Becoming an EMT is a great way to gain clinical experience and stand out on
your medical school applications. That being said, it’s not for everyone. Here’s what you
need to know about becoming an EMT. Dr. Jubbal, MedSchoolInsiders.com.
This is the second video in our new extracurricular series where we dive
deep into various premed extracurriculars to help you decide which ones are right for
you. Let us know which extracurricular you’d like to see next in the comment section below.
Emergency medical technicians, or EMTs, are healthcare professionals who specialize in the
treatment and transport of sick or injured patients in the prehospital setting. They
are trained to assess a patient's condition, administer life support measures such as CPR
and supplemental oxygen, and stabilize patients for transport to a hospital
or other medical facility. EMTs work in a variety of settings, including ambulances,
fire departments, and other emergency medical services settings. There are three different
levels of EMT certification, each with varying degrees of training and scopes of practice.
EMT-Basic is the first level of certification. Basic EMTs’ responsibilities consist of
non-invasive interventions for low acuity patients and assisting other higher level personnel,
such as Advanced EMTs and Paramedics, with higher acuity patients. Examples of treatments that
a Basic EMT can provide include administering aspirin for chest pain, providing supplemental
oxygen for shortness of breath, and monitoring vital signs. In addition, they are trained to
administer basic life support including CPR, bleeding control, and basic airway management.
Advanced-EMT or AEMT is the next level of certification. An advanced EMT is able to
perform all of the duties of an EMT-Basic, plus limited invasive treatments to care for higher
acuity patients. This includes placing intravenous catheters, or IVs, for fluid or medication
administration, administering nebulizer treatments for asthma or COPD exacerbations, and placing
supraglottic airways, among others. The exact scope of an AEMT can vary depending on the state
or medical system. For instance, an AEMT working in a more rural area may have a greater scope of
practice than an AEMT working in a large city. The last level of certification is the EMT-P,
more commonly referred to as the paramedic. Paramedics render invasive treatments for
severely ill or injured patients. They are able to assess and stabilize a wide variety
of life threatening conditions including cardiac arrests, respiratory failure, heart attacks, and
severe trauma. As such, their scope of practice is much greater than Basic or Advanced EMTs. They
can administer a wide variety of medications including narcotics and anti-arrhythmics. They
can perform endotracheal intubation for airway management, cardioversions for dysrhythmias,
and needle chest decompression for pneumothoraces – all while in the back of a moving ambulance.
For those looking to take their EMS career further, there are additional certifications for
paramedics including critical care paramedic, flight paramedic, and tactical paramedic.
It should be noted that all EMTs work under a medical director and adhere to state protocols
which dictate what treatments or interventions they can and cannot do. These protocols serve as
standing orders to administer treatments without a doctor present. As such, the scope of practice for
EMTs, AEMTs, and Paramedics can vary significantly depending on the location or medical system.
In some instances, EMTs may need to contact an emergency medicine physician for permission to
administer a particular medication or intervention – even when it’s clinically indicated.
To become an EMT in the United States, you must complete an accredited EMT course and
pass a written and practical skills exam administered by the National Registry of
Emergency Medical Technicians, or NREMT for short. EMT-Basic courses are typically 10-12 weeks or
approximately 150 hours in duration and consist of in-class lectures, practice scenarios,
and clinical experiences. Once you’ve completed your EMT-Basic course and passed the NREMT exam,
you can apply for an Advanced EMT Program. Advanced EMT programs consist of an additional
10-14 weeks or 300 hours of training. Similar to the EMT-Basic course, this typically consists
of some combination of in-class lectures, practice scenarios, and clinical experiences.
Lastly, to become a paramedic, you must hold either an EMT-Basic or EMT-Advanced
certification. Paramedic courses are typically 8 months to 1 year in duration which equates
to roughly 800-1000 hours of training. In addition to the length of training,
paramedic programs have much more intensive clinical components, often consisting of ambulance
ride-alongs and in-the-hospital training. Once you’ve become certified as an EMT,
AEMT, or paramedic, finding a job is often fairly simple as many areas face widespread
understaffing. Most companies will require some sort of testing as part of their interview
process, so it’s important to brush up on your clinical knowledge and skills ahead of time.
Next, let’s talk about the benefits of becoming an EMT as a Premed.
The most obvious benefit is that you’ll gain a great deal of knowledge and clinical experience
by working as an EMT. You’ll have the opportunity to take histories, obtain vital signs, perform
physical exams, and administer care to patients – all before ever stepping foot into medical school.
Whereas other common premed jobs such as medical scribing or research are significantly limited
in their ability to interact with patients, EMTs are directly involved in patient care.
In addition, EMTs work alongside many other members of the healthcare team including nurses,
physician assistants, and doctors. This allows you to ask questions to further your
medical knowledge and build relationships with people who may ultimately be able to
write you a letter of recommendation for your medical school application.
Being an EMT also allows you a great deal of flexibility that other premed jobs do
not. Emergencies don’t clock out after 5 PM or take breaks during the holidays. As such,
EMTs work around the clock to deliver care to their patients. In many locations, EMTs also work
12 hour shifts allowing them to be a full-time employee while only working 3 days per week.
This can give you tremendous flexibility to work around your classes and other responsibilities.
EMTs also work in a variety of different settings. Although we typically associate
EMTs with ambulances, this isn’t the case for all EMTs. There are opportunities to work in medical
offices and emergency departments, work first aid for special events,
and do interfacility transports to name a few. Each setting has its individual pros and cons;
however, you can take comfort in knowing that you aren’t limited to only working on an ambulance.
Lastly, becoming an EMT can help you develop your abilities as a leader and give you a taste of
true responsibility for your patients. As an EMT, you’re often called upon to care for patients in
unfamiliar environments. As such, you need to be able to survey the scene and take control of the
situation in order to effectively care for your patients which requires strong leadership skills.
In addition, the decisions that you make while working as an EMT can have lasting
consequences for your patients. Although all EMTs treat patients based on protocols,
the scenarios you’ll face are not always black and white. You’ll regularly experience situations
that challenge you to think outside of the box and use the resources available to you
to deliver the best quality care to your patients. Although there are many benefits to being an EMT,
there are some drawbacks that you should be aware of.
First, there’s the time in training. Becoming an EMT requires anywhere from a few months
to a couple of years to complete depending on the level of certification. This means either
delaying your undergraduate studies or taking on a heavier course load while you complete
your EMT training. In contrast, other premed jobs such as medical scribing don’t require any
type of certification and allow you to start working and gaining experience immediately.
Next there’s the schedule. Although the flexible schedule of an EMT can be beneficial in some ways,
it can also be challenging in others. Because emergencies happen at all hours of day,
every day of the year, you may have to regularly work nights, weekends, or holidays while the rest
of your friends are enjoying their time off. Being an EMT can also be incredibly stressful.
Due to the nature of emergencies, strong emotions are commonplace. You’ll regularly treat patients
who are scared, sad, or even angry – and sometimes those feelings get taken out on you.
Poor outcomes are also not uncommon. For instance, it’s estimated that only about [10% of
patients] who experience cardiac
arrest outside of the hospital survive. This means that as an EMT you’ll become intimately
familiar with death and suffering. It should come as no surprise then
that burnout is incredibly common among EMTs at all levels of training. It’s so common in fact,
that most EMT programs include topics in mental health, burnout, and stress management as part
of their curriculum. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t become an EMT. It can be an incredible
learning experience. Rather, it’s to inform you of the challenges that EMTs face so you can go into
it knowing both the pros and the cons. If you’ve decided to become an EMT,
here are some tips to help you get the most out of the experience.
First, approach the job with a sense of curiosity. Although you will be limited in your roles and
responsibilities as an EMT, there is no limit to how much you can learn. You can get as much or
as little as you want from the experience. It’s completely dependent on you and your willingness
to learn. The information and the resources are there, but it’s up to you to seek them out.
Next, use the opportunity to hone your communication skills. Arguably the biggest
benefit that being an EMT has over other premed extracurriculars is that you’ll be directly
involved in patient care. Effective communication is crucial for your future career as a physician
and the sooner you’re able to develop these skills, the better off you’ll be. As an EMT,
you’ll meet and communicate with dozens of people each day. Use this as an opportunity
to hone your communication skills and work effectively as part of the healthcare team.
It’s also important to keep your end goal in mind. Although it can be exciting to get out there and
start taking care of patients, don’t lose sight of the bigger picture. Some premeds unintentionally
prioritize extracurriculars, such as being an EMT, over other aspects of their medical school
application. Remember, your extracurriculars are only one piece of the puzzle. You still need to
put sufficient time and effort into the other aspects of your application including your GPA,
MCAT, research, and volunteer work. Although it’s good to have strong extracurriculars,
extracurriculars alone won’t earn you an acceptance to medical school.
Lastly, use your time as an EMT as an opportunity to network. Although most EMT jobs won’t allow
you to work directly with physicians, you’ll still regularly communicate with them when
transporting patients to and from the hospital. Use these opportunities to network with the
people around you. You never know what doors may open up for you simply because of who you know.
And that’s everything you need to know about becoming an EMT. Is there anything
I missed? Let me know with a comment below. And if your dream is to become a doctor, check out
the Med School Insiders Premed Roadmap to Medical School Acceptance course. We cover the nuances and
details of how to be a stand-out premed, including course scheduling, extracurriculars beyond being
an EMT, research, common mistakes and pitfalls to avoid, and our tactics to securing full
scholarships to top medical schools. This is the guide we wish we had back as premeds ourselves.
We’re so confident you’ll love it, it’s backed by a 30-day 100% money back guarantee. And if you
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Thank you all so much for watching. If you enjoyed this video, check out the Premed’s
Guide to Medical Scribing or this other video. And make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on
any future videos in our premed extracurricular series. Much love, and I’ll see you there.