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Career Research Emergency Medical Technician Project (EMT)

Career Information
Michelle Nuez Mrs. Rhonda Dunn Career Research 1.) Name of career: Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

2.) Type of work done in this career: As an EMT, you will typically find your job filled

with dealing with emergencies. For example, if someone has a heart attack, the EMT will typically be the dispatched by a 911 operator. A EMTs job is to basically respond to Emergency accidents. Their job is to keep the person alive until they are able to be care for by a doctor at a hospital.

3.) Name at least two of your specific interests that career this career will satisfy: I am

very interested in being in an emergency department. I like the rush that the emergency situations give you and I would love to know that I am helping someone survive.

4.) Educational requirements: A high school diploma is required to enter a training

program to become an EMT or paramedic. Workers must complete a formal training and certification process.

5.) Types of certifications required: All 50 States require EMTs and Paramedics to be

licensed, but the levels and titles vary from State to State. In most States, licensure renewal is required every two to three years and generally, EMTs and Paramedics must

take refresher training courses or complete continuing education requirements. Many States restrict licensure based on an individuals criminal history.

6.) Working conditions: EMTs and paramedics work both indoors and out, in all types of

weather. They are required to do considerable kneeling, bending, and heavy lifting. These workers are at a higher risk for contracting illnesses or experiencing injuries on the job than workers in other occupations. They risk noise-induced hearing loss from sirens and back injuries from lifting patients. In addition, EMTs and paramedics may be exposed to communicable diseases, such as hepatitis-B and AIDS, as well as to violence from mentally unstable or combative patients. The work is not only physically strenuous but can be stressful, sometimes involving life-or-death situations and suffering patients. Nonetheless, many people find the work exciting and challenging and enjoy the opportunity to help others. These workers experienced a larger than average number of work-related injuries or illnesses.

7.) Advancement opportunities: Paramedics can become supervisors, operations managers,

administrative directors, or executive directors of emergency services. Some EMTs and paramedics become instructors, dispatchers, or physician assistants; others move into sales or marketing of emergency medical equipment. A number of people become EMTs and paramedics to test their interest in healthcare before training as registered nurses, physicians, or other health workers.

8.) Wages and benefits: Earnings of EMTs and paramedics depend on the employment

setting and geographic location of their jobs, as well as their training and experience. Median hourly wages of EMTs and paramedics were $14.10 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $11.13 and $18.28. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $9.08, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $23.77. Median hourly wages in the industries employing the largest numbers of EMTs and paramedics in May 2008 were $12.99 in other ambulatory healthcare services and $15.45 in local government. In 2008, about 27 percent of EMTs and paramedics belonged to a union or were covered by a union contract.

9.) Job outlook for the future: Employment for EMTs and paramedics is expected to grow

about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2018. Job prospects should be good, particularly in cities and private ambulance services.

10.) Address: State Office of EMS J. Patrick ONeal, M.D., State EMS Medical Director Billy Watson, Acting State EMS Director 260 Skyland Drive Atlanta, GA 30319 404-679-0547 fax: 404-679-0526 email: phemsinfo@dhr.state.ga.us 11.) Name at least seven abilities needed for this career:

Gross Motor Skills Fine Motor Skills Physical Endurance Physical Strength Vision Hearing

Environment Tactile Reading Writing Math Interpersonal Skills

Communication Skills Emotional Stability Critical Thinking Analytical Thinking

Interview
How did you select this occupation? I selected this occupation through my experience in the military. I was a combat medic in the army and that was equivalent to an EMT in the civilian world. What are the educational requirements? The Basic EMT course is about 6 months. The Intermediate EMT course takes about9months. The EMT-Paramedic course takes about a year to complete.
What are the opportunities of advancement?

As an EMT, you can progress through your education and become a paramedic. Once you achieve the level of a paramedic, you can obtain positions as an EMS supervisor, a flight medic, or even an EMS instructor. What do you like about your job?

The thing that I like the most about my job is that it always varies from day to day. I never do the same thing on any two shifts. Also, this job gives me a chance to give back to the community. What are the hours? Is there some choice or control of your work schedule? As an EMT, I work 24hr shifts. We work 24 hours on and then we have 48 hours off. We follow pretty much the same schedule as the fire department. We have no control over our work schedule. Is there job security? There is some sense of job security in that there are always going to be sick people or people that get hurt and are in need of pre-hospital medical treatment. However, just like many other employers, EMS services are cutting back on overtime and the benefits that they provide.
Are you satisfied with the salary?

No. EMT pay is nowhere near what it should be. For all of the responsibility and liability that we have, we make peanuts in return. This seems to be the trend in all public service careers though. That is why I am currently in nursing school. The wear and tear on your body is not worth the small salary that we make. Is the job structured, or is there flexibility? There is some flexibility on the job. When you are not on a call, you can pretty much do whatever you want as long as you stay in your specified territory. Do you feel you are respected in this position?

I feel as though I am respected amongst other EMS professionals and the general public. However, the rest of the medical field do not respect EMTs that much and look down on us because we did not attend any formal "medical school" for our training. Most of our training is done at a technical school and even online. What are your major responsibilities in the job? My major responsibilities on the job are to stabilize sick or injured patients and get them to the hospital without causing any more harm. We also deal with emotional family members, the media, crime scenes, and some very horrible deaths. It is not a job for the faint of heart or anyone who gets their feelings hurt easily. We work weekends, holidays, and all hours of the day and night in all types of weather conditions. We provide basic life support, advanced life support, and pre-hospital trauma life support. Taking care of patients to the best of my ability is my main responsibility. If a patient needs an intervention that is out of my scope of practice, my paramedic partner takes over patient care. As an EMT, I do a lot of the driving and make sure that the ambulance is always stocked appropriately at all times with anything that we may need. Interview by Michelle Nuez with Mr. Colby Dean

Resources
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http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos101.htm http://firstaid.about.com/od/emergencymedicalservices/qt/06_EMTBvsP.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_medical_technician

- Intro to Healthcare Textbook

Essay
What I Learned about Selecting a Career Many things go into play when youre thinking about choosing a career thats right for you. You have to start thinking about how your interest in a career will affect your choice, and also how your abilities can affect what career you chose to enter. Your work values can also act as a major role in choosing a career that you will be satisfied with. Trust me, if you are not satisfied with your career choice, and you dont think about these things, life in a job that DOES NOT make you happy can be hard. Nobody wants that. When going out to find a career that is just right for you, first you should try to actually be interested in that job. Interest in a career plays a big part, because if you are not interested in a certain career, you will be having a hard time trying to commit to that one career and being satisfied. Your career should ideally be a reflection of what you enjoy doing and what

corresponds to your unique set of interests. Doing something you hate that is not fulfilling, despite the possible financial or respect gained, will likely leave you feeling unhappy overall. Ask yourself long and hard what you really love doing, what makes you feel useful and do you want to be doing for the rest of your career life. These factors should affect every career choice you make. You will spend a lot of time at your job, so you should make sure that your work is a good match with your interests. Do you spend hours reading about history or painting or maybe you love being outdoors and active. Whatever your interests may be, it would be helpful to take them into consideration as you make career choices.

Another thing you should take into account when choosing a career is your abilities. If you are trying to get into a career that requires you to have an ability that you dont have, why choose that career. If you do that, it will only make your job harder and maybe even more stressful. It might even cause you to be unhappy. You need to pick a career that you have the ability to do. I mean its common sense. For example, why try to be a surgeon, if you dont have hands, or poor vision, or just dont work well around blood. That would be a bad career choice. That is why it is majorly important to take your abilities into thought when picking the right career. Last, but definitely not least, are your values. Considering your values is a big part of making a decision about your career. The biggest cause of career burnout happens when your values and your work are constantly against one another. So if you're wondering how to choose a career that allows you to achieve work and value balance, know that the first thing to do is to consider the way your career fits with your values. Your values may change as you reach different stages of your life, and your career may change because of it, so it's important to think through your most important values to make sure they fit with your career choices. For example, if you value flexibility, family and personal time, choosing a career with a demanding schedule will most likely not be a good choose for you. If you value achievement, advancement and status, you will probably feel bad working in a job with a very flat organizational structure. So as you can see, you have to think about a lot of things before just rushing into a career, that is, if you want to be happy and successful. Just make the right choose, and that will hopefully make your life a lot easier and make you a lot happier.

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