Emergency Medical Technician

Note: Varies between stations. 

• 0600: Shift change. Receive outgoing report. Clean/Check equipment. Check supply and medicine inventory.
• 0600-0700: Clean station
• 0700-0800: Breakfast
• 0800-1200: Training/Personal time
• 1200-1300: Lunch
• 1300-1800: Training/Personal Time/Work out
• 1800-1900: Dinner
• 1900-0545: Personal time/Sleep
• 0545: Wake up tones 

Calls
The above schedule obviously does not include the average 10-20 calls per day that are split between the fire stations in the area. The time spent on a call can vary from 30 minutes to several hours or more and may involve one or two engines or every piece of available apparatus. This can have a significant impact on the schedule for the day and many times training or maintenance must be rescheduled to another day. 

• Responds to 911 calls for emergency medical assistance, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) or bandaging a wound.
• Assesses a patient’s condition and determines a course of treatment.
• Follows guidelines that they learned in training and that they receive from physicians who oversee their work.
• Uses backboards and restraints to keep patients still and safe in an ambulance for transport.
• Help stransfer patients to the emergency department of a healthcare facility and reports their observations and treatment to the staff.
• Creates a patient care report; documenting the medical care they gave the patient.
• Replaces used supplies and check or clean equipment after use.

• Physical strength: Must be able to lift heavy objects.
• Communication skills: Must be able to clearly articulate patient’s condition to healthcare provider to which you are transferring patient.  
• Stress management: Must be able to deal with stress and extreme environments. 
• Empathy and compassion: Must be able to provide emotional support patients in an emergency. 
• Problem-solving skills under stressful situations
• Listening skills: Must listen well to the patients to determine the injury or illness. 
• Documentation skills: accuracy and thorough recordings of situation, injury or illness. 

1. 911 services: Integrated into fire departments and respond to emergencies.
2. Transfer services: Transfers patients between hospitals and other care facilities. 

Modes of transport: ambulance, rescue vehicle, helicopter, fixed-wing aircraft, motorcycle, or fire suppression apparatus (aka fire truck).

• You are on the front line: You are pre-hospital care so you will see all types situations (trauma, gunshot victim, gruesome accidents...etc.). 
• Dangerous and life-threatening.
• Irregular and long hours when on call. 

• Liked the outdoors.
• Liked helping people in need. 
• Attracted to adrenaline-filled activities.