Being an emergency responder is like living a movie, but it’s all real life. These professionals handle accidents, heart attacks, strokes, and death with a calmness that only experience can provide. If you want to become an emergency medical responder, you need to think quickly and act responsibly because people’s lives depend on you.
The first step is enrolling in an emergency medical training course, which typically lasts about three months. After completing the course, you need to pass the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT) exam to get licensed. All 50 states in the US require this license, and you need to renew it every 2 to 3 years. To keep your license active, you must complete at least twelve hours of continuing education.
The job outlook for emergency medical responders is quite promising. The field is expected to grow by 33% by 2020, which is much faster than many other professions. As of 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that emergency medical responders earned an average hourly wage of $14.60, with an annual median salary of $30,360.
If you’re set on becoming an emergency medical responder, there are several additional certifications you can pursue alongside your main program. Organizations like the American Heart Association offer these courses, which you can find and sign up for on the Health Solutions website.
As an emergency medical responder, you’ll need to quickly assess situations and make critical decisions. Being well-trained is crucial. That’s why additional certifications are important. They teach you how to handle specific emergencies, like heart attacks or strokes, and how to manage ongoing assessments.
For example, the Acute Stroke Online course helps you identify stroke symptoms and respond quickly to save lives. The Heartcode ACLS Part 1 course uses realistic scenarios to teach you how to respond to heart attacks. The BLS for Healthcare Providers Online Part 1 course is mandatory for all healthcare workers and covers basic life support for situations like choking, breathing difficulties, and cardiac arrest.
The Heartsaver Bloodborne Pathogens Online course covers safe practices according to OSHA rules. The Heartsaver First Aid Online Part 1 course teaches basic first aid for things like broken bones, bites, and extreme temperatures, and how to treat wounds and sprains.
You can also choose combination courses like BLS, CPR, and AED, which keep you up-to-date with life-saving techniques, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, and using an automatic external defibrillator.
These courses are available online, making it convenient to learn from home and take exams at your own pace. Once you pass, your certification card will be mailed to you.