The healthcare workers who answer to youremergencymight very well be paramedics , EMTs , EMRs , or some of each . But the term are n’t standardized synonyms that just mean “ any first respondent who get in an ambulance . ”
Basically , there ’s a pecking order of positions in emergency medical services ( EMS ) . The higher up you climb , the more tariff you ’re give up to do — and the more education you ’ll have to undergo to get certified . At accounting entry grade are emergency medical responders ( EMRs ) , a certification that typicallyrequiresaround 60 hour of education . As theNational Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians explains , EMRs can “ supply immediate lifesaving care to vital patient . ” This mayincludetasks like deal CPR and bag - valve - mask ventilation , assessing trauma , assume vital house , piece splints , and responding to affected role get shock or diabetic emergency brake .
The next major category is emergency aesculapian technicians , or EMTs , whose training programlastsroughly 150 hours or longer . These professional can do everything EMRs can do , plusmore : delivering babies , cover with fire - related injuries or exposure to risky materials , etc . You do n’t usually need an EMR certification — or , in fact , any premature medical experience — to enroll in an EMT program . But if you want to become a paramedic , you ’ll likely first need to get certified as an EMT .
Paramedicsare at the top of the power structure , and they credibly spend somewhere between 1200 to 1800 hr in preparation to get there . In addition to the capableness of EMS workers under them , paramedicscan also do thing like interpret EKGs , intubate patient , and administer endovenous medicament .
The exact responsibility and training requirements for these positions canvaryby country . And there are also line that go down between the enceinte three covered above — like “ in advance EMTs . ” So if you see a non - paramedic first respondent giving someone an IV , it does n’t mean they ’re punching above their weight course .
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