Emergency Medical Services - Temple College

Emergency Medical Services from Temple College is a Campus Associate Medical Emergency degree that prepares you for a Healthcare career. People's lives often depend on the quick reaction and competent care of emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics, EMTs with additional advanced training to perform more difficult pre-hospital medical procedures. Incidents as varied as automobile accidents, heart attacks, drownings, childbirths, and gunshot wounds all require immediate medical attention. EMTs and paramedics provide this vital attention as they care for and transport the sick or injured to a medical facility. Depending on the nature of the emergency, EMTs and paramedics typically are dispatched to the scene by a 911 operator and often work closely with police and fire department personnel. Once they arrive, they determine the nature and extent of the patient's condition, while trying to ascertain whether the patient has preexisting medical problems. Following policies and protocols, they give appropriate emergency care and when necessary, transport the patient. EMTs and paramedics also treat patients with minor injuries on the scene of an accident or at their home without transporting them to a medical facility. Some Paramedics work as part of helicopter flight crews that transport critically ill or injured. All treatments are carried out under the supervision of medical doctors. EMTs and paramedics may use special equipment such as backboards to immobilize patients before placing them on stretchers and securing them in the ambulance for transport to a medical facility. Usually, one EMT or paramedic drives while the other monitors the patient's condition and gives additional care as needed. At the medical facility, EMTs and paramedics transfer patients to the emergency department staff, report their observations and actions, and may provide additional emergency treatment. After each run, EMTs and paramedics replace used supplies, check equipment, decontaminate the equipment and the interior of the ambulance, and write a patient care report. Beyond these general duties, the specific responsibilities of EMTs and paramedics depend on their level of qualification and training. To determine this, and the Texas Department of Health certifies or licenses emergency medical service (EMS) providers and the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) registers providers at four levels: First Responder, also called Emergency Care Attendant (ECAs), EMT-Basic, EMT-Intermediate, and EMT-Paramedic. The lowest level, First Responders (ECAs), are trained to provide basic emergency medical care because they tend to be the first persons to arrive at the scene of an incident. Many firefighters, police officers, and other emergency workers have this level of training. The EMT-Basic, also known as EMT-B, represents the first component of the emergency medical technician system. An EMT-B is trained to care for ill or injured patients on scenes and during transport by ambulance to the hospital. The EMT-B has the skills to assess a patient's condition and manage respiratory, cardiac, other medical and trauma emergencies. The EMT-Intermediate (EMT-I) has more advanced training that allows administration of intravenous fluids, use of advanced airway techniques and equipment to assist patients experiencing emergencies. Paramedics (EMT-P) provide the most extensive pre-hospital care. In addition to the procedures already described, paramedics may administer drugs, interpret electrocardiograms (EKGs), use manual defibrillators to restart the heart, perform surgical airways, and use other complex equipment. Employment EMTs and paramedics held about 172,000 jobs in 2000. Most career EMTs and paramedics work in metropolitan areas. There are many more volunteer EMTs and paramedics, especially in smaller cities, towns, and rural areas. They volunteer for fire departments, or emergency medical services (EMS). EMTs and paramedics may respond to only a few calls for service per month, or may answer 20 calls for service per shift. Full- and part-time paid EMTs and paramedics were employed in a number of settings. About 4 out of 10 worked in local and suburban transportation, as employees of private ambulance services. About 3 out of 10 worked in local government for fire departments, public ambulance services and Emergency Medical Services. Another 2 out 10 were found in hospitals, where they worked full time within the medical facility or responded to calls in ambulances or helicopters to transport critically ill or injured patients. The remainder worked in various industries providing emergency services. View more details on Temple College . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Medical Emergency courses.