Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics
(SOC 29-2041)

Print Version

Assess injuries, administer emergency medical care, and extricate trapped individuals. Transport injured or sick persons to medical facilities.

Sample of reported job titles: Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Paramedic, Emergency Medical Technician - Basic (EMT-B), Firefighter/EMT (Firefighter/Emergency Medical Technician), Emergency Medical Technician - Intermediate (EMT-I), Firefighter/Paramedic, EMT/Dispatcher (Emergency Medical Technician/Dispatcher), Fire Fighter First Responder, First Responder, Flight Paramedic

Job Responsibilities

• Administer first aid treatment or life support care to sick or injured persons in prehospital settings.
• Perform emergency diagnostic and treatment procedures, such as stomach suction, airway management, or heart monitoring, during ambulance ride.
• Observe, record, and report to physician the patient's condition or injury, the treatment provided, and reactions to drugs or treatment.
• Immobilize patient for placement on stretcher and ambulance transport, using backboard or other spinal immobilization device.
• Maintain vehicles and medical and communication equipment and replenish first aid equipment and supplies.
• Assess nature and extent of illness or injury to establish and prioritize medical procedures.
• Communicate with dispatchers or treatment center personnel to provide information about situation, to arrange reception of victims, or to receive instructions for further treatment.
• Comfort and reassure patients.
• Decontaminate ambulance interior following treatment of patient with infectious disease and report case to proper authorities.
• Operate equipment, such as electrocardiograms (EKGs), external defibrillators, or bag valve mask resuscitators, in advanced life support environments.

New Hampshire Outlook

• Average Hourly Wage*: $15.70
• Estimated Employment 2010: 1,340
• Projected Employment 2020: 1,696
• Expected 10-Year Growth: 26.6%
• Projected Average Annual Openings: 63

Top industries in NH for this occupation:

• Ambulatory Health Care Services
• Local Government, except Education
• Hospitals

Education and Training

All Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics must complete an educational program to qualify for examination. Most programs are less than two years, but some community colleges offer Associate's degrees. Others may obtain training through military experience. EMTs and Paramedics must be licensed in all fifty states and the District of Columbia.

In New Hampshire, EMTs and Paramedics are regulated by the Division of Fire Standards and Training and Emergency Medical Services in the New Hampshire Department of Safety. All applicants must pass the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) examination and the New Hampshire EMS practical examination. EMTs and Paramedics must complete continuing education to maintain licensure, but the number of hours varies depending on their level of licensure.

Interests (Holland Code): SIR

• Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Career Cluster: Health Science

Work Environment
Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics work both indoors and outdoors, in all types of weather. Their work is physically strenuous and can be stressful, sometimes involving life-or-death situations and patients who are suffering.

Additional Information Sources**
National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians
<www.naemt.org>

National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians
<www.nremt.org>

To Find a Job
Contact the nearest NH Employment Security office or go online to www.nhes.nh.gov

* New Hampshire Occupational Employment and Wages, September 2012. Wage estimates based on surveys through May 2011, adjusted to June 2012.
** Inclusion of this information is intended to provide a convenient resource for research, but in no way constitutes an endorsement for any organization; nor is the list all-inclusive.

Source:
NH Employment Projections, base year 2010 to projected year 2020
Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010, Bureau of Labor Statistics

For more information:
Economic and Labor Market Information Bureau
(603) 228-4124
elmi@nhes.nh.gov