How To Become An Emergency Medical Dispatcher: What It Is and Career Path

What is an emergency medical dispatcher and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Elyse Zavar PhD

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an emergency medical dispatcher. For example, did you know that they make an average of $18.39 an hour? That's $38,255 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 3,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an emergency medical dispatcher?

Elyse Zavar PhD

Associate Professor, University of North Texas

Prior to entering the field, gaining hands-on experience through internships and volunteer opportunities can help new professionals not only stand out in the job market, but many employers will recognize and count these as years of experience thus increasing salaries. When offered a position, research comparable salaries and do not be afraid to negotiate salary, among other benefits, when discussing a job offer.

ScoreEmergency Medical DispatcherUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $38,255

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.72%

Asian 0.90%

Black or African American 9.14%

Hispanic or Latino 11.11%

Unknown 6.00%

White 72.13%

Gender

female 64.22%

male 35.78%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.9

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.7

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an emergency medical dispatcher

Explore emergency medical dispatcher education requirements

Most common emergency medical dispatcher degrees

Bachelor's

29.1 %

Associate

28.1 %

High School Diploma

23.9 %

Start to develop specific emergency medical dispatcher skills

Skills	Percentages
EMT	11.20%
Computer Aided Dispatch	9.69%
EMS	7.84%
CAD	7.79%
EMD	6.73%

Complete relevant emergency medical dispatcher training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New emergency medical dispatchers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an emergency medical dispatcher based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real emergency medical dispatcher resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming an licensed emergency medical dispatcher usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed emergency medical dispatcher in most of states. 35 states require emergency medical dispatchers to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Kentucky	Specific course required	Third-party exam required	Advanced Emergency Medical Technician
Maryland	Degree required	Third-party exam required	EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN (PARAMEDIC) AND CARDIAC RESCUE
Alabama	-	-	Registered Intermediate Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
Alaska	Specific course required	State exam required	Emergency Medical Technician
Arkansas	Specific course required	Third-party exam required	Emergency Medical Technician

Gain additional emergency medical dispatcher certifications

Emergency medical dispatcher certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific emergency medical dispatcher certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for emergency medical dispatchers include Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Emergency Medical Dispatcher.

More About Certifications

Research emergency medical dispatcher duties and responsibilities

Train new EMT students, and dispatchers in patient care, emergency call taking and operations.
Dispatch fire police sheriff and medical using the cad system.
Provide medical instructions to callers on issues such as childbirth and CPR.
Dispatch appropriate units according to acuity level, availability and location; assist with CPR until units arrive at location.

Prepare your emergency medical dispatcher resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your emergency medical dispatcher resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an emergency medical dispatcher resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable emergency medical dispatcher resume templates

Build a professional emergency medical dispatcher resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your emergency medical dispatcher resume.