been their first warning sign. Raccoons are nocturnal. Raccoons you see during the day can usually be considered to be ill.

The two animal lovers stopped to give the raccoon aid. The boy had his gym clothes with him and wrapped the raccoon up in them. They began to take the raccoon home where they intended to nurse it back to health.

They were only a few houses from home when the raccoon died. The teenage brother and sister decided to take their heroics to an even higher level by performing CPR. A neighbor witnessed this and asked them as politely as she could; what the hell were they doing?

The teens relayed their story to the neighbor. She smartly called their mother, who promptly called animal control. The tests came back positive for rabies, and the mother called 911 wanting the kids to be taken to the hospital by trained personnel.

When you get a call like this, you have a choice to make. You can get angry over peoples ignorance, or you can see the humor in it and enjoy the experience. I started my career in EMS for two reasons. 1. My desire to do something worth while. 2. I love a good story.

I feel like some of my best calls come after my patient says “Hey! Watch this!!!” You just have to remember to treat everyone with respect. Treat them well even if they are ignorant, or undereducated.

Are you in an EMT training course? Here are some Online EMT and Paramedic Practice Tests

It's Not About You

Our society is more than a little egocentric. We have forgotten things like the Golden Rule. “Do unto other as you would have done to yourself.” This trend has most definitely found its way into emergency medicine. I see it in ambulance crews, emergency rooms, and nursing homes.

Many of us have forgotten why we got into the business. Others got into the business for all the wrong reasons. Some of us are just burned out. If you’re not in emergency medicine to help your fellow man, then you should probably find another way to make a living. If you are considering a job in emergency medicine and you’re not interested in helping others, please don’t waste your time.

I have stopped hanging out with the other crews at the hospital (for the most part). I’m tired of the negativity and the complaining. I work with some folks who complain every time they get a call. I work with others who complain every time it’s not a major emergency. I have news for them. 90% of our calls are not a major emergency. The simple truth is that most of our patients need a primary care physician and not an ambulance.

It’s all about attitude. You can let it get to you. You can get mad. I ran a call last year over ear wax/ear pain. Truthfully, it annoyed me a little, but I didn’t let it ruin my day. My partner and I still make ear wax jokes. We carry around a travel pack of Q-Tips now.

I’m lucky to work with someone who has a good attitude. He and I decided to spend each day running the calls we’re given, having as much fun as we can, and helping where we can. It has really changed our work experience and how we feel about our jobs. We laugh and generally have a good time. We have adopted an attitude of service. Our patients notice a difference, and so do we. We have patients who ask for us by name if we’re not the ones who arrive.

If you are studying to be an EMT or paramedic I have some advice for you. Never let go of the attitude of service. Be on the street to help your fellow man. Help them no matter what their race, creed, or situation is. Some folks will need your skills. Others will just be looking for a ride. If you go into every situation with the desire to help and be positive, you’re day will be much happier.

For those of you on the streets who have forgotten why you are there I have this advice. Don’t take yourself so seriously. Stop acting like you are carrying the cross. Remember your sense of humor, and treat every patient like you would want your loved ones treated. Keep your dignity and help them keep theirs. Don’t talk about your patients like they are not in the room with you.

It doesn’t matter if you are a Christian or practice any other major or new age religion. Remember this. You get out of the world what you put into it. If you treat people like crap, you’ll receive crap. If you look for a reason to complain, you will find one. Look for a reason to laugh. It’s the cheapest and best medicine there is.



Are you in an EMT training course? Here are some Online EMT and Paramedic Practice Tests

What Is The Difference Between An EMT And A Paramedic

I'm often asked the difference between an EMT and a Paramedic. EMT's are considered BLS or basic life support providers. Paramedics are considered ALS or advanced life support providers. I can still hear you asking what the difference is. Here is the rundown.

There are several levels of care. 1. First Responders. This is the most basic level of care. First Responders know CPR and first aid. The job of the First Responder is to provide simple but immediate care until more advanced help arrives. Many police officers and volunteer firefighters are First Responders.

2. EMT-B (When the new federal changes go through, this will be called EMT). The EMT-Basic provides a higher level of care. The EMT-B has more in depth training. The EMT-B takes courses in pharmacology that allow the basic to assist in drug administration. The EMT-B is also allowed in most states to use advanced airways such as the Combitube or King Airway. These allow the EMT-B to secure the airway when a patient isn't breathing. The EMT-B is the lowest level of care allowed to transport a patient in most states.

3. EMT-I (When the new federal changes go through, this will be called the EMT Advanced). The EMT Intermediate provides all the care listed above, but is also able to provide IV therapy. This allows the intermediate to give fluids to treat shock, dextrose to treat diabetics, and to simply provide intravenous access for use by a paramedic or nurse at the hospital.

4.EMT-P. The paramedic. The word paramedic in Latin means before the hospital. Thats what they do. They provide the top of the line pre-hospital care to patients. Paramedics have longer training than the EMT. They are able to administer medications to relieve pain, help the heart, stop seizures, and treat the lungs. The paramedic receives a longer course in cardiology and can use and interpret heart monitors. Medics can also intubate. This is the practice of inserting a tube directly into the trachea to secure the airway of a person who is not breathing.

To sum it up, paramedics have more training and the ability to administer more drugs and the most advanced airways. This takes nothing away from the role of the EMT. Many calls can be run by EMTs alone. Childbirth is considered a BLS or EMT level call. One thing to consider is that with the paramedics advanced training comes more liability, and more responsibility.

I'm an EMT myself. I like to think of myself as my medic's hands free kit. I love my job. I get to help my community, and be in the center of the action.

Are you in an EMT training course? Here are some Online EMT and Paramedic Practice Tests

Welcome to An Emt’s Blog

Welcome to An Emt’s Blog. It seems like most blogs start off the same lame way. Well, I guess I’m not that much different. I do have a few things to tell you about before I really start blogging. I have several reasons for writing this blog. Many of them you’ve heard before.

The first reason is a selfish one. I need an outlet to express some of the things I go through. I also think there is a lot of humor out there people will enjoy. I know many of you are in school or are considering EMT training. You might find the stories here helpful so you can know what to expect, or use them in a training scenario.

In the future I will provide free EMT training scenarios on this site. These will help you practice and study in your emergency medical technician classes.

Now for a disclaimer. A career in EMS provides a lot to write about, but I do need to be careful. To protect myself and my patients, I will be leaving out a lot of details. I will not be exposing my identity. I will not be giving details of the location where I work, or the company/county I work for. I will provide no details of a patient’s identity. Many of the stories I tell here will be fictionalized. I will present them as fiction or “mostly fiction” so I can protect myself and them. All stories will have a disclaimer at the top expressing this.

Why am I telling you this? There is a federal law called HIPPA. One of the purposes of HIPPA is to protect a patient’s privacy. I will tell you that I consider myself a big patient advocate. Even without HIPPA I would do my best to protect patient privacy. Click Here to learn more about HIPPA.

Now that I have all of this out of the way the rest of my posts can be fun and or educational. I hope you enjoy it.

Are you in an EMT training course? Here are some Online EMT and Paramedic Practice Tests

Do you want to be an EMT? Click Here to find an EMT training course near you.