Careers

EMTs and Paramedics

• Respond to 911 calls for emergency medical assistance, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or bandaging a wound
• Assess a patient’s condition and determine a course of treatment
• Provide first-aid treatment or life support care to sick or injured patients
• Transport patients safely in an ambulance
• Transfer patients to the emergency department of a hospital or other healthcare facility
• Report their observations and treatment to physicians, nurses, or other healthcare facility staff
• Document medical care given to patients
• Inventory, replace, and clean supplies and equipment after use

When transporting a patient in an ambulance, one EMT or paramedic may drive the ambulance while another monitors the patient’s vital signs and gives additional care. Some paramedics work as part of a helicopter’s or an airplane’s flight crew to transport critically ill or injured patients to a hospital.EMTs and paramedics also transport patients from one medical facility to another. Some patients may need to be transferred to a hospital that specializes in treating their particular injury or illness or to a facility that provides long-term care, such as a nursing home. If a patient has a contagious disease, EMTs and paramedics decontaminate the interior of the ambulance and may need to report the case to the proper authorities.