Become an EMT

As a candidate for EMT training, one must have at the very minimum a high school diploma or completed some secondary education equivalent. Proficiency in reading skills and mathematics such as algebra are absolutely mandatory all for incoming EMT trainees, and past coursework in medical areas such as anatomy (the study of the human body and its components), physiology (the study of how parts of the human body do what they do), and electrocardiography (the measurement, recording, and analysis of the heart’s electrical activity) may also be required depending on the training program in question. As required by most occupations, EMT candidates usually must also pass a criminal background check before starting EMT training or employment; more often than not, having a clean criminal background is a mandatory qualification for employment as an EMT, as is the case with many jobs in other fields.

Candidates seeking to be EMTs must be very alert and have sharp senses, in order to quickly assess the injuries or medical conditions of victims in emergencies and determine what kind of emergency medical treatment is required to most effectively treat those injuries. Alertness is also an integral characteristic of effective emergency medical service personnel due to its necessity in the majority of tasks that they may have to perform while on the job. For instance, should an EMT be required to operate an emergency medical service vehicle (such as an ambulance) while on the job, arriving at a destination as quickly as possible and doing so as safely as possible is an absolute must.

Being in good physical shape and health is also a necessity for EMT candidates, as work can be (and generally is) both lengthy and physically demanding. It is by no means unusual for emergency medical service workers to sustain injuries while on the job; at least one in ten emergency medical service personnel experience injuries at some point during their career. Emergency medical service personnel may also sometimes find themselves in direct exposure to infectious illnesses while caring for patients. Lastly, ideal EMT candidates have good emotional self-control; as an EMT, work involves long hours, and the work environment can be very stressful, to say the very least. As a result of the intense emotional distress that may be experienced by emergency medical service personnel while on the job, jobs in the field of emergency medical services, including those of EMTs, tend to have a very high turnover rate.