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What does an emergency medical technician do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
Quoted expert
Ben Price
What does an emergency medical technician do

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.

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Emergency medical technician responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real emergency medical technician resumes:

  • 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.
  • Perform tasks requiring manual dexterity.
  • Administer CPR and other emergency medical treatment during emotionally stressful situations.
  • Provide emergency medical care according to EMT-B level of establish Maryland protocols.
  • Perform procedures such as phlebotomy and orthopedic splinting and ready patients for doctor evaluation.
  • Participate in all standard firefighting duties, including emergency calls and equipment monitoring and maintenance.
  • Prioritize time management and organization in order to effectively triage, treat and transport patients to appropriate facility.
  • Monitor cardiac conditions and EKG readings, and communicate pertinent information to medical hospital staff for optimal patient care services.
  • Provide basic emergency medical care, patient transportation, documentation, and maintain sanitation and cleanliness of all equipment and areas.
  • Obtain instructor level in PHTLS, AMLS.

Emergency medical technician skills and personality traits

We calculated that 19% of Emergency Medical Technicians are proficient in Patients, CPR, and EMS. They’re also known for soft skills such as Compassion, Physical strength, and Problem-solving skills.

We break down the percentage of Emergency Medical Technicians that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Patients, 19%

    Attended emergency medical requests as they arose and rendered advanced paramedical assistance to seriously ill or injured patients.

  • CPR, 11%

    Provided first response services which included bandaging wounds, administrating oxygen, and administering CPR

  • EMS, 7%

    Heightened educational outcomes by providing instructional leadership for all EMS related classes.

  • Customer Service, 6%

    Maintained a quality, customer service oriented environment designed to provide protection and safety for personnel, property and assets.

  • Life Support, 5%

    Provide private transportation between medical facilities for patients who require basic life support and critical care support with proper medical professionals.

  • EMT-B, 3%

    Provide emergency medical care according to EMT-B level of established Maryland protocols.

"patients," "cpr," and "ems" are among the most common skills that emergency medical technicians use at work. You can find even more emergency medical technician responsibilities below, including:

Compassion. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for an emergency medical technician to have is compassion. Their role and responsibilities require that "emts and paramedics must be able to provide emotional support to patients in an emergency, especially patients who are in life-threatening situations or extreme mental distress." Emergency medical technicians often use compassion in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "reacted calmly and effectively in emergency situations and exhibited professionalism and compassion when caring for patients and interacting with families. "

Physical strength. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling emergency medical technician duties is physical strength. The role rewards competence in this skill because "emts and paramedics need to be physically fit." According to an emergency medical technician resume, here's how emergency medical technicians can utilize physical strength in their job responsibilities: "maintain physical conditioning necessary to perform efficiently in emergency situations; meet medical and physical agility standards as established. "

Problem-solving skills. This is an important skill for emergency medical technicians to perform their duties. For an example of how emergency medical technician responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "emts and paramedics must evaluate patients’ symptoms and administer appropriate treatments." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an emergency medical technician: "responded to injured players, taped injuries, quickly and effectively solved emergency situations".

Speaking skills. emergency medical technician responsibilities often require "speaking skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "emts and paramedics need to clearly explain procedures to patients, give orders, and relay information to others." This resume example shows what emergency medical technicians do with speaking skills on a typical day: "represented eagle ems in numerous disaster response team (drt) exercises. "

Listening skills. Another common skill required for emergency medical technician responsibilities is "listening skills." This skill comes up in the duties of emergency medical technicians all the time, as "emts and paramedics need to listen to patients to determine the extent of their injuries or illnesses." An excerpt from a real emergency medical technician resume shows how this skill is central to what an emergency medical technician does: "communicated and comforted patient and families during emergency situations. "

Interpersonal skills. Lastly, "interpersonal skills" is an important element of what an emergency medical technician does. Emergency medical technician responsibilities require this skill because "emts and paramedics usually work on teams and must be able to coordinate their activities closely with others in stressful situations." This resume example highlights how emergency medical technician duties rely on this skill: "used interpersonal skills to cooperate with multiple agencies to ensure patient care and crew safety. "

All emergency medical technician skills

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Compare different emergency medical technicians

Emergency medical technician vs. Ambulance driver

Flight 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. They are responsible for healthcare referrals, outreach education activities, pre-mission checklists, and employee orientation. Flight Paramedics also contribute to the departmental quality by undertaking research and ensure operations comply with safety standards.

If we compare the average emergency medical technician annual salary with that of an ambulance driver, we find that ambulance drivers typically earn a $13,259 higher salary than emergency medical technicians make annually.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both emergency medical technician and ambulance driver positions are skilled in patients, cpr, and ems.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of an emergency medical technician are more likely to require skills like "customer service," "cleanliness," "emt-basic," and "emergency care." On the other hand, a job as an ambulance driver requires skills like "emergency calls," "medical appointments," "law enforcement officials," and "convalescent persons." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Ambulance drivers tend to reach similar levels of education than emergency medical technicians. In fact, ambulance drivers are 1.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Emergency medical technician vs. Flight paramedic

Firefighters/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. They manage paramedic/EMT continuing education programs. They are trained in HAZMAT response and do exercises on a monthly basis. It is their responsibility to coordinate blood-borne infection and CPR yearly skills training and re-certification for county volunteers and employees.

A career as a flight paramedic brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of an emergency medical technician. In fact, flight paramedics salary is $10,518 higher than the salary of emergency medical technicians per year.A few skills overlap for emergency medical technicians and flight paramedics. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "patients," "cpr," and "ems. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, emergency medical technician responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "customer service," "emt-b," "cleanliness," and "emt-basic." Meanwhile, a flight paramedic has duties that require skills in areas such as "emt," "bls," "direct patient care," and "phtls." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Average education levels between the two professions vary. Flight paramedics tend to reach similar levels of education than emergency medical technicians. In fact, they're 0.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for emergency medical technicians in the next 3-5 years?

Ben PriceBen Price LinkedIn profile

CAE | CEO, National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting

Surgical technology is an exciting and rapidly growing area, and the operating room is changing fast. In the next five years, we will see the growth of hybrid imaging-operating rooms, increased use of robotic surgery, internet-connected devices, and smart lighting design.

Emergency medical technician vs. Firefighter/paramedic

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.

On average, firefighter/paramedics earn higher salaries than emergency medical technicians, with a $12,021 difference per year.emergency medical technicians and firefighter/paramedics both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "patients," "cpr," and "customer service," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from emergency medical technician resumes include skills like "ems," "emt-b," "cleanliness," and "emt-basic," whereas a firefighter/paramedic is more likely to list skills in "emt," "ventilation," "fire safety," and "fire drills. "

Firefighter/paramedics earn the highest salary when working in the government industry, where they receive an average salary of $56,312. Comparatively, emergency medical technicians have the highest earning potential in the government industry, with an average salary of $39,453.When it comes to education, firefighter/paramedics tend to earn similar degree levels compared to emergency medical technicians. In fact, they're 1.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Emergency medical technician vs. Paramedic

Paramedics average a higher salary than the annual salary of emergency medical technicians. The difference is about $4,897 per year.While their salaries may vary, emergency medical technicians and paramedics both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "patients," "cpr," and "ems. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between emergency medical technicians and paramedics, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an emergency medical technician might have more use for skills like "emt-b," "emt-basic," "dexterity," and "medical facility." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of paramedics require skills like "bls," "emt," "triage," and "phtls. "

Paramedics enjoy the best pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $44,219. For comparison, emergency medical technicians earn the highest salary in the government industry.In general, paramedics hold similar degree levels compared to emergency medical technicians. Paramedics are 1.0% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of emergency medical technician

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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