How To Hire An Emergency Medical Technician

Research Summary. Here are some key facts to know if you're looking to hire a emergency medical technicians in the United States:

  • The median cost to hire an emergency medical technician is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • HR departments typically allocate 15% of their budget towards recruitment efforts.
  • Small businesses spend $1,105 per emergency medical technician on training each year, while large companies spend $658.
  • It takes approximately 12 weeks for a new employee to reach full productivity levels.
  • There are a total of 176,556 emergency medical technicians in the US, and there are currently 137,617 job openings in this field.
  • Los Angeles, CA, has the highest demand for emergency medical technicians, with 51 job openings.

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How Much Does it Cost to Hire an Emergency Medical Technician

Recruiting emergency medical technicians involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

Emergency medical technicians earn a median yearly salary is $39,743 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find emergency medical technicians for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $12 and $28.

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How to hire an Emergency Medical Technician, step by step

To hire an emergency medical technician, consider the skills and experience you are looking for in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and post and promote the job opening to reach potential candidates. Follow these steps to hire an emergency medical technician:

  • Step 1: Identify your needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Writing an emergency medical technician job description
  • Step 5: Post the job
  • Step 6: Interview process
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new emergency medical technician
  • Step 8: Go through the checklist for the hiring process

1
Identify Your Needs

Before you post your emergency medical technician job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business need. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an emergency medical technician for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

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Hiring the perfect emergency medical technician also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires, and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

The list breaks down common emergency medical technician roles and compares their salaries.

Type Of Emergency Medical TechnicianDescriptionHourly Rate
Emergency Medical TechnicianEmergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics care for the sick or injured in emergency medical settings. People’s lives often depend on the quick reaction and competent care provided by these workers... Show More$12-28
Flight ParamedicFlight Paramedics are responsible for providing emergency medical care to patients while in transport to a medical facility. Their duties include carrying out pre-hospital life support medical care, managing patient care documentation, participate in clinical experiences, conduct equipment maintenance, reporting failure of equipment, and maintaining supplies... Show More$19-29
Firefighter/ParamedicFirefighters/paramedics handle emergency triage, ensure patient stability, and acute medical assessment. These professionals provide emergency medical care to infant, child, and adult trauma and medical patients based on assessment findings... Show More$19-31
Show More

2
Create An Ideal Candidate Profile

Before you start to recruit emergency medical technicians, imagine the ideal employee for this position and begin creating a profile and job description. What skills do they have, and what responsibilities do they have to be proficient in?

Here are some of the most common emergency medical technician skills:

Common Skills:
  • Patients
  • CPR
  • EMS
  • Customer Service
  • Life Support
  • EMT-B
  • Medical Equipment
  • Medical Care
  • Cleanliness
  • EMT-Basic
  • Emergency Care
  • Advanced Life Support
  • Vital Signs
  • Emergency Situations
Check All Skills

Here are the responsibilities that most emergency medical technicians perform:

Responsibilities:
  • Provide medical emergency response, non-emergency transport services, event medical services, manage transportation services and paramedic and EMT training.
  • Demonstrate manual dexterity, with ability to perform all tasks relate to quality patient care.
  • Coordinate emergency transport of patients while providing treatment and triage in a variety of emergency situations.
  • File reports for patients, restock ambulance and supplies at base, have ACLS training, injection.
  • Handled/administered all types of ACLS medications to pediatric, adult and geriatric patients on a daily basis.
  • Assist nurse/physician with procedure such as suturing, lumbar puncture, catherization, casting/reduction, and application of restraints.
Check all Duties

Beyond the basics, you should also consider how well a candidate fits into your company culture. In other words, you should think about how your ideal emergency medical technician will live by the company's mission statement and contribute to the team dynamic you already have in place.

Most Common States For Emergency Medical Technicians In The US

Rank #State# Of Jobs% of PopulationAvg. Salary
1California4,81712%$41,798
2Texas4,15115%$39,272
3Illinois2,23517%$44,978
4Georgia2,16821%$42,037
5Minnesota1,35224%$42,208
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3
Make A Budget

Including a salary range in your job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An emergency medical technician salary can vary based on several factors:

  • Location. For example, emergency medical technicians' average salary in oklahoma is 36% less than in district of columbia.
  • Seniority. Entry-level emergency medical technicians earn 56% less than senior-level emergency medical technicians.
  • Certifications. An emergency medical technician with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
  • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an emergency medical technician's salary.

Updated March 16, 2023

Emergency Medical Technician Salary Estimate

$39,743

$19.11 hourly
Entry level Salary
$26,000 yearly

Emergency Medical Technician Average Salary By Location

RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1New Jersey$54,165$267
2New York$51,658$2542
3Massachusetts$51,411$2512
4Pennsylvania$48,762$2331
5Wisconsin$46,925$236
Show More

Emergency Medical Technician Average Salary By Company

4
Writing an Emergency Medical Technician Job Description

An emergency medical technician job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an emergency medical technician job description:

Example of Full Job Description

Qualifications

The Emergency Medical Technician must have at least two (2) years EMS experience and two (2) years of EMS driving experience with a good driving record. It is preferred that the EMT have completed the Certified Emergency Vehicle Operator (CEVO) training course. It is preferred that he/she possess a valid Pre-Hospital Trauma Life Support (PHTLS) or Basic Trauma Life Support (BTLS) provider card. The Emergency Medical Technician must be able to pass a medical evaluation and a respirator fit test and wear an N95 particulate filter respirator mask in accordance with PEOSHA standards as a condition of employment. Bi-lingual English/Spanish skills preferred. Previous experience with electronic medical records preferred. The Emergency Medical Technician must possess and maintain current and active credentials in good standing (as determined by initial and periodic Primary Source Verification) as follows:


Credential Required:

  • Active, valid certification as an Emergency Medical Technician. Certification issued by the National Registry OR states of NJ, PA, NY, DE, MD, VA, WV, or the District of Columbia, or any other member of the Atlantic EMS council. NJ EMT Reciprocity must be obtained within six months of employment.
  • Driver's license with NJ driving privileges. Driver's license must be in accordance with the DOT/MVC regulations for the type/size/weight of the vehicle(s) as assigned. Must be an authorized driver approved by Logistical Services.
  • American Heart Association (AHA) BLS for the Healthcare Provider
  • Incident Command System (ICS) Level 100
  • National Incident Management System (NIMS) Awareness

Primary Source Verification: NJ Department of Health, Office of Emergency Medical Services, NJ Motor Vehicle Commission, University Hospital's designated Background Check Company

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The Emergency Medical Technician must be in excellent physical condition, able to work in all weather and environmental conditions, able to lift and move patients in all circumstances. The Emergency Medical Technician must be able to perform all duties consistent with providing BLS in the pre-hospital environment. Must be able to lift 50 lbs frequently and up to 125 lbs. occasionally.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The Emergency Medical Technician will, on a routine and daily basic, be required to see, hear, smell, speak, sit, walk, lift, drive, and communicate in English both verbally and in writing. In certain situations the Emergency Medical Technician may be required to kneel, crawl, climb or jump. The Emergency Medical Technician may, in rare circumstances, be required to work under austere conditions such as disaster settings, dangerous situations or hazardous environments.

5
Post A Job

There are various strategies that you can use to find the right emergency medical technician for your business:

  • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
  • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
  • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
  • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

Post your job online:

  • Post your emergency medical technician job on Zippia to find and recruit emergency medical technician candidates who meet your exact specifications.
  • Use field-specific websites such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
  • Post a job on free websites.

6
Interview Process

During your first interview to recruit emergency medical technicians, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and their experience in the field. During the next interview, you can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities.

Don't forget to include a few questions that give a candidate chance to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their special skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, candidates who are good enough can move on to the technical interview.

The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7
Send A Job Offer And Onboard Your New Emergency Medical Technician

Once you've found the emergency medical technician candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary, as well as the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer needs to be competitive if you really like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8
Go Through The Checklist For The Hiring Process

  • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
  • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
  • Define job responsibilities and requirements
  • Establish budget and timeline
  • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
  • Write job description
  • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
  • Promote the job internally
  • Process applications through applicant tracking system
  • Review resumes and cover letters
  • Shortlist candidates for screening
  • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
  • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
  • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
  • Conduct background checks on top candidates
  • Check references of top candidates
  • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
  • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
  • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
  • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
  • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
  • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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Hiring Emergency Medical Technicians FAQs

How Much Does A Good Emergency Medical Technician Cost?

A good emergency medical technician costs $19.11 an hour in the US. However, it can vary based on factors such as the emergency medical technician experience, abilities, industry, and the specific requirements of your business.

What Are The Duties Of An Emergency Medical Technician?

The duties of an emergency medical technician are:
  • Provide medical emergency response, non-emergency transport services, event medical services, manage transportation services and paramedic and EMT training.
  • Demonstrate manual dexterity, with ability to perform all tasks relate to quality patient care.
  • Coordinate emergency transport of patients while providing treatment and triage in a variety of emergency situations.

Should I Hire An Emergency Medical Technician With No Experience?

Yes, you should hire an emergency medical technician with no experience. Hiring an entry-level emergency medical technician with no experience offers versatility for your team. They may lack some qualifications, but are adaptable and have not yet formed problematic habits. However, more training may be required compared to experienced.

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Updated March 16, 2023