Occupation | |
---|---|
Names | Emergency medical technician |
Synonyms | EMT |
Occupation type | Profession |
Activity sectors | Emergency services Healthcare |
Description | |
Fields of employment | Ambulance; hospital; pre-hospital; transport |
Related jobs | Paramedic |
An emergency medical technician (often, more simply, EMT) is a medical professional that provides emergency medical services.[1][2] EMTs are most commonly found serving on ambulances and in fire departments in the US and Canada, as full-time and some part-time departments require their firefighters to at least be EMT certified.
In English-speaking countries, paramedics are a separate profession that has additional educational requirements, qualifications, and scope of practice.[3][4]
EMTs are often employed by public ambulance services, municipal EMS agencies, governments, hospitals, and fire departments. Some EMTs are paid employees, while others (particularly those in rural areas) are volunteers.[2] EMTs provide medical care under a set of protocols, which are typically written by a physician.[5][6]