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The differences between emergency medical technicians and paramedics can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a paramedic has an average salary of $44,640, which is higher than the $39,743 average annual salary of an emergency medical technician.
The top three skills for an emergency medical technician include patients, CPR and EMS. The most important skills for a paramedic are patients, acls, and CPR.
| Emergency Medical Technician | Paramedic | |
| Yearly salary | $39,743 | $44,640 |
| Hourly rate | $19.11 | $21.46 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 137,617 | 27,896 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Associate Degree, 45% |
| Average age | 36 | 36 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Emergency medical technicians or EMTs are skilled medical professionals who act as first responders to injured or sick patients. They apply first aid or do emergency medical procedures upon arriving at the area where the emergency happened. For serious or grave injuries, they do not have complete medical equipment at their disposal, so they have limited capacities on the field. Despite that, EMTs do their best to ensure that patients would reach the hospital for such high-risk cases. EMTs are expected to be calm under pressure and have extensive knowledge of first aid and of basic medical procedures.
A paramedic is a healthcare professional who provides advanced medical care and emergency treatment to patients in the field. Although they can work on ambulances or hospital emergency rooms, paramedics may work as part of a helicopter's flight crew to transport critically ill patients to a specialized hospital. Paramedics are required to create a patient care report and document the medical care of patients they are treating. Also, paramedics need to follow the guidelines they learned in training from their physician who supervises their work.
Emergency medical technicians and paramedics have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Emergency Medical Technician | Paramedic | |
| Average salary | $39,743 | $44,640 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $59,000 | Between $33,000 And $59,000 |
| Highest paying City | New Brunswick, NJ | Arlington, MA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Lewistown Hospital | Mission Regional Medical Center |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between an emergency medical technician and a paramedic in terms of educational background:
| Emergency Medical Technician | Paramedic | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Associate Degree, 45% |
| Most common major | Medical Technician | Medical Technician |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between emergency medical technicians' and paramedics' demographics:
| Emergency Medical Technician | Paramedic | |
| Average age | 36 | 36 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 60.9% Female, 39.1% | Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 4.5% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 4.5% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |