Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are professionals trained to quickly respond to emergencies that are commonly related to medical issues, accidents and traumatic injuries. EMTs commonly work in ambulances as clinicians whose roles are to save people’s lives and offer them the best treatment. There are those who work as volunteers especially in rural areas. Paramedics on the other hand are healthcare trained professionals who dedicate themselves sorely to work in emergency situations. They are well known to offer medical treatment at an advanced life support level in a pre-hospital environment and deal with cases as such serious injuries and illness. Paramedics can at times work in hospital environment to treat patients with serious injuries. They work in ambulances and emergency response vehicles.
To get the best training as an EMT, you should start by checking with your local county or the state Emergency Medical Services Agency (EMSA) which offers a list of approved courses from the best accredited schools. For instance, if you are in the State of California, you can get this information at EMSA site, if you are located in Los Angeles, this information can be viewed in Department of Health EMS services. While choosing the best school to enroll and start your journey to your career, it is important to check the following key factors; the reputation of the organization you are to enroll, time you will need to study out of the course, the course start date, course scheduling choices- short term and long term courses, look at the students passing rates and the number of successful individuals that the school has so far produced. Salaries for EMTs vary as per the state, working hours and positions and the employer (government of private). In most cases, EMT earn $25,000 to $50,000 per year, source: http://www.emtsalary.org. It has its own pros and cons, while it may offer transport via ambulance to workers, it may be difficult for the same services in rural areas where roads are impassable. Working in disaster prone areas is also dangerous for the EMTs as they are unpredictable recurrence of such disasters. Its advantages are that they are provided a means of transportation via ambulance and it is an easy to get job.
Those willing to take a career in Paramedics can study in accredited schools and they can only get them through checking with their local county. They offer a list of many accredited schools and yours is to select a school that you like. It is important to select a better school with a track record of producing highly qualified paramedics, check at its reputation, facilities and the mode of training. It is also important to familiarize yourself with the various associations the school collaborates with and their requirements. The paramedics working conditions involves a constant shift and change of different environments; it involves travelling by ambulances to disaster stricken regions and other areas to save people’s live. Sometimes you will have to work overtime hours but the advantages are that you will get overtime payments. Salary for paramedics varies according to experience; region and number of working hours, a lot of states will pay you between $32,000 to around $54, 000 a year.
