A recurring question I’ve seen online and in EMS specific forums is what the process of transferring an EMT certification or paramedic license to another state involves. This depends on which state one is moving to, so the best thing to do is find out what the specific EMT reciprocity rules are for that state—each state has it’s own criteria.

To dramatically increase the chances of your destination state accepting your EMT status without any further action, becoming nationally recognized by the NREMT. However, there are still several states that don’t accept NREMT registration and require a few extra steps for full EMT status in their state. More on that below.

Some general guidelines for EMT reciprocity are as follows:

• A valid certification in your previous state
• The training from your state was based on the US-DOT curriculum for your EMT classification
• One’s previous state’s training meets or exceeds their current state’s training requirements
• One can provide full documentation of all certification training and/or a refresher course at their current EMT classification

If one is not nationally registered with the NREMT, most states will require completion of a written exam, and possibly a skills verification at more advanced EMT classifications. A background check will also be required by most states.

EMT Reciprocity by State at NREMT.org—Click to enlarge.

For more specific information on EMT reciprocity, or specific state EMT certification requirements, the best course of action would be to find your state’s EMS authority by doing a web search for “your state EMS authority”. As an example, you can visit our page on EMT training in California which links out to the CA EMS Authority website. Visitors are then given a list of options from a drop down at the top of the page.

For more information on becoming an EMT, be sure to visit our comprehensive page on how to become an EMT, where you will find a detailed step-by-step guide including all the most useful and popular resources and study aides used by most existing EMT professionals.

I found an interesting article today on how some high school students in Corpus Christi Texas are being taught EMS life saving skills.

The article is unclear why the students were being taught these skills—it looks like the program is some kind of dual credit program at the high school. But the lessons were complete with a pedestrian EMS scenario where a bus hit a woman and her child, along with another car for a total of three accident victims.

Even a local fight rescue company called HALO Flight was called on to participate, but due to foggy conditions, they were forced to cancel, which changed the rescue situation for the patients, who then had to be prepared by the students for ambulance transport.

It sounds like the only adjustment was that the baby would be accompanying the mother in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, which Melissa Stuive explained:

We have to make adjustments just like we have to do in the field, so if we can’t get halo to come out, we can get them to figure out how we’re going to transport in the back of the ambulance.

The article goes on to mention that one of the students, Victoria Aguilar, who is already enrolled in the health careers club at her school, expressed interest in joining an EMT program as a result of the exercise.

Its pretty interesting because they’re seniors and they know how to do all this stuff already.

I find it interesting that a high school would offer an EMT program like this one, especially since the students will be trained well enough for NREMT exam eligibility.

If you’d like to view the complete article, you can do so by clicking here. The article is complete with pictures of the scenario training.

One of the critical roles in our society is that of being an emergency medical technician (EMT), ambulance worker or paramedic. If this is a career that you have an interest, then you can rest assured that there are capable and accredited institutions and facilities to provide EMT Training in Michigan. There is also the requirement to obtain a license at the end of the study period to work in Michigan.

People tend to have heart attacks, seizures, falls and other occurrences that require immediate assistance. We can’t always predict what will happen to us and when–which is why EMTs are needed. They are trained to administer oxygen, setting up IVs, cardiac monitoring, dealing with broken limbs and CPR; all this will help a patient to live until they are able to receive full medical attention. It is a demanding job; however Michigan training institutions provide the knowledge and skills that help their graduates perform at their best.

EMT Training Programs in Michigan

For those EMT candidates who need to access tuition assistance, grants or various education programs; there are several which are available to EMTs in Michigan. Check the states website to view a current listing of these programs. Many Fire departments sponsor programs in their counties; examples of which include north Oakland and Wayne County. The Community Health department within the state also sponsors EMT training programs.

EMT Training Levels

As it relates to the training of the EMTs, there is an accepted and generally used curriculum pattern. There are several levels of EMT Training within the United States; this includes EMT-P (Paramedic), EMT-I/99 (Intermediate), EMT-I/85 (Intermediate) and EMT-B (Basic). There are also more advanced and specialized training that is available in several states. The requirement to operate as emergency medical technicians varies from state to state; however the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) minimum requirements must be met in every one, including Michigan.

At the very basic level, EMT-B, the procedures are non invasive and these practitioners will treat minor issues like broken bones, providing oxygen, controlling bleeding and clearing the airway. At the intermediate level students who receive EMT Training in Michigan will learn how to use airway devices and administer IVs. They will also do various assessments; monitor the heart, respiration and pulse. Those at the level of the Paramedic have more extensive training. This includes cardiac monitoring, pharmaceutical administration, fluid resuscitation and many other advanced assessment and procedures.

Top EMT Schools in Michigan

EMT Training in Michigan is offered by many educational institutions including Alpena Community College, Glen Oaks Community College, Gogebic Community College, Henry Ford Community College, Jackson Community College, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Kellogg Community College, Kirtland Community College, Lake Michigan College, Lansing Community College, Macomb Community College, Mid Michigan Community College, Montcalm Community College, Mott Community College, North Central Michigan College, Oakland Community College, Schoolcraft College, Southwestern Michigan College and Wayne County Community College District. All these schools offer associate programs. Baker College of Cadillac, Baker College of Clinton Township, and Baker College of Muskegon have programs at the Bachelors degree level. If you are interested in pursuing EMT at the Masters Degree level, then you can seek out the training programs at Lake Superior State University and Siena Heights University.

What are the Requirements for Michigan EMTs?

To join any of these EMT Training programs in Michigan certain criteria must be met. At the very least EMTs must have an associate degree; these programs last for two years. Only then will you be able to access the EMT test. The institution of your choice must be accredited; most of which are, in Michigan. Certification will be withheld by the state if that aspect is not met. The tests have both a practical and written element. If you choose to pursue this career at an advanced level, then you must do the requisite studies and testing within two years of the first examinations. Failing this, you will have to restart the process with completing a training program and then ascending to a higher level.

Like many other professionals, you will have to be licensed to work in Michigan. There are tons of resources available online that can help you to state up to date. This is an important element because, no one wants to study, pass their exams and then fail the licensing exam. Even if you have a license from another state; it is required it is required to pass the licensing exam again in Michigan.

An EMT is required to renew their skills, meaning, they will have to access any of the continuing educational programs available and learn about new methods, medicines, techniques etc. In Michigan, this is mandatory and vital. It is also important to note that the license that an EMT is issued as an expiry date and has to be renewed; hence the need to always be update as an EMT.

It’s quite surprising the amount of people who expect to find free EMT training, judging by the amount of chatter I see online about it–or more appropriately, the number of unsuccessful requests.

After doing some research, I found a few volunteer organizations that offer some minimal first responder and CPR training, but certainly not anyone offering a full blown accredited NREMT preparedness training, or anything like that.

Some fire departments that require their personnel to be EMT-B certified are willing to pay for the education however, so you’ll have to call around to investigate whether that is the case in your community.

Additionally, there are scholarships available at some community colleges, and sometimes fire departments offer “paid intern” positions and pay for you to go through the program. Of course, you will become a firefighter or EMT and work for them after completion of the training. They often pay for additional training should you desire to become a paramedic or instructor.

Other than the above options, it’s pretty hard to find FREE EMT training. Most Junior and Community colleges offer very low cost ($500 or so) EMT-Basic programs that don’t take very long to complete. After finding a job, most likely your first paycheck will obviously pay for your schooling.

If you can’t take advantage of any of the above options, your best bet is to simply bite the bullet and put together the few hundred dollars required to get into a program somewhere.

I was able to find the below facility that formerly provided FREE EMT training, however, it looks like the program has been suspended according to this note that I found in a forum.

Greetings:

My name is Rohn Perdue Executive Asst. / Employment
Specialist at Met Council (Career Services Dept.)

Unfortunately our EMT Training Program has been temporally suspended. At this time are unable to say when we will be able to restart our EMT Training Program.

Our current situation is out of our immediate control, however we are hopeful that we will be able to continue our EMT Training Program sometime in the near future.

Be advised we do have other programs at this time including our PIN Nursing Program (for nurses of foreign countries seeking NCLEX training) and our Career Services Employment / Career Counseling program.

Please keep our contact information, feel free to contact us regarding these additional programs.
Thank you for your inquiry regarding our EMT Training Program here at Met Council. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

Respectfully,

Ronald Perdue
Executive Assistant
Employment Specialist
Metropolitan Council
80 Maiden Lane
New York, NY 10038
rperdue@metcouncil.org

This confirms my suspicions that there are very few programs offered for free. There really is no free lunch anymore unfortunately…

I recently received a comment from someone interested in working as a paramedic from an offshore location, such as an oil rig. In general there isn’t much information I could find out there other than a few rather authoritative pages with some information on becoming an offshore medic in the UK.

At least in the UK, one requirement to becoming an offshore medic is the BOSIET (Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training) course, which is for those who intend to work an offshore installation in the UK under the Common Offshore Safety Induction process.

An offshore paramedic or medic provides emergency medical services on offshore oil rigs, drilling rigs, and other offshore rigs. They provide first aid and other services to rig workers who have suffered injuries, or who have been involved in an accident or gotten sick. Most offshore rig paramedics must have an ample amount of prior experience as a standard paramedic, and then they may apply for an offshore job.

Offshore Paramedic Duties

Medics on offshore rigs are expected to have a wide ranging medical knowledge base, that is to say they are essentially a “jack-of-all-trades”. Depending on whether you work on a platform, drilling rig, pipe laying barge, or DSV, you are expected to carry out certain duties. Since oil rigs are so remote out in the middle of the ocean, often there is only a single paramedic assigned to handle all the medical duties onboard. As a result, rig medics must be able to treat any and all ailments experienced by those aboard the rig.

Here are a few of the duties performed by offshore medics, just to name a few:

• Provide safety and induction instructions for all personnel arriving on location.
• Instruct all personnel and make sure they are all aware of the breathing apparatus/equipment (those used for firefighting and smoke diving) to make sure they are working properly, where they are located, and how they work.
• They ensure all the breathing apparatus are inspected and working properly, and also to provide inspection reports on a frequent basis.

Medics are expected to adhere to their employer policies, and act as personnel officer, safety officer, helicopter landing officer, storeman, administrator, and several other responsibilities. Usually the medic is the only one who knows anything about medical matters, so they can also be responsible for all public health, psychiatric care, dental emergencies, prepare emergency plan for casualty situations, and all aspects of hygiene for food handling.

Believe it or not, rig Medics must also be prepared to handle office administrative duties, and possess basic computer skills such as the use of standard productivity software.

Steps to Become an Offshore Paramedic

Becoming an offshore rig medic is quite simple actually. You simply have to register for a proper course, complete the course and apply for jobs. As for what to take, where to do it and where to apply for jobs is the more involved answer.

To get an offshore paramedic position, it is required to apply through the oil company that owns or leases the rig. If you can find an online recruiting agency to assist you to find available positions it is very helpful, but of course this requires a fee.

Alternatively, you can contact the oil rig companies directly, though finding the actual decision maker may prove difficult since there are more than 500 oil rig companies in the United States and working for these companies is is in high demand.

Lastly, these companies and rigs are usually located in remote areas, such as Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Russia, Mexico, China, Venezuela, Norway and the United Kingdom–so getting ahold of people who hire offshore paramedics can prove difficult.

For much more information on this topic, be sure to visit this web page. It is quite extensive and there are quite a few comments that have been built up. Also it has information on submitting resumes, along with a sample want ad for an offshore paramedic job.

A recent question I received from a visitor was whether or not they would be able to pursue EMS with a DWI on their driving record. Here is the question verbatim:

Hi – I was charged with a DWI back in January .. and I recently decided that I’d like to become a paramedic.. a little too late of course. I read somewhere that it will stay on my record for 10 years. Would it be possible to become a paramedic with the DWI on my record? If not, how long would it take for me to join the paramedic profession in the future? Thanks in advance!

It’s unfortunate that many people make the mistake of drinking and driving, it’s a mistake that can be made seemingly in the blink of an eye, however one that carries substantial negative consequences. Especially when your line of work, or one you’re considering getting into discriminates heavily against those who have received a drunk driving penalty. Depending on the state, a drunk driving infraction can stay on your record for up to 10 years, which is a long time to live down a one-time mistake.

Unfortunately, the emergency medical services field is one where a higher level of responsibility is not only expected but required. EMS professionals are expected to behave as and fill the role of strong role models in society. They are often expected to live their lives in a manner that is much more responsible than the typical expectations one would bestow on a professional service provider.

With that in mind, the best thing to do in the case that you’ve been charged with a DWI or DUI is to visit your local paramedic program director or County EMS director and explain your situation. They will be in the best position to advise you on the matter as they will now the national, state, and local regulations and restrictions that would apply to your situation.

But I can say this, as long as a drunk driving penalty is on your record, you will most likely face significant challenges convincing a paramedic program to accept you. Considering the above expectations placed on paramedics, they will see you as a potential liability and risk. After all, paramedics are in the business of caring and treating people who have suffered from injury or illness, and a drunk driving incident will be seen as a lack of respect and appreciation for the lives of others.

This is unacceptable behavior in the EMS profession. Paramedics must put others before themselves during the course of their daily lives. Even if a paramedic program took your money and allowed you to enroll for EMT training, most likely you would not be able to get a job with a volunteer agency since insurance companies would not be willing to cover you – as they would consider you a high liability.

In the case one is already a licensed paramedic and receives a felony on their record, they would most likely be terminated by whatever paramedic agency they work for. The individual would face a medical review board for revocation of their license to practice EMS. Any crime committed below felony level will initiate an investigation and company board meeting to assess any disciplinary action, including possible termination and a medical review board license revocation.

Those working in the EMS profession have their criminal background under a magnifying glass – even traffic violations must be reported to a supervisor or there is a risk for disciplinary action.

Basic life support (BLS) is a form of medical care used on patients who have life-threatening illnesses or injuries prior to being transported to a medical care facility or hospital, and is one of the foundational skills of EMS professionals. BLS is primarily used in a pre-hospital setting by EMTs, paramedics, firefighters, lifeguards, and police officers, however it can be taught to every day individuals who care to receive BLS training by taking a short course.

Basic life support techniques are formulated by medical bodies in most countries, and have guidelines on how to perform them depending on country. BLS guidelines contain protocols for management of certain conditions such as choking, cardiac arrest, drowning, and other common forms of injury. However BLS does not include advanced life support (ALS) techniques such as the use of drugs or invasive techniques.

Perhaps the most well-known form of BLS is cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), which is meant to revive patients suffering from lack of air and allow enough time for more skilled medical responders to arrive and provide advanced life support (ALS) care.

The foundational lifesaving techniques employed when performing BLS are called CABS, short for circulation, airway and breathing.

• Circulation – Circulation is the ability to provide ample blood supply to various tissues throughout the body, most importantly critical organs so the body can deliver oxygen at a cellular level and remove metabolic waste through the distribution of blood to the body.
• Airway – Airway is the protection and maintenance of the body’s passageways for oxygen and carbon dioxide to pass between the lungs and atmosphere.
• Breathing – Breathing is the inflation and deflation of the lungs through airway.

Although a healthy body is able to maintain CABs on its own, an individual suffering from an illness or trauma must be assisted using BLS techniques to maintain their own CABs, and to maintain patients who are unable to do so. For example, an individual performing BLS on a patient may need to manually open the patient’s mouth to answer an oral or nasal adjunct to keep the airway clear. Assistance with breathing may include artificial respiration provided by emergency oxygen, and for circulation, bleeding control or CPR techniques may be employed to assist the heart to maintain its pumping action.

Basic Life Support Sequence

When an EMT administers basic life support is performed using a specific BLS sequence which are specific to adults or children.Below are the basic steps performed:

1. Make sure the victim is safe.
2. Determine the level of consciousness by asking the patient loudly if they are okay, and checking their response to pain.
3. determine if the victim has a cervical spine trauma, and if not, open their airway through the head tilt/chin lift maneuver. Provided there is suspected neck trauma, the patient’s airway is opened using the jaw thrust technique, and if ineffective the head tilt/chin lift maneuver should be performed very carefully.
4. Assess whether any foreign objects or obstructions are blocking the airway, and if so use the finger sweep technique to remove them.
5. Look, listen, and feel for breathing at least 5 seconds, but no more than 10 seconds. If the patient is able to breathe without assistance they should be placed in a recovery position, monitored and transported. If the patient is not breathing, immediate defibrillation should be performed.
6. Attempt to perform artificial ventilation techniques such as mouth-to-mouth resuscitation or by using a bag-valve-mask (BVM). Although unless using a face shield, mouth-to-mouth is no longer recommended. At this point the BLS practitioner should make sure the chest rises and falls, and if not, reposition the airway. Next, chest compressions should be performed, making sure to stop every 30 compressions to recheck the airway for obstructions and removing any instructions, then re-attempting ventilation.
7. If successful and breathing has restored through the ventilation’s, verify the patient’s pulse at the carotid artery. If a pulse is detected, continue performing artificial ventilation’s and transport the victim immediately to a medical care facility or hospital. If no pulses detected, begin CPR at a ratio of 30:2 compressions to ventilation’s at 100 compressions per minute for 5 cycles.
8. Afterward the BLS protocol should be repeated from the start by assessing the patient’s airway, checking for breathing, and spontaneous pulse.
9. the BLS protocols should continue until the patient regains a pulse, the EMS professional is replaced by another rescuer with higher training, the rescuer is too physically tired to continue CPR, or the patient is pronounced dead by an MD.

In medicine, the CPR cycle is often abbreviated as 30:2 (30 compressions, 2 ventilation’s or breaths). For infants and children, CPR uses a 15:2 cycle if two emergency responders are performing CTR, but in the case of only one rescuer, the 30:2 sequence should still be used. If two person CPR is being conducted on an infant or child, the “two hands encircling thumbs” technique should be used by the emergency responder.

Today I saw a question and an EMT resource site regarding the what hours EMTs work during the week and how longer shifts are, so I wanted to tackle the question here. For the prospective EMT or paramedic this is a very legitimate question as work schedules impact our lives so much.

The actual question that I found when something like this:

I’m planned on going to school and becoming an EMT to drive the ambulance. How long and what type of shifts do ambulance work and what do they do during down time?

The answer to this question is that usually an EMT–Basic doesn’t drive the ambulance exclusively, they typically ride with patients during non-emergency calls, such as, transferring patients from the hospital to a nursing home, to doctors appointments, to receive a dialysis, and other functions while the paramedic drives. Conversely, if on a 911 call, the paramedic typically attends to the patient in the back while the EMT–Basic drives.

Although that is not to say the EMT–Basic will not help with patient care at the scene of an accident or other emergency. They simply must stay within the scope of their training allows, for instance, they cannot administer drugs – that is left for the paramedic exclusively. An EMT–Basic will perform routine checks on vitals, blood sugar, identify and stabilize any fractures the patient may be suffering from, bandage any wounds, etc.

As for working hours, the average shift is 12 to 24 hours long for emergency medical services workers, however shift duration depends on the EMS company one works for and their policies. Working 24 hours on and 48 hours off is a very common schedule. Another common shift scenario would be 12 hours on 12 hours off, such as, from 8 PM to 8 AM. Shifts vary depending on whether one is working prior private service company or a county position. Lastly, in many rural areas of the country EMTs will simply work on an as needed basis, such as 8 hours a week to 120 hours a week.

During the few times when EMS workers experience “down time”, they are expected to perform maintenance and preparation work, such as, stocking the ambulance, cleaning the ambulance, maintaining the base, routine paperwork, etc. However, it’s rare that an EMS department will experience much downtime, or the there is nothing to do for the staff.

For those interested in EMS work or in going to EMT school, be sure to visit our page on how to become an EMT, along with the other resource pages listed in the left-hand sidebar.

For all those that place a higher value on job security in today’s dismal job market, emergency medical services (EMS) might be exactly what you’re looking for in a career. You see, EMS jobs are part of the overall job market that can never be outsourced, imported, or out of business. Paramedics and EMTs will always have a job unless every disease were to be cured and injuries could be eliminated. But the likelihood of that is obviously nonexistent.

People are always going to get in accidents or have health issues. I don’t think people beginning to completely ignore the numerous distractions we’re presented with behind the wheel of our vehicles anytime soon. Teenagers will always have less than fully developed brains and hormones working on overdrive, and as a result they will continue to be the largest portion of car accident victims.

Furthermore, unless the economy begins to grow to the point where unemployment is 0% and 100% of the population has their financial needs in order, there will always be crimes committed that results in life-threatening injuries. The car accidents and crime are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the need for emergency medical service professionals – many other physical problems , especially those stemming from natural causes such as, heart attacks, strokes, bees stings, allergic reactions, and hundreds of others.

As you can see the need for emergency medical services is massive, however many of the ambulances you see driving down the street don’t have accident victims in the back. Ambulances serve many more needs than 911 calls. For instance, if a patient needs to be transferred to another medical facility for whatever reason, an ambulance is called on to perform the transfer. Another example is when a nursing home resident with a debilitating condition needs to see a doctor or receive a dialysis, an ambulance is usually what is called on to take them. Or perhaps someone injures themselves on a skiing or hiking trip, you guessed it, again an ambulance will be called on.

Job security in EMS is further evidenced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) job growth projections, which indicate 20% growth by 2018. As a result of the campaign for individuals to call 911 for emergencies, as well as the proliferation of specialty centers, there will always be strong need for EMS professionals to transport patients there. Ambulance services are run by both public and private entities, further fueling the need for paramedics and EMTs.

On the downside, ambulance jobs are not the highest paying careers out there, the nationwide median EMT salary is only $30,360 per year. However most emergency service professionals aren’t in it for the money, they mostly enjoy the tremendous pride and feeling they get by saving lives and making a difference every day.

I found an article announcing the release of “EMT” by Sprockit Apps recently. The study tool is available for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad and promises to be an indispensable tool for those studying for the Emergency Medical Technician certification exam.

According to the Sprockit Education website (link in resources below):

Sprockit Apps seeks to deliver mobile software to help people pursue professional development. At Sprockit Apps, our goal is to meet the customer’s specific educational needs, providing quality content in an easily digestible format. Our expert developer team is ready to serve people by leveraging our in-house expertise and technology. Using sophisticated Mobile Application Development tools, we create world-class applications.

The application consists of a thoroughly comprehensive set of one thousand flashcards allowing users to study the topics of patient assessment, medical facts/acronyms, practice questions, drugs and pharmacology (basically everything an EMT student needs to effectively prepare for the NREMT) – all on your compact device while on the go.

We all know paper flashcards and study guides aren’t the most portable study materials to lug around, so using EMT will provide portability and ease of use to those who don’t necessarily like to hide away at home while studying.

Features include:

• Elegant, intuitive interface
• Covers all types of questions included on the NREMT
• Upload and store your own flashcards (updating the app will remove them, unfortunately)
• Extremely compact and portable for when users are on the go
• Portrait and landscape views
• Developed by EMT personnel

To use the application, users must own a 3G iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, iOS 4 or later and at least 2.0 MB of storage. EMT 1.0.1 is available worldwide for $2.99 through the App Store, Medical category.

I’m going to pick up a copy for myself and do a thorough review for an upcoming post in case some readers may want to see one before buying. But looking at the reviews in the ITunes App Store, the reviewers have all come in at five stars.

Resources:
Sprockit Apps Website
Purchase EMT by Sprockit Apps on iTunes
EMT App Screenshots