After paramedic training, you can gain more hours to become an EMT. Such roles are demanding and fast paced, yet rewarding. Learn more.
If you are interested in a medical profession that allows you to work outside of a hospital or medical center and provides the satisfaction of saving lives, paramedic training will prepare you for a career in this growing profession.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected an increasing demand for emergency medical technicians (EMTs) professionals, with a growth rate of 33 percent between 2010 and 2020. This projection is based on the fact that America has a large and growing aging population. With old age comes increasing health issues that often require emergency assistance. Of the various professionals involved in delivering medical emergency services, paramedics provide the most advanced life support and medical care at the scene of an emergency and in transit to a medical center.
To become a paramedic, you first have to qualify as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). The difference between the two is the number of hours of training involved, 150 hours for EMT versus 1,200 hours of paramedic studies and the level of life support you are allowed to use on the job.
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Paramedic programs combine in-classroom instruction with in-hospital practice and supervised field work on an ambulance crew. Programs can last anywhere from eight to 17 months. You study topics such as human anatomy, airway management, physiology, pharmacology and advanced life support, such as administering IVs and drugs.
EMT and paramedic training courses are accredited by the Committee of Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions (CoAEMSP), which operates under the direction of the Commission on Allied Health Education Accreditation (CAAHEP).
As of January 1, 2013, all programs of instruction for EMTs and paramedics must be accredited by CAAHEP. Currently, there are 342 programs, from the diploma to the master's level, listed by CAAHEP.
However, if you wish to study in a paramedic program online, only two of these are offered, one in Louisiana and one in Texas. It is important to note that accreditation is granted to paramedic programs of study and not the paramedic schools themselves.
In addition to completing the course of study in an accredited paramedic program, you may be required to become licensed or certified. This may include national and state certification and licensing. To be certified as a paramedic at the national level, you must pass the National EMS Certification exam, offered by the National Registry of EMTs (NREMT).
To maintain your professional status, you may be required to recertify regularly.
You can use Reply! to gather the information you need to decide which course of education is best for you. If you choose paramedic training, you can work in a dynamic, fast-paced environment where you are able to make a real difference in the lives of others.
Related read: Paramedic to RN program: bridge programs online
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